"Okay." Nicole looked at him and nodded."If what you said is true, which local do you think would be having such an intense beef with you?" Harvey looked at Nicole in puzzlement as he could not figure it out."Could it be Miley? What about Snow or Raine?" Harvey listed their names as he looked at Nicole.Nicole looked into his eyes. She stirred her drink with a spoon as she started pondering."Miley is still abroad. She can't even look after herself now, so it's very unlikely that she'd have the thought of doing that to me. Besides, I don't think she has the resources to pull that off."I've neither seen nor met with Raine and Snow after I came back here. I don't think they did this either…""Who could it be other than them?" Harvey frowned, confused.'Norah is the only one left now. I'm sure that, out of all them, she hates me the most. Is it because I told somebody else about her parents' admission to the hospital, and she couldn't get over it? And was that why she came up wi
"Who?" Harvey looked at Nicole in confusion and asked."Joyce McCarthy." Nicole uttered the name slowly as she stared at him."Joyce McCarthy?!" Harvey widened his eyes in shock."That's right! How could I forget about her? There is always some hostility between the two of you, isn't there?""But wait, why would she hate you?" Harvey asked Nicole with his forehead creased."Because of Martin, I guess," Nicole replied, left with no choice but to tell them about that which had happened a long time ago."Martin? What happened?" The look of confusion remained on Harvey's face as he looked at Nicole. 'What was it that had happened between them that even I don't know of?'"It's a long story, so I won't tell you about it now," she replied. "Thanks for the lunch. I've got to get back to work now."Then, Nicole stood up and said goodbye to Harvey before making her way to the elevator.Opting to follow her to the elevator, he stood beside Nicole and said, "I don't have anything else to
Kelly proceeded to recall from her memory. "These parts were from the same company, but the delivery person was a different man."Nicole noticed what had gone wrong upon learning that a different person had delivered the goods. "Let me have a look at the delivery order.""Sure." Kelly turned around and went to look for it.Nicole took her phone out and dialed the contractor's number. "I need a few new offices. Can you send someone over to do some renovation for us?""Sure. We have your blueprint with us. I'll send my men over as soon as we're done with the design," the contractor said."Okay," Nicole uttered."Miss Riddle, here it is." Kelly approached Nicole with the delivery order in hand.Call them and tell them I need to speak to someone," Nicole ordered."Okay." Kelly dialed the number right away.After some time, Kelly hung up and reported, "They're sending somebody over right now.""Good," she said.Less than half an hour later, a representative from that company marc
"Oh, just one! What's wrong?" The man looked at Nicole in confusion and asked."Just one? One of my employees said that the person who had delivered the first batch of goods was different from the second batch. I think you can start investigating from there." Nicole reminded him out of kindness."They're not the same person?!" The man looked at Nicole, puzzled. "Don't worry. I'll start looking into it now. I'll leave now if there's nothing else.""Sure," she said.Nicole began thinking to herself after the man had left. 'It looks like something's wrong with the delivery man. Everything will come to light after I've found him.'"Kelly, I wish to have a look at the camera footage of the delivery man." Nicole turned to Kelly and said."I'm on it," Kelly replied.Nicole eyed the delivery man on the screen and discovered that it was the same person who had assaulted her in the parking lot. 'This person could be is such close proximity to me already. I guess coming here as a delivery
Soon after, Nicole began to notice something about the man. Hugh's grandfather was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness. He had attempted to borrow money from all of the banks he could find, but to no avail. Days later, however, a huge amount of money were deposited into his bank account, and the sum was what he had used to pay for his grandfather's operation."Why would an average person suddenly receive so much money? I'm sure there is more to it…" Nicole could not help but frown as she read the documents.She immediately did what she could and located where Hugh was. She found out that he was in the hospital.She looked at the time and thought that it would already be too late for her to make her way there, so she continued perusing the information that Zeke had sent her.On the other side, Jared had just returned to his mansion. It was all dark and he knew that Nicole had gone to Mrs. Wallace Sr.'s place again. Because of this, he figured that he would have to spend the ni
Nicole was left speechless. "Please end the call now if there's nothing else. I'm busy.""It's okay. Just carry on with your work and put your phone aside. I'll just look at you from there." Jared told Nicole."I don't have anything to support my phone with over here. Besides, why would you want to do that? We just met this morning, didn't we?" Nicole said, not giving in to Jared's absurd request."Yeah. We met this morning, which means that it has already been a day since I last saw you. Why can't you just let me look at you since I can't come over to see you in person?" Jared said as if he was in the right.Nicole had no choice but to prop her phone against something and positioned the front camera at herself. "Will this do? I'm going back to work now.""Sure, go ahead. I'll hang up after a while." Jared said.Nicole shot him one last and continued staring at her computer to peruse the information as Jared watched her from the screen.After a while, a knock was heard on Nicole
Mr. Bradford Sr. turned around and asked Nicole, "You've got to be a friend of Hugh, right? Thank you for visiting me. Please have a seat."Nicole sat down calmly, completely ignoring what Hugh was doing there."You're the first person to ever visit me after staying in the hospital for so long. I guess you're very close to Hugh, aren't you?" Mr. Bradford Sr. looked at Nicole with a smile."Mr. Bradford Sr., do you know how Hugh was able to afford your medical fees?" Nicole asked Mr. Bradford Sr. tentatively.Mr. Bradford Sr. stared at Nicole in confusion upon hearing her abrupt question.Then, he shifted his gaze to Hugh before he answered, "Hugh told me that he did very well at work this year, so he received a big bonus."Hugh was standing at the side. His eyes were narrowed and his fists were clenched as he glared at Nicole.Nicole understood that Hugh had told Mr. Bradford Sr. a lie after hearing what the latter had said. She did not have the heart to expose Hugh because his
"Well then, do you know that person's name? The person whom the restaurant owner had introduced to you." Nicole questioned."I don't know, but I did hear them referring to her as Ms. Jo." Hugh told Nicole."Ms. Jo...""So, the person who instructed you to attack me is this Ms. Jo?" Nicole asked after giving it some thought.Hugh nodded."Do you still remember the address of the restaurant?""Yes.""Tell me." Nicole ordered, having decided to visit the place and meet the restaurant owner on her own.Just as Nicole was about to leave after getting the address, Hugh called out and stopped her. "Could you not tell them that I'm the one who gave you this information?"Nicole glanced at him, "Don't worry. From now on, just take good care of your grandfather and stay away from things like these. Otherwise, I'll be back to exact retribution on you."Hugh was frightened and took a few steps back. Then, Nicole left.Now in the car, Nicole could not stop thinking about this matter. 'Th
"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