The gifts kept arriving until late in the afternoon. It was only then that Mr. Riddle Sr. felt better and came downstairs, where he saw the stack of gifts piled in the hallway."It seems that our Riddle family is about to regain the glory that it had lost twenty years ago," Mr. Riddle Sr. muttered and sighed.About ten years ago, Mr. Riddle Sr. had handed the company down to Damien Riddle, which was the biggest mistake he had ever made. Over the next few years, he had to bury his fourth child and a few other children from his own family whilst witnessing his family's fall from grace. It was his negligence that had caused the downfall of the family."You really are the lucky star of the Riddle family. Ever since you came in, our family has only prospered," he said to Nicole."Stop it, grandpa. It's only because of you that our Riddle family could live to witness this day," she replied.When Mr. Riddle Sr. was still deep in the world of business, he was a figure that was as prominen
"During the crusade, there were more than a hundred families involved who were part of the alliance. Although some of them had disappeared, two-thirds of the century-old families that had survived are all in San Joto today. There are only a few based in the west coast. Most of them settled in San Joto, while some who aren't here had branched out," Mr. Riddle Sr. said.Nicole immediately understood why the news had spread so quickly. 'Curse the system! I should've blocked the system's message function before I was recognized as the owner of the crest!'Nicole had wanted to keep it a secret from her parents and brothers, but from the looks of it, it would be way too difficult for her to do so now."If you can't keep it concealed, you might as well announce your identity with utmost confidence. After all, the true hermits are the ones holed up in major cities," Jared's voice suddenly echoed through the room.Nicole turned around, and that was when she saw Jared entering the house.'T
And just like that, Nicole was whisked away from her abode by Jared. On her way out, she was overwhelmed as she saw the never-ending influx of gifts that people had sent her.'I guess it is good to leave the house for a breather,' Nicole thought."Why, you seem unhappy?" Jared asked, noticing that Nicole kept staring out the window.Nicole shot him a glance and said, "It's not a good thing. What is there to be happy about?"Jared glanced at her with an expression of admiration on his face. 'This is exactly why I like her. No matter how much skill and influence she possesses, she does not give in to flattery nor humiliation. She does not value power and knows when to draw a line, where she could assess the situation she is faced with rationally.'Jared then went on to comfort her. "Anyone else in your position with the privilege of being able to establish connections with so many influential families would also be filled with anxiety. Now that you have the Reby Family Crest, you're
Jared had already informed the boutique about Nicole's measurements. On top of that, he had ordered the most luxurious, elegant dress available, not knowing that it would be this sexy.Nicole looked at Jared's gloomy expression, confused as to why that was. "I think this looks pretty good, I'll just take this one. The material with which this dress is made is pretty decent, though I am not used to showing my shoulders and bare legs. But then again, formal gowns are meant to be like this.'"Wrap this up," Nicole said to the shop manager.'Things like these are a waste of time,' she thought.Jared's face became even darker when he had heard Nicole's words, and said, "No, get something else that's not this revealing."As soon as those words exited his mouth, Nicole instantly knew what Jared was thinking about.Understanding what he had meant as well, the manager immediately said, "I'll get something else right away!"The store manager then hurried away to get other clothes, while N
Jared was not bothered by it at all as he replied, "You should know about me as long as you're in San Joto."Although those words betrayed his arrogance, Nicole knew that he was just speaking the truth.Jared did not comment any further, as the supervisor quickly brought two cups of coffee in and served it to Jared and Nicole.Nicole gently lifted the mug while Jared glanced at the latte art and thought, 'Even though the coffee here is not as good as mine, the techniques they employ in crafting coffee art is just something else.'As Jared was thinking, he took a sip.The supervisor went on to look at Jared, who was taking sips of his coffee while going through some documents. "Sir, how is the coffee? If there is any issue, I'm ready to assist you."He was afraid that he had not served Jared well."It's fine. The coffee is fine." Jared took another sip without looking up."Really?" The supervisor stared at Jared.For someone like Jared who must have had all sorts of coffee, his
After Nicole had stepped out of the café, she veered into an alley beside it as she pretended as if she was on the phone.As expected, the man who had walked out of the café followed her with a handkerchief in hand; he wanted to drug her.In a flash, just as the man was less than a foot behind her, Nicole lifted her elbow and struck him in the bridge of his nose. In an instant, great pain filled his nose while tears and blood cascaded down his face."AHH!" The flat-capped man squealed.Nicole turned around and punched him in the stomach. The man immediately knelt over on the ground.Seeing that the man was incapable of fighting back, Nicole immediately took his flat cap off. Nicole did not recognize him at all, so she knew that someone must have hired him.She grabbed the man's hair and progressively tightened her grip, causing him to grimace in pain, "Let go! Please let go of me!"The man began to beg for mercy as he knew that he had gotten into hot soup."Let go of you? Sure.
Noticing that they were both flirting now, the man kneeling on the ground quickly asked, "C-can I go now?"Jared rolled his eyes. "Scram and never appear in front of me again!"Otherwise, Jared would not let him off the hook that easily next time."Yes. Yes. Yes." The man was so scared that he was crawling on the floor.He then picked his cap up and left."Fiorella really underestimated me. She actually got an idiot to attack me," Nicole sneered.Noticing Nicole's displeasure, Jared replied, "I'll make sure that she pays for everything that has happened today."Jared was already engaged to Nicole. He could turn a blind eye whenever Fiorella attempted the occasional flirt. However, the moment she ordered an assault on Nicole out of malice, Jared decided that he would not let this slide.Noticing that Jared was being serious, she stopped teasing him, "The Fisher family will be coming tonight, right?"Perhaps, it was high time for Nicole to show Fiorella the kind of person she tr
"It really has been a long time, but I can understand. I heard you've been working for the Riddle Corporation during the holidays. It's understandable that you're busy." Snow said, trying really hard to portray Harvey herself as an understanding character.After she had spoken, she turned to Mr. Ellison, having not forgotten about him. "Hello, Mr. Ellison. I haven't seen you in a while, and yet, here you are, as strong as ever."Mr. Ellison did not have a good impression of Snow, though she was one of the daughters of the Riddle family. Although she is not remotely close to Nicole in terms of her capabilities, her position in the Riddle family should not be overlooked nonetheless. It would serve him best if he could maintain a good relationship with the Riddles, and so, Mr. Ellison did not treat Snow coldly."Yeah, you guys may continue," Mr. Ellison said. "I'll see your grandfather for a bit. I heard that he fell sick two days ago."Snow was caught off guard upon seeing that Mr. E
"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