'Does she think that this is what I really want?' he thought.Then, he gritted his teeth and sneered back at her. "With those beauty and brains, I can tell that you're not some plain Jane on the streets. It's such a pity that you've stolen one of my things. Otherwise, I would've spared you. Anyway, I don't have the time to mess around with you anymore."The man in black was aware of the benefits and privileges granted to those who possessed the crest. Once the signal had been released, one of members of the alliance would definitely come to their aid within twenty minutes. With this in mind, he knew he had to get the job done as soon as possible. In fact, he had only a few minutes left.Nicole glanced at the time, and that was when she realized that only a minute had passed. 'This guy is just too cautious!'"Kill her!" The man in black ordered with scarlet eyes, relentless and unyielding as he just wanted to kill Nicole and reclaim what was his."Oh, you wish to kill me? Let's jus
The other helicopters were watching the leader's movements. But unfortunately, they could only use the machine gun to aim at the car that Nicole had dashed into.Tut tut tut! Numerous machine guns aimed at Nicole started to shoot in a sweeping motion.As she drove, Nicole's car was under the hail of gunfire as she tried to dodge them. However, when they came to the side of the vehicle, she was seen by the man in the face mask. He aimed directly at the tire and got a clear shot.With a loud bang, the tire of her car exploded and flipped when it arrived at a bend. Nicole took a protective stance, but her body was rolling down with the vehicle. Bang, bang, bang. After a flurry of loud sounds, Nicole could only feel her ears ringing and her head spinning.'Damn it... it seems that I can't escape,' Nicole thought to herself. She exerted herself to support her body but discovered that two aircraft had already landed as she tried to gain her bearings. The overturned car was spilling gasol
Nicole immediately stopped. She could not allow Carl to die again; she had already experienced the feeling of losing a comrade. She would rather die herself than have that feeling again."He, he, are you unwilling? Is he your boy toy?" The man in the face mask laughed maniacally, "If it's this way, I'm even more interested in killing him!" As he said this, he reloaded the gun."You dare! If he dies, you won't get the crest!" Nicole slowly crawled out of the car. She simply tossed the handgun and opened her watch. In front of everyone, the hologram of the crest appeared floating. Seeing it, the man was stunned.When this thing was in his hands, it was merely a black screen that could not be opened. He did not expect the crest to be so dazzling after Nicole cracked it. Yet, when he saw it, his gaze quickly turned greedy."Give it to me!" The man in the face mask roared with his eyes glinting with the desire for power.Instead, Nicole held out her hand to touch a button on the watch,
Following this, Nicole heard a flurry of gunshots being fired from outside the car and the sound of explosions banging on her ears. The man in the face mask's gun could not be found. Watching the aircraft in the skies being shot down one by one and seeing Nicole's watch still blinking, he could only roar in anger, "Retreat!"The dark-clothed men got their orders and clustered around the man in the face mask while retreating, confused. Nicole saw this and quickly pressed stop on the detonating feature of the watch.'So close. With only less than twenty seconds left. If the rescue were late even by a bit, I would've been a goner...' She thought to herself.'However, who was the one who came so swiftly to rescue me? Even if Jason and the others were still on the way, they could not have arrived now,' Nicole continued her train of thought.Just as she was thinking about it, the sound of a helicopter landing was heard. Nicole glanced sidelong, but her whole body was stuck in the overtur
Jared woke up and came to her rescue. He kept her company every day and brought her out to play. No missions, no family restrictions. She could go anywhere she wanted to go.In her dreams, she was like a normal girl. She could go shopping with him, go to the fairgrounds, eat ice cream, and do the stuff she used to think was childish. As long as she was with Jared, she felt everything had meaning.After a long time, she gradually woke up. The sunlight pierced through the curtains and gently shone into the room. The whole interior became particularly warm. Nicole tried to move but felt her hand being grasped. She lowered her head and discovered that Jared was lying on her bed, seemingly asleep without changing his clothes.She looked at him with a hurt expression. Nicole was most familiar with his body conditions. He had just woken up and should be very weak. Nicole pulled out her hand and tried to wake him up. Yet, he woke up simultaneously when she pulled her hand out.Seeing Nicol
"Of course. He heard you were injured, so Mr. Douglas rushed over as soon as possible. But, you were in a coma for two days, so I arranged for him to stay at the base," Carl replied."Oh..." Nicole's expression was slightly awkward as she had not expected that she would have slept for two days.It was honestly too much; most likely, Douglas was already furious. Yet, she only had eyes for Jared at the moment."When did you wake up? I didn't even know..." Nicole asked. When Mr. Johnston Sr. came over, he had clearly not yet awoken. However, when she was in danger, he rushed around from the mainland.Jared stared at the surprise and worry that glinted in Nicole's eyes, then looked at her and reproached, "I haven't woken up yet, and you dumped me and then went adventuring all alone? What did you plan to do if I had not rushed over in time?"Once he remembered Nicole's blood-soaked state, his heart felt like it was painfully stabbed. It was not like he had not seen Nicole go on mission
She had almost never uttered these two words to anyone, but this time, she could not help but to do so, as she had truly disregarded his feelings. Seeing her bow her head as she admitted to her wrongdoings, Jared felt heavy in his heart.With considerable effort, he held her in his arms and said, "I don't want your apology. I want you to take good care of yourself. If you were in my position, would you allow yourself to lose me?"Nicole immediately thought of the critical injuries that he had sustained for her. Indeed, all she could feel when he was in a coma was a deep, crippling heartache."If I have to lose you, you might as well just stab me and let me die," Jared said, his words brimming with a measure of sincerity and gentleness that made Nicole's heart quiver.It was only then that Nicole knew how important she was to Jared, and how painful it would be for him to lose her."Remember this. The day you die, I will not be able to live on alone. I will never let go of you, even
Nicole suddenly thought that Jared and Zane might actually know each other. Otherwise, there would be little explanation as to why Zane had given her the coffee beans that were procured from Jared's farm.As expected, Jared maintained a very polite tone with Zane. "I'm fine. It's only right for me to take care of her."Zane smiled. "I never expected that you and Nicole are together. I'd have introduced you guys to each other earlier if I knew that this would happen.In response, Jared said, "Yeah. It's a shame I didn't get to see her when I met you back then."As the conversation occurred, Nicole began to feel a little awkward. She figured that she might probably not have any feelings for Jared if they had met each other earlier."Mr. Spears, how did you get to know Jared?" Nicole asked, as she was a little curious about it.It was then that Zane realized that Nicole was still there.In awkward fashion, he replied, "We've known each other for a long time. I first met him when I
"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