He smiled gently and said to Max, "That won't be necessary. I will ask Karlo." Jared mentioned the name of the army chief of Hustuaburg so casually that Jared seemed to have not the slightest sense of reverence toward him.Max, on the other end of the phone, was silent for a moment and put down his phone as if he had also just thought of this. He then looked back at Claus, who had a helpless look on his vacant face.'Who is Lucifer? Even his partner isn't ordinary.' Max found it incredible. The more he dug, the more shocked he was.Jared had hung up. He looked at the auction floor, but his mind was elsewhere.Pink Diamond had been delivered into Box Three. The blonde's job was done, and she felt at ease. "Next is a bonus session. The auction house will randomly select items we can't evaluate for auction. Everyone can bid for it and may likely get it at a low price."Speaking of this, she motioned with her hand, and the crew behind her came up with a tray that looked different from
Jared decided to go and meet the people in Box Two for a while.Dino, who was behind Jared, was stupefied. He rarely doubted his own eyes, but this time, he did. "Mr. Johnston?"Everyone in the auction hall rubbed their eyes and looked at the numbers displayed on the massive overhead screen with their mouth agape.'Is this person a fool?'The blonde had also calmed down. Performing an auctioneer's duty, she gently tapped the auction hammer in her hand. "The bidder of Box Two has placed a one-hundred-million-dollar bid for this difficult-to-evaluate item," said the blonde calmly."One hundred million once. One hundred million twice. One hundred million three times. Sold."At the moment when the blonde shouted out "sold," Nicole's bulky computer screen had also completed a scan for all databases, showing a line of Nicole's personal information.Nicole hit "Enter" calmly to delete her personal information before closing the laptop. She lowered her hat as she was prepared to pay and
Nicole's face was not clearly visible because she was wearing a hat. However, she was apparently young, so that staff member was rude to her.The other staff members heard what he said and glared at him. 'This kid has almost gotten us into trouble!'The senior staff member's face was even graver. He looked at that rude staff member and said in an icy voice, "Take a look at this black card. You are fired. You can just pack your things and leave."That rude staff member was surprised the moment he heard that. He looked at the black card on the tray, and his face turned pale as if he had thought of something.Before coming to the Moon House, someone had clearly taught them that there were only ten people in the world who could hold black cards. All of them were the top clients of the Moon House, and no one could afford to offend them.Unfortunately, he did not take that information seriously, thinking it would be very unlikely to meet such VIPs, not expecting that he would be so "luc
He had appointed his most elite hackers to supervise the network security here, so no one could infiltrate the network. Unless it was that person.Jared's expression turned grave, and then he suddenly laughed sarcastically. 'The world is so big; how could that person come to my turf, sneak around under my nose, and bid away my treasure?' Jared said in his mind. The probability of this was almost negligible.He took a deep breath, stood up, and said casually, "Let's go. We should go back, too."Dino nodded and followed him. Ignoring Chloe, who looked at Jared from behind, the two left the box. They did not shy away from Chloe when they talked. But it was not out of trust but out of total disregard. Chloe did not deserve any attention from them.This was also the first time that Chloe, who always had high self-regard, felt worthless. She gazed at Jared from behind with a hint of gloominess in her eyes. She was determined to capture an aloof man like Jared.Meanwhile, Nicole had walk
Harvey looked at Zeke inquisitively with a rare, unsmiling face.His smile returned when he shifted his attention to Nicole. "What a coincidence, Nicole. I didn't expect to see you here."Nicole glanced at Harvey. It was the first time she had seen him since that night. He had changed little, but she had an unexplained feeling that something was different about him.She nodded at him, said not a word, then took Zeke downstairs.Harvey felt depressed when he saw Nicole's distant attitude and how merciless she was toward him and his grandfather the other day. Instead of reaching out to grab Nicole, he looked at them from behind with gloomy eyes. He wondered why Nicole was in this hotel.It was not long before Edwin returned and gleefully asked Harvey, "Guess who I saw!"Harvey glanced at him with a faint smile.Edwin did not mind but pulled open the door with one hand with a mysterious expression. "You'll never think of it. I'll tell you, it was—""It was Nicole," Harvey said sof
"You're only allowed to take a few bites."She knew Zeke had a bad stomach. Because of that, their missions were often disrupted, and he was hospitalized a few times.Zeke's excitement died down instantly the moment he heard that. But he quickly comforted himself, "Better than nothing," and continued to dart toward the food stalls.Nicole did not stop him again but slowly followed him.The two of them sat down in front of a stall. The stall owner who thought they did not speak the local language asked them in poor Esperian what they would like to eat.Nicole looked at the many types of food in front of her eyes. "What do you like?" she asked Zeke softly.Zeke pointed to a few sticks of grilled chili peppers. "I want this!"Nicole looked at him expressionlessly. "No."Zeke looked disappointed and then cautiously pointed to the grilled fish marinated with a layer of red, spicy oil. "How about this?""No." Nicole still gave the same answer.At last, Zeke could only order a bowl
Zeke could almost see a huge piercing on that talking guy's tongue. He was wearing a spiked shoulder vest that revealed his bare chest, which made him look disgusting.Nicole apparently felt the same way. She looked at the dozen guys with a forbidding look in her eyes. "Who sent you?"As Bluehead looked at Nicole, he swung the wooden stick in his hand as if that would make him look cool. "Baby, you don't have to know that. You're so pretty. Why don't you be my woman and I'll consider letting you go? What do you think?"Before Nicole could speak, Zeke saw the lewd look in Bluehead's eyes and scoffed at him. "Get yourself a mirror."A faint smile crept across Nicole's face as she looked at Bluehead with frosty eyes.Bluehead seemed to be angered by Zeke's disdain. He sneered. "Do you know who I am? You're looking for trouble!"The stall owner behind him looked nervously at the group of guys. He was a local, so he knew this gang of notorious hooligans was related to the local crimin
Bluehead had obviously thought of this. The anger in his eyes gradually went away, replaced by a hint of contempt and triumph. "Beat the daylights out of her, mates!"A dozen guys giggled as they approached Nicole, the steel weapons in their hands glinting under the streetlights.The stall owner behind them looked worriedly at what had happened. He was expecting those hooligans to besmirch Nicole's dignity. When he thought of her leaving with no hesitation, not wanting to implicate his stall when danger loomed, he took out his mobile phone to call the police with trembling hands. He knew very well what might happen after he called the police. The hooligans might likely take revenge. But for now, he could not care less.Just as he got through to the police, things unfolding in front of his eyes stunned him beyond words.The police on the other end of the phone did not hear anyone speak and hung up impatiently.Nicole had beaten down all the hooligans. They were severely injured and
"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