And as if Jared could read Nicole's mind, he held her hands and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry. The school you've chosen for Nolan and Lana is perfect for them. I've already arranged everything. No one would be suspicious of their identities."Jared had done all the necessary preparations and precautions. Even if he made an appearance, no news about it would leak out. The kids would have to attend school, but it went without saying that they should not be put in any danger.Hearing this, Nicole felt a sense of peace and replied, "Alright. As long as everything is in place."It was appropriate for Jared to be ready. Even if there were no issues with the information, the two of them would have to come in contact with their kids, one way or another. If any unscrupulous individuals were to happen upon it, they would put the kids in danger. That was the last thing Jared wanted to witness and deal with.By the time they arrived at the Riddle family manor, Samuel and Spencer had not
"The both of them have been here waiting since they came down early in the morning." Gloria smiled, her eyes brimming with affection.Then, she greeted Nicole and Jared. "Get ready for breakfast. I don't think these kids can wait to go to school already.""Alright," Nicole answered, after which she brought Nolan and Lana to the dining room.Once everyone in the family was seated, they began to eat, and when everyone had finished their meal, Nolan and Lana impatiently pulled Jared and Nicole out."These kids." Gloria laughed, unable to resist it."Going to school will definitely be a lot more interesting than staying at home with old people like us," Daniel said in an effort to deprecate himself."Mom, dad. The both of you are not even old, and you have grandchildren already. Perhaps in the next two years, you'll get to have another grandchild. So, you must take good care of your body." Samuel laughed."Another grandchild? What do you mean?" Gloria raised her eyebrows and looked
"Daddy, Mommy, remember to pick us up after school." Lana waved to them before walking in with Nona."Wow, both of your parents came to drop you off. You're so lucky! Only my mom came with me," Nona said in jealousy and admiration.Lana puffed up her chest smugly and responded, "Yeah, they're coming to pick us up later too!"Seeing this, Nicole was left feeling really amused by Lana's behavior. 'So this is how she is when she gets what she wants. She just wants to rub it in everyone's face. She's just a little kid, after all.'"Let's go," Jared said.And after they had dropped the kids off, they left the place for work.When they arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, Nicole strode into her office and the secretary left after handing Nicole a file.Her gaze darkened and she frowned when she looked at the documents.As expected, Mr. Walker was restless for a reason. He had secretly been in contact with Damien, but Nicole should have thought about it sooner, nonet
"Nicole, I'd like to invite you, Lana, and Nolan out for dinner today. Just take it as a celebration, for them having found a preschool that they like." Lawrence looked at Jared before asking Nicole out.Feeling challenged, Jared's gaze became even frostier.His tone was menacing as he said, "It's a father's responsibility to find a school that's the best for them. It's nothing worth celebrating.""Don't stress it, Mr. Johnston. While you were not present in their lives, Nicole and I have been treating them well too," Lawrence calmly said, though every word uttered was extremely provocative.Jared's expression darkened. Lawrence had hit the nail on the head, for this was indeed Jared's regret. Nevertheless, it was still not Lawrence's place to say something like that."Right. Since you're their godfather, it's only reasonable for you to look after them a little," Jared retorted.At the end of the day, Lawrence was just their godfather. He had no blood relations with either of the
"Okay." Nolan nodded affirmatively."We're leaving." Nicole smiled, touched by Nolan's behavior.After the family had left, Lawrence's gaze turned cold, and his expression darkened."Mr. Royce, even though Miss Nicole has not regained any of her memories, she seems to have accepted her family very quickly," Ian lamented after coming over.Perhaps blood ties and family relationships were so strong and solid that none of the predicaments could affect them for long.Lawrence glared at Ian, and that was when the latter quickly realized that he had misspoken. Then, he quickly lowered his head.Lawrence turned and got into the car with a grimace. Though the Riddle family had bonded with Nicole, and there was nothing he could do to stop that, he would never allow Jared to take Nicole away.Back in the car, the atmosphere was nothing short of strange. Lana was hugging Jared tightly as she rambled to him about the happy things that happened to her in school, especially about Nona, whom s
Nicole could not help but smile when she saw how well everyone was treating Nolan and Lana. She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. It felt as if she was once treated the same way as well; spoiled by everyone in her family.Nicole froze when that thought flitted in her head. Then, she tried her very best to recall the incident but to no avail. Instead, the more she thought about it, her headache worsened and her face blanched."Stop thinking. Just take things as they come," Jared said softly.He seemed to have noticed that Nicole was struggling with something, so he held her soft hand in an attempt to comfort her.His gentle voice brought her thoughts to a halt, and once she redirected her focus back to the present, her headache gradually began to taper off. The warmth from Jared's palm was giving her a sense of security as well.However, Jared's remark had prompted everyone to notice the odd look on Nicole's face. "What's wrong with Nicole?""I suddenly got a headache, but I'm
Jared's lips curled up into a warm smile. "Don't apologize. You're doing great already. Didn't you say you were going to follow your heart? It seems that your heart is telling you to come to me."Though he was frustrated that someone else was pursuing Nicole, Nicole's attitude toward Lawrence did not drive him into sorrow or madness. She had made the right choice by following her heart, and the results were very satisfactory to Jared.They might not be as fervent in their romance as they were before, but Jared was more than happy to give her space and time. He was willing to wait for her, and he believed that she would not disappoint him.At that moment, Nicole was pulled back into reality and realized that she was hugging Jared. Her face immediately flushed as she pushed him away, creating a distance between them.She could not believe that she had actually let her guard down and hugged Jared moments ago. 'It's so embarrassing. I feel like I'm going to die.'Jared flashed her a d
"Come here, Lana." Jared waved to Lana, who teetered toward him obediently."Hey, Daddy."Holding her up, Jared gently asked, "Why did you come here with your brother?""Oh, we're here to get you and Mommy down to have dinner."Their grandmother had initially gotten the servants to call Jared and Nicole, but as Lana and Nolan were worried about Nicole, they had volunteered to go upstairs."Well, then let's go down for dinner, shall we?" Jared smiled."Of course." Lana wrapped her arms around his neck. "Let's eat!"Jared shot a glance at Nicole before walking out of the room with Lana, leaving Nicole behind with questions in her head. 'Did they just leave it at that?!'It was Lana's first time giving up before getting the answer she needed. This would not have happened in the past.'How did Jared do that? Why is Lana so obedient when he's around?!' Nicole asked herself.Nicole suddenly felt that Lana was playing favorites. Back then, she always had a hard time answering Lana's
"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