Nicole knew that she could not change his mind, and thus, she stopped talking about it.And in a gentle tone of voice, Jared added, "However, since you've been behaving so well today, I'll give in."Nicole smiled. "Good."Jared felt great when he saw that Nicole was happy.He had completely given his heart to this young woman, and he would be happy as long as she was happy.After their breakfast, Jared began planning their trip to Ramania. This time, they made their way to a heliport and took a helicopter straight to Ramania.The journey from Panem to Ramania featured amazing sceneries. Naturally, Nicole and Jared looked out of the window and enjoyed the view until dusk descended upon them. They landed in Ramania only at night. As for Ramania, it was a country that was usually busy at night, and so, the nightlife scene had just begun when the couple arrived.Jared looked at her. "This is not the honeymoon that I had planned. But since we're here, let's experience the nightlife."
Nicole was pleased to see Jared complimenting her like that.She thought their relationship would change after they had been married, and indeed, it had evolved to become even cheesier. However, she had also managed to pick something up.While eating, she asked, "You have something else in mind coming here, don't you?"Even if they were just going there for a meal, Jared would not have chosen such an ostentatious place.Jared looked at with a deep-set gaze. "Oh, my wife knows me too well."He did not go there just because of the meal. He wanted to meet someone too.While he was thinking about it, someone showed up on the floor, with the staff members showing him the way at once.Both Nicole and Jared turned to see the approaching guest. The man was in a suit and had sunglasses on.He gradually took his sunglasses off when he saw Jared, exposing his pair of sapphire blue eyes."Are you the CEO of the Johnston Group?" he asked in the Ramanian language fluently.The man looked s
"Well then, nice working with you in advance." Lawrence raised his glass and chuckled.Lawrence then looked at Nicole, suddenly finding her familiar. "And this is..."Jared smiled. "My wife."Lawrence averted his gaze and responded, "I see. You're a young and promising man, and your wife is extremely beautiful. What a match made in heaven."However, Jared did not really like how Lawrence looked at Nicole."Thanks," he responded flatly.Judging by the coldness in Jared's response, Lawrence could tell that he did not want to talk about Nicole any further.As such, he reverted to talking about business. "What do you need me to find?"Jared turned to him with a serious look and said, "The Braves that were produced by the Curley Group."Lawrence's hands jerked upon hearing that. It was obvious that Jared had asked the right person. He knew that some of the local big shots probably had a hand in the operation when he could not find any traces of the Braves.He would not have known
'Sadly, there's only one of her in this world.'Lawrence turned as he breathed an inaudible sigh..Feeling very upset, Jared held Nicole in his arms as he looked toward Lawrence's direction. "Stay away from that man."Nicole looked at him in response. "Can you stop being so jealous for no reason?"'This is our first meeting with him, and Jared is seeing green already?!' she thought."I don't like the way he looks at you." Jared replied, knowing that gaze far too well.Lawrence was concealing his desire to have Nicole to himself. Besides, to see through Lawrence's intentions was no easy feat."Well, we'll leave right after he has located the Braves for us, and we won't ever have to see him again," she said.Nicole just thought that Jared was simply being paranoid."Okay. I think he'll give us an answer by tomorrow," he replied.As long as Lawrence wished to collaborate with the Johnston Group and not upset Nicole, he would get everything done to their satisfaction."Alrighty
"You..." Jared felt something cold on his wrist. "What are you doing?""Giving you a hand in the art of self-control." Nicole smiled devilishly. "These are the handcuffs that I always carry with me wherever I go. It's been some time since I used it, and it just so happens that it will come in handy for your training."Then, she looped the handcuffs around the bedframe and cuffed both of Jared's hands before pulling a blanket over him."Hey, Nicole, don't you think this is too much?"'How could this woman think of such a way to keep me under control?!''This is torture!'"This is nothing compared to the beast in you that I've had to deal with every night." Nicole then yawned and laid next to him, slowly caressing his chest with the hand!Still able to feel her touch through his pajamas, Jared clenched his jaw as his heart burned with desire."You won't let me touch you, and yet you're touching me?" Jared protested, unable to hold it in anymore.Nicole chuckled. "Of course. You'
Jared saw his work of art on her neck and that was when he became satisfied, so he let her go.Nicole was furious. "Jerk!"She did not fight back because she did not want to put any strain on her abdomen, but Jared still left her with two hickeys nonetheless."If you come up with crazy ideas like this again, I won't go easy on you." Jared then quickly got down from the bed.Above anything, he was worried that he would act on his impulses again.Nicole noticed something as she watched Jared strutting off to take a shower. 'How is this man so energetic?'She sighed and went off to freshen up as well.Then, the both of them shared breakfast together in front of a floor-to-ceiling window.While they were thinking about when they would receive updates from Lawrence, Jared's phone rang."Mr. Johnston, I've sent you what you've asked for. Check your phone."Delighted to hear that, Jared said, "Okay, thanks."Lawrence nodded. "My pleasure. But you don't have much time. They seem to
"Okay. Lawrence's men will come over to join us too. We'll leave after that.""Sure." Janus nodded and left.Nicole looked at Jared. "I didn't know you had troops. Who exactly is Janus?"Nicole had never asked him about this before, but since she did, Jared decided not to hide it from her. "He's my mercenary."Nicole frowned as she did not expect Jared to have a mercenary in his payroll.Jared noticed her confusion, so he calmly explained, "It's difficult to work abroad. Before I had Janus, goods belonging to the Johnston Group and JJ Johnston were always getting stolen in shady areas. We had no other choice but to hire my distant cousin to be our mercenary..."Hearing that, Nicole finally understood perfectly what was going on.The JJ Johnston Group was involved in many industries, so it was not surprising that their goods had been illegally targeted by certain entities. To ensure the safety of the goods and staff in international waters, some countries would form their band of
"Mr. Johnston, this is the location. The canyon is the entrance," the guide explained to Jared in Esperian.Jared followed his gaze and set his own at the canyon. 'It really looks like something is there. What a hidden location."This was why his people could not find what they were looking for. This area was out of the range of any coverage. Without the guide, it was impossible for them to find it."Okay, got it." Jared ended the conversation and turned to Janus. "Get ready to enter. If we find out the exact whereabouts of the Braves, there will be fewer casualties.""Copied." Janus nodded and brought his men along to inspect the area, looking for ways to enter.Nicole saw Janus's men leaving and got down from the car when it looked safe.Jared frowned when he saw her. "Why are you out here?"In response, she said, "It looks safe here. Don't worry."Jared sighed the moment he heard her reply, but he remained silent otherwise.Then, Janus and two of his teams slowly entered 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