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
"What's going on? Your parents are also here for the Riddle family dinner?" Harvey asked, the strange feeling in his gut growing heavier by the second.At that point, he began wondering what had happened to Nicole. What did she do to draw so many figures of influence here?"Oh, Nicole got involved in a pretty significant matter. Of course, it makes sense that we should be here! It's not just the Bradford family. Look at the whole place. All ten of the families are here in full. Even the ones that did not bother to join us had sent their representatives over. I heard that there are still large families whose representatives are rushing over now. This time around, the Riddle family must be enjoying the prestige." Edwin mused as he scanned the surroundings.Quietly, he was thinking, 'Luckily, I got to know Nicole before this. We are now considered as friends. I would be able to share in her prestige as well.'"What happened to Nicole?" Harvey queried, feeling a lot more uncomfortable
Karen was shocked. "How is that possible? That silly woman has just been back for a few days? She did not even receive this many gifts when she got engaged to Jared. Why are so many people sending stuff over to her when it's just a dinner organized by the family?""Who am I supposed to ask these questions to!?" Dillon fumed, annoyed by Karen's endless barrage of queries."Who to ask? Ask Damien about it! I'm sure he knows more about it than us!" Karen urged.Hearing this, Dillon had no choice but to look for Damien and ask him about it.Unfortunately, Damien was only tasked to welcome the guests at the entrance. He knew nothing about the situation either. Initially, he was happy to see all of those lavish gifts, but upon finding out who the receiver was, he became frightened.Usually, whenever there were guests at their house, most of the gifts would be addressed to Mr. Riddle Sr. whereas the rest would be his. During this particular night, however, things were particularly strang
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle," the man said to Daniel and Gloria politely.At that moment, someone in the crowd recognized the married couple. "Aren't they... from the royal family of Yamenia?!""Seriously?! They've been around for over a thousand years! I can't believe they came to the banquet too!" another in the crowd commented."Tell me about it..." the third said.In a strange turn of events, even the royal family from Yamenia was there, and they were greeting Daniel and Gloria too. Naturally, with them in sight, no one bothered about Damien and his wife anymore.For a second there, Daniel and Gloria were stumped. "Hello there, you are..."Sean was well-travelled, so he was very familiar with Yamenia. "Dad, this is the future king of Yamenia, Prince Andrew, and his wife, the princess.""Prince?""The princess?" Spencer and Samuel exclaimed in shock.Sean glared at them, shutting them up at once.However, he was secretly in awe as well. 'Wow, what kind of fortune are we bl
Chloe rolled her eyes at them. "How would I know?"She did not know much about Nicole. All she ever cared about was making her leave Jared, but now that she thought about it, she realized that Nicole was not to be underestimated.After all, Lloyd had called her Soy at his family's banquet last time. Chloe had done some research and discovered that Soy was the code name of one of the most important figures in Interpol.To Chloe, however, Nicole was just a high school student. Even if she had joined Interpol, hit the jackpot, and gotten herself the code name, Soy, Chloe had still refused to believe that Nicole was of any good. Still, the scene today had left her stunned.In a twist, Mr. Riddle Sr. had organized a banquet at the very last minute for Nicole, and yet many people had showed up. In addition, her mother had informed her that a great number of the presents were for Nicole, and that Chloe herself could only look at them. Hence, that had made her livid.On the other hand, Da
"Spencer is right." Stanley nodded. "Come on, let's go. There are still guests at the entrance."He then brought two of his brothers to the entrance.Damien stood before them. He was ushering the guests in initially, but it was then that the people who had seen everything that happened earlier went on to greet the brothers, completely ignoring him. None of them cared that Damien was the eldest son of the Riddle family.It was bad enough that Daniel had dwarfed them in status and prestige, but now that Daniel's sons were more considered more significant than him, the crushing embarrassment began to gnaw at Damien and his wife from the inside out.Dillion and his wife were even more ashamed. The people who were talking to them had all gone off to talk to Sean and Steve instead, leaving them with nobody around them. This only served to leave Dillion feeling even more humiliated!"I'm going to look for dad! I need to know what's going on!" Dillion fumed, certain that Mr. Riddle Sr. ha
"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