"Hi grandma, Nicole here. How are you?" Nicole greeted Mrs. Wallace Sr. on the phone."Yes, Nicole, I'm doing really well. What about you?" Mrs. Wallace Sr. looked at Nicole with concern."I've been doing fine. You don't have to worry about me. I've been eating well, and sleeping well. Look, I'm actually having dinner right now." Nicole showed Mrs. Wallace Sr. her meal.Mrs. Wallace Sr. looked at her and nodded. "Why are you having dinner at such an hour? You have to take care of yourself, you know?""Yeah, I've been working overtime today, so that's why I'm eating late. I usually eat my meals on time." Nicole smiled as she explained."Hello, grandma." Harvey face suddenly popped up on the screen and greeted Mrs. Wallace Sr.Nicole looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. 'What's he doing here?!'"Hi." Mrs. Wallace Sr. greeted, not knowing who she was talking to, but she nodded and smiled anyway."How are you doing, grandma?" Harvey asked, not caring that Nicole had
"Do you agree with me, Mr. Johnston?" Fiorella abruptly stopped and asked."Yeah, you're right." Jared tapped his glass against hers with a clink."Castor, pour Miss Fisher some wine," Jared ordered.Hearing this, Castor quickly poured some wine for Fiorella.Fiorella looked at Castor and began to lecture him, "It's a pity, Castor. You weren't born with good parents, so you weren't properly educated. Their actions almost cost you the second half of your life too. Fortunately, though, you were born into a good family."Look at Mr. Johnston. We're all around the same age, but he's so much better than you. I think he is what you should strive to be. Whatever you do in the future, you should think of him as a frame of reference and make informed and meaningful decisions based on that.""Yeah, you're right, Miss Fisher." Castor could only listen and nod, as he was afraid of getting into a spat with her.In truth, he loathed Fiorella. He hated her even when Henry was still around, and
Max looked at Jared, waiting for his order."Excuse me?! Did you not hear me?" Fiorella glared at him and yelled.Jared nodded in defeat, and Max hurried away to get the car ready."Mr. Johnston, your aide isn't behaving sensibly at all." Fiorella criticized Max as she watched him leave.Jared remained silent. After some time, Max drove to the pick-up area in front of Jared and Fiorella."Let's go, Mr. Johnston." Max opened the car door and Fiorella walked over.In the club, Fiorella got someone to serve them a bottle of vintage wine. When the staff had walked out, she was left alone with Jared in this spacious room.She picked a song and passed Jared the microphone. "Mr. Johnston, I am dedicating this song to you. Can we sing it as a duet?""I don't sing well. You can do so on your own," Jared declined.She could tell that he really did not want to sing, so she sang alone. However, she had still chosen to sit next to him as she did.Jared scooted over to the side, but she mo
"Mr. Johnston, we've found a clue. Henry was seen in Roca Este, and we're currently tracing his whereabouts.""Good. Don't startle him, and be sure to bring him back right after you've found him," Jared ordered."Yes, sir."Max immediately ran up to Jared when he saw him walking to the lobby. "Mr. Johnston.""Take me home." Jared glanced back at the room with the suffocating presence and decided not to return.Besides, there was a vixen waiting for him in there."Yes, sir." Max did not dally and drove Jared back to his mansion.Fiorella waited in the room for a long time, but Jared was nowhere to be seen. After some time, she walked out to look for Jared and stopped a staff who was passing by. "Have you seen Mr. Johnston?""He went to the lobby moments ago."Fiorella made a beeline for the lobby. She thought Jared had gone to answer the call in the lobby because the room was too noisy. However, even in the lobby, he was still nowhere to be seen.Fiorella went to the reception
"Great minds think alike." Harvey looked at Nicole confidently."Tsk, great minds my foot. Do you even know how to spell that?" Nicole mocked. "Look, I get what you're saying, but I am just not giving up. After the streak of failures in the past few days, I've already figured something out.""Give us one more week, and we'll be done." Nicole looked at them seriously."I don't mind, but you should ask your team members and see if they're still willing to continue their research with you." Harvey looked at the people seated in the office.Nicole looked at them without saying a word."I'm fine with it," one of the men said."Me too," another echoed."We're right here with you," the others added.A gratified look grew on Nicole's face. "Thank you for the support and the faith you have in me. Let's work on it for another. If we fail this too, we'll be merging with the 5-nanometre chip team.""Okay." Ike clapped as he stood behind her.He was hesitant at that moment. He wanted Nico
Harvey lost his appetite as Nicole had dissed him. He was just looking out for her, and yet his courtesy was repaid with a jibe.As she was swiping, a piece of news caught her attention. It was then that she placed her utensils down and became engrossed in the article.Harvey noticed that she had stopped eating and had placed all of her attention on the news. In response, he shook his head in total helplessness and jeered, "You're so concerned the happenings in our country that you don't even bother to eat anymore."Harvey stared at Nicole, and upon noticing that the expression on her face was something other than the usual, he asked, "What is wrong with you? Don't tell me it's another headline?"Nicole suddenly stood up and walked out while holding her phone in hand. Seeing this, Harvey and Kelly were stunned, and they quickly chased after her."Miss Riddle, where are you going?" Kelly asked."Nicole, what is going on?" Harvey asked as he was running after her."See for yoursel
Back at the lab, Kelly asked Harvey, "Mr. Harvey, has Ms. Riddle boarded the plane yet?""Yes, she has taken flight now.""Don't worry, the situation back home might not be as serious as described in the news." Harvey comforted Kelly who seemed depressed."Yeah, hopefully Mr. Wyance and the rest are all safe and sound," Kelly said, and proceeded to pray.The factory was filled with smoke. Jared, who was there, rushed in and stared at the production site for The Beacon. About half of the factory had been burned to ashes, and the ground was covered in soot and cinders. Some of the employees were performing emergency rescue procedures on those who were injured, and others were salvaging the products."Where is Martin?" Jared grabbed ahold of a worker and asked."Mr. Wyance is inside." The worker pointed at a part of the factory that had been completely destroyed.Jared's eyes froze for a moment and a nightmarish thought flitted across his mind. Then, he made his way into the factor
Jared stood outside and waited anxiously. Whenever someone came out from the factory, he would look over and check them out."Miss, there's a fire at your destination! I'd advise you not to go there," the cab driver kindly reminded."Sir, please just hurry up," Nicole ordered, as she was already panicking in the car and was not in the mood to deal with any of it.Soon after, the cab stopped at the entrance gate of the factory, with Nicole getting out of the car and running inside at once."Miss, you haven't paid for your fare!" the driver shouted.However, Nicole did not hear him at all, and before he knew it, she was out of his sight already."Jared, what is the current condition inside?" Nicole ran up behind him and asked."Nicole? What are you doing here?" Jared looked at Nicole in shock.He did not expect her to receive the news so soon. In fact, he was planning to hide this news from her."I rushed here immediately after I saw the news article," Nicole replied."Where's
"Let's go, it's time to head down. The ceremony will start soon."The group laughed and talked as they left the bridal suite. Jared and his friends, Spencer and Preston, were also guided out by everyone.Now, only the family of four remained in the bridal suite, getting ready for their big entrance."Mommy, it's almost time. Let's get ready," Nolan said, pulling on Nicole's hand.Nicole gently patted Nolan and Lana's cheeks, whispering, "Okay."As she made to stand, Jared extended his hand toward her. Lifting her gaze, she caught Jared in a moment of elegance, his charm unmistakable. A smile bloomed on her face as she placed her hand in his.With a gentle tug, Jared drew her up, his touch tender against her palm.In a swift move, he pulled Nicole into his arms, his other hand circling her waist to pull her close.As Jared looked at Nicole, admiration shimmered in his eyes. "You look truly beautiful today," he remarked."Daddy, Mommy is beautiful every day," Lana chimed in, til
Nicole laughed off the debate between Lulu and June, saying, "Both are lovely. I'm happy with either."Both sets of jewelry were beautiful, and she felt that either would do."Exactly. Nicole will shine in anything," Cindy said, picking a set. "Let's go with this one."Lulu gave June a victorious look. "Told you this was the one."Cindy then suggested, "Why not wear this for the ceremony and switch for the reception? That way, we use both.""Great idea," June agreed, smiling at Cindy's suggestion.Nicole smiled. "Sounds perfect."With everyone agreeing, the stylist went ahead with preparing Nicole.Lulu watched Nicole, amazed by how calm she seemed. "Aren't you a bit nervous?" she asked. Lulu remembered her own wedding jitters.Nicole bit her lip, a hint of nerves showing. "I'm more excited than anything," she admitted.She had been looking forward to this day, ready to face the future with Jared with hope and joy."Just finished," the stylist announced, stepping back to adm
"Do you think I don't want to meet someone? I just haven't found the right person," Gary said somewhat resignedly. He had long regarded Nicole as just a friend."Why don't we just try the dates our families set up?" Ryder suggested, calm and collected. He figured since finding someone on his own wasn't working, maybe arranged dates could help. In their circles, it seemed like good matches were meant to be."Arranged dates don't sound great. You hardly know the person. Are we really okay with deciding to spend our lives together like that?" Preston wasn't too keen on the idea."Emery's doing pretty well with it, you know," Ryder said confidently. "I trust our families. They wouldn't set us up with someone terrible. They've probably made sure we'd be a good match."Gary thought it over. "You might be right. Our families aren't just trying to make deals; they want us to be happy."As Gary and Ryder seemed more into the idea, Preston was still unsure. "You guys are serious?""Why not
Jared held Nicole close and looked at her. "After we get married, we'll move to the estate," he said.Their future home would be just theirs.He thought it was good for Nicole to spend more time with her family since she hadn't been with them for five years. But they knew they would move to the estate later."Okay," Nicole said, nodding. She was happy Jared made the estate close to her family, so she was okay with moving.Jared gently touched her hair and kissed her...****Time flew, and soon it was Nicole and Jared's wedding day.From the morning, San Joto was alive with excitement. Everyone was talking about Jared and Nicole's wedding.Politicians, business leaders, close friends, and business partners all came to wish the couple well.The Riddles were busy welcoming the guests, making everything look amazing."Patricia, hurry up, Charlie's here," Ellar called out as he spotted Charlie. He quickly got Patricia to come and greet him. Max, hearing the fuss, came over too.C
"You really need to rest. You shouldn't work for the next few days. Stay home and rest. A bride has to look her best," Gloria said, looking at Nicole and making the decision for her."Bride!" Nicole was surprised because she hadn't talked about any wedding yet."Yes, now that everything is settled, it's time for your wedding with Jared," Gloria said, deciding firmly. She used to think it was best for the kids to decide for themselves, but after several delays, she felt waiting longer made no sense. The wedding should happen soon."I was thinking that too," Jared said. They had planned the wedding after solving the Everett problem, but then they found out Lawrence had hurt Nicole in the past, causing more delays. Now, with everything sorted out, they saw no reason to wait. The wedding was the next big step.Nicole looked at Jared and, with a smile, agreed, "Okay." Their wedding had been waiting for five years; it was time, with no need to wait any longer."That's so cool, I'm the f
Patricia felt a mix of reluctance and happiness as she prepared to part ways with Charlie.Jared glanced at Charlie and said, "It's about time for us to board." He tenderly held Nicole's hand and led her toward the boarding gate."I need to go through the boarding procedures too," Patricia said, biting her lip. "You must find happiness as well.""I will," Charlie assured her with a gentle smile, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You've grown up, too. You don't need to cling to me anymore. I believe Ellar will take great care of you."Patricia nodded, then, leaning closer to Charlie, she whispered, 'When Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle get married, make sure you bring my future sister-in-law back with you.' Caught off guard, Charlie playfully scolded her, "You little rascal."Doretta, standing not too far away, overheard Patricia's whispered words. Her cheeks turned even redder."Let's go," Patricia announced, then turned to Doretta, adding, "We'll meet again.""Goodbye,
Lying in bed with Nicole cradled in his arms, Jared whispered gently, "Sleep for a bit.""Mhm." Finally feeling at peace, Nicole smiled slightly, and she quickly fell asleep.As Jared listened to her soft breathing, his eyes softened with affection, and he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.The next morning, as the group got ready to head back to San Joto, Zane and Doretta came to say goodbye."I still have things to finish here, but I promise to be at your wedding," Zane said with a big smile."And I'll be there to wish you well, Nicole," Doretta added.Saying goodbye is always hard, but everyone knew they had their own journeys to continue."Great, we'll see you in San Joto," Nicole said with a bright smile."It's time to go," Zane said, knowing they couldn't wait any longer without risking missing their plane."I've got the paperwork," Patricia said, ready to help with the travel documents for Jared and Nicole. Then, looking at Charlie, she asked, "Need help with
Nicole was quiet, thinking about everything. 'If I hadn't remembered everything, maybe Lawrence and I could have stayed friends. But after finding out about the airport, it's impossible...'Not only had she regained her memory, but she had also learned about the airport incident. Lawrence had gone to great lengths to prevent her from returning to San Joto."Thanks for saving me before, but you also hurt me. We're even now," Nicole said calmly, looking at Lawrence like he was someone she didn't know anymore.Jared squeezed Nicole's hand gently. "Let's go."They decided to leave the rest to Zane and head back."Wait." Lawrence's voice stopped Nicole. He sounded almost like he was begging. "Please, don't tell Nolan about this."Nicole paused, then said, "I won't tell him. Not for you, but because I don't want Nolan to see how bad people can be."With that, Nicole walked away with Jared.Lawrence sat down, watching her leave, with mixed feelings."Let's go too," Patricia said to C
"Your robots don't work anymore," a voice said, sounding very pleased. Then, a person came out from behind the crowd, looking pretty proud of himself."Carl!" Nicole was shocked to see him. 'It's Carl!'"It's been a while." Carl smiled and waved at Nicole.Carl had come as soon as Zane told him about the problem. He couldn't just do nothing when Nicole needed help.He didn't expect them to act so soon, which is why he was a little late. But he was still in time to help. Carl was surprised by Lawrence's robots at first, but luckily, the weapons he brought, which he had been working on for years, stopped the robots. This was a big help to everyone."We really need to thank Carl; we would have been in big trouble without him," Zane said, feeling relieved.Zane had asked Carl for help, hoping it would make them more likely to win, but Carl ended up being very important."Thank you," Nicole said with a warm smile. It was nice to see an old friend again."No need to thank me. I'm jus