There was a hint of skepticism when Lawrence deliberately refused Nicole returning to the country. The excuse of him not having enough power and influence in San Joto was suspicious enough.'Lawrence was a very cautious person to begin with. He never does things he's unsure of.' Nicole took a deep breath, as if to organize her thoughts. She stretched out her hand to Lawrence."Thank you so much for always being considerate of me. But don't you worry. Now that I'm home, you're still my friend and it won't ever change. I must congratulate you for getting into Hustuaburg though if there's anything you need help with. Don't be afraid to ask me for help." Nicole smiled brightly. Her face was filled with sincerity.Lawrence's mood somewhat eased a little after listening to Nicole's words.'It seems like she believes me, which is enough for me.' Lawrence reached out his hand to shake Nicole's, smiling. "Alright, I should congratulate you too, CEO of the Riddle Corporation."Nicole was ta
Lana hugged Nicole's neck affectionately and said sweetly, "Mommy, I really like Daddy. Can you not ignore him?"Nicole was startled. Unable to control her expression, she did not expect Lana to display such affection toward Jared in a short amount of time. 'I guess it's the biological bonding at work.'Nolan was angry at Lana's words and could not help frowning. He did not want to argue with his sister nor make her cry at this time. Nolan knew that he would support his godfather until the very end, especially since he made a secret promise with his godfather. He believed that his godfather was the only person fit for his mother.Nicole came back to reality shortly after. She did not know how to respond to Lana, so instead she changed the topic. "Okay. Since lunch is over, it's nap time for the two of you.""Okay." Nolan obediently climbed onto his bed.Nicole was taken aback by his obedience. 'Why is he being so obedient? It's weird...'Nicole watched as Nolan shut his eyes. Thu
"Come and sit by grandma." Gloria waved the two children over, wanting to hold the both of them in her arms.Everyone else wanted to do the same but did not dare fight Gloria for it. After all, for the past five years since Nicole's disappearance, their mother had not laughed at all. It was a rare scene for everyone to see."Let's dig in!" Gloria did not mind her sons' wishful thinking of wanting to hold their niece and nephew.Daniel gave their sons a look that said, 'Not a chance. Don't even think about it.'"Okay," Spencer and Samuel agreed in unison, tacitly knowing what their father was referring to.Nicole watched as she observed the actions of her parents and older brothers. The corners of her lips curled into a slight smile. Her heart was warm, feeling content. Though she could not recall her memory, seeing her family being together again was an irreplaceable feeling.Nicole was just about to lower head to take a bite of her food when suddenly, a shadow appeared behind he
Jared's sudden closeness had Nicole's heart fluttering faster than usual. She took a while to process what he had said. When she did, her pupils dilated. "What are the results?"Nicole did not expect him to tell her this information. His speedy resolution of the situation was commendable. She could tell there was something odd with Mr. Riddle Sr.'s medicine. However, she needed to identify the exact issue using professional laboratory tests to curate a remedy to the case.Jared's eyes darkened, and his voice revealed a hint of coldness. "Mr. Riddle Sr.'s medicine is specially formulated. There were toxic ingredients added to the original nutrient neurovascular formulation. It was hard to detect the toxic ingredient and with prolonged use...""Chronic poisoning. Something that couldn't be detected medically." Nicole instantly understood. Her eyes turned cold. If Mr. Riddle Sr. continued the prescription, he would die of organ failure, and no one would have discovered the poison."Th
"Go find your grandmother. Mommy is going to Great Grandpa's house," Nicole said as she got up to go upstairs and change."I'll go with you," Jared said, watching Nicole preparing to go out. He stood up and followed.Nicole frowned with a hesitant look, but Jared seemed to see through her.Before he could reject him, he said meaningfully, "Could you manage if others were present?"Understanding what he was implying, Nicole sighed and grudgingly agreed. "Let's go then."Jared had a point. If she encountered other members of the Riddle family, she might accidentally expose the fact of her memory loss. That would be an issue for her future plans.Lana was extremely joyous when Nicole went out with Jared.Nolan, however, narrowed his eyebrows with displeasure. But then a light bulb lit up in his head. He ran back to his room and called Leo. He figured he had to inform Leo, or else Leo would not get another chance to prove himself.Jared and Nicole got in the car and headed to the R
"Yes," Nicole confirmed and took out a silver needle. "First, I'll acupuncture you to detoxify your body. I'll have the prepared medicine sent over. You just need to take it on time.""How long would it take to recover?" Mr. Riddle Sr. was confident in Nicole, so he asked directly.Nicole replied with confidence, "One week is sufficient."After a moment of silence, Mr. Riddle Sr.'s eyes filled with determination. "Alright, one week would do. We'll host your welcoming banquet one week later. I'll show up and announce that you're taking over as the chairman of Riddle Corporation."Nicole's hand paused for a moment while holding the needle. But she quickly regained her composure and nodded. "Alright."She understood Mr. Riddle Sr.'s eagerness. It was hard for her to take over the company now, but settling everything as soon as possible might be the best solution. That way, people would stop targeting Mr. Riddle Sr., since everything would be in her hands.Nicole finished the acupunc
"Don't worry, Dad," Nicole reassured Daniel, knowing he was concerned about her."Come on. I'll take you to your office," Sean said while guiding Nicole to her office. "We kept this place for you ever since the setup."They never expected this room to be retained for five years as they did not even know if Nicole would ever return.Nicole felt a lump rise in her throat, understanding Sean's meaning. This place was empty for five years, yet immaculate in appearance. There was probably someone who cleaned it every day."Sean, I-I..." Nicole was at a loss for words, feeling sorrowful. If she had known the whole situation, she would have come back earlier, not letting her family suffer five years of torment.Sean smiled gently. "You're back, and that's all that matters."Three knocks sounded on the door.The secretary's voice came through. "Mr. Riddle, the documents are here.""Bring them in," Sean ordered.The secretary came in, put the documents on the table, and left.Sean bri
Nicole and Leo soon arrived at a Western restaurant. Leo chose an inconspicuous but well-positioned table according to Nicole's preferences, and sat down with her.Nicole was not surprised that Leo knew what she preferred. She sat down and ordered their meal. While waiting for their meal, Nicole asked again, "So, what is it?""If I said I'm here to seek a collaboration with Riddle Corporation's chairman, would you be interested?" Leo said with a hint of a smile."Collaboration?!" Nicole was stunned. She never expected Leo to find her for this matter. Although she had not officially taken over the company, she knew the chairman Leo meant was her. Leo was hoping to collaborate with Riddle Corporation.Seeing that Nicole was too stunned to speak, Leo smirked. He handed her a document, saying, "This is the letter of intent of collaboration. Take it back and have a look. I'll wait for your reply.""Alright." Nicole took the document. When it came to business, she knew Riddle Corporatio