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
Nicole had always been somewhat of a daughter to Zane, and yet, he felt like he had become something of a servant to her now. All in all, it was just an unpleasant feeling for Zane.Nicole did not notice Zane's reaction as she was pondering about the causes and consequences."I'm afraid that the Rebys did not destroy the crests," she said. "Instead, they kept it.""Are you saying that there are more crests out there?" Carl looked at Nicole, shocked.Nicole shook her head. "I'm not sure about that, but it's not easy to procure the crests. I'm probably the only person in this world who can do it."The three men immediately fell silent after they had heard what she had said. They knew what Nicole was capable of and that she was not lying.'Doesn't this mean that Nicole is the only person who can own all five of the crests if she's the only person who can acquire them?' Zane thought, becoming restless at the notion that Nicole could possibly own more than one of these."Listen, you
"Temporarily?!" Zane was shocked. "How could you not talk to me about something so serious before making that decision? The crest isn't going to recognize somebody else as its owner as long as you're still alive. You just turned yourself into a sitting duck to those people!"Nicole lifted her brows. "That was how it worked back then, Uncle Zane. However, this new crest is a system. Do you know what I'm good at?"Her words shocked Zane. "Are you going to overwrite its system?"Nicole nodded, and after a while, she said, "I can probably do that, but this system is the most complicated out of all the other ones that I've seen. I might need some time to look into it."Zane calmed down a little after he had an idea as to what Nicole's plan was. "You should figure something out to distance yourself from the system as soon as possible then."In response, Nicole moved in closer and stared at him. "Then what? There'll still be people coming after it... I've got to place it somewhere safe."
Zane's words shocked Carl. He was glad that Nicole had managed to secure the crest before anybody else. Otherwise, the consequences would be unfathomable."Looks like we've got to find out who attacked Nicole and robbed us of the Braves. We can only start striking back after we've figured their intentions out," he said.Jared's gaze was vengeful. He would not spare a single soul who had been involved in the assault against Nicole. In fact, he would chop the masked man in black into a million pieces if he ever found out who he was."Yeah, Uncle Zane. You should assemble a team to retrieve the Braves as soon as possible," she said.The technology used in Braves were developed by the Turmann family. Serious trouble would arise if someone else managed to reverse engineer it."I already did that, but that ship disappeared right after it had arrived at the open sea. They destroyed the tracking device too, so it's not working anymore," Zane said with a look of dismay.However, as troubl
"I-I guess I should get going now. I'm afraid that Uncle Zane might need my help..." Carl said, and left the room thereafter.The door slammed shut with a bang, showing how much Carl was in a hurry to leave. This gave Nicole a sense of relief.'Looks like Carl isn't really bothered by everything that had happened. I wish that I could pretend that nothing had happened too,' she thought.However, Jared had noticed everything. "What happened between you and him? Why is there some sort of tension in the room?"Jared noticed that Carl would treat Nicole exceptionally well, and whenever he stared at Nicole, he would do so in a passionate way. Besides, he had never really gotten along well with Carl. Even now, he regretted the fact that he had allowed Carl to leave, especially after he had observed how guilty the latter looked."Nothing much." Nicole looked at Jared.Then, she came up with a random excuse in fear that Jared would grow jealous once again. "I guess he's distancing himself
"Not bad. It tastes better than all of the previous ones I've tried. Oh, and I must add, the aftertaste is very strong," she said.Jared could not help but flash her a smile upon hearing Nicole's professional feedback. "I guess it's only right that I give the best stuff to the expert."Nicole returned the smile before she placed the cup down and began eating.She looked at Jared and said as she chewed. "You're looking very pale. You haven't been sleeping for the past two days, have you?"'This dude is reckless. He came to save me right after he woke up from a head injury. How ridiculous,' she thought."It's fine. I'll get better by staying here with you," Jared said in nonchalant fashion.Nicole's heart melted, and in a flirtatious manner, she teased, "Cut it off. Nobody knows your body better than me. You've got to bed down in a hospital after we get back later."'This guy suffered major injuries because of me, yet he disregarded his own health and safety, and rushed out of the
Jared glanced helplessly at her and said, "That's quite hard. I guess Mr. Riddle Sr. might have learned of something some time ago..."Nicole could not help but look at him. "What do you know?"He gave her a deep contemplative look. "The Riddle family is probably the ancient houses that came before the Johnston family."Those words caused Nicole's face to turn gloomy."What do you mean by that?" 'Could the Riddle family, too, receive news of the distribution of the family crest?'"You'll find out soon enough..." Jared looked outside, not wanting to shock her.But Nicole's mood was already in the gutter. 'If Grandpa found out about this, it'll be a mess back home..."She looked at her local phone that had been turned off and did not even dare to turn it back on.In the evening, the Riddle family was in turmoil.Mr. Riddle Sr. suddenly fell sick after receiving some unknown shock and had been unconscious for two whole days now. No one knew what had happened. The doctor only knew
A slender figure walked through the door. Even though it was only a simple ponytail, her beautiful face was still so apparent. Behind her was a handsome, imposing man. Who would it be if not Jared?When Nicole brought Jared home, Chloe, Snow, and Raine's expressions changed.Chloe's eyes were filled with jealousy and disgust, Snow's envy, and while Raine's eyes were full of disdain, they were also painted dark with jealousy.When she saw her daughter, Gloria was the first to stand up. "My goodness, Nicole. Where have you been? Why are you so late?"Nicole had only wanted to ascertain if her grandfather had learned something; instead, she saw the entire family here the moment she stepped into the place. Being rather surprised, she asked. "Why are all of you here?"Seeing that Nicole was totally at a lost, Chloe, even when she knew she had no right to speak, could not help but say, "What? Didn't you know Grandpa had fallen ill? To think he dotes on you so much."He had favored Nico
"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