Jared's lips were pretty cold, but they somehow managed to warm Nicole's heart, causing her heart to pound rapidly.Jared's gaze darkened slightly, and the very next moment, their lips met once again.Amidst the cool night breeze, the two kissed passionately...After a few busy days, the weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.Nolan and Lana got up early in the morning and went to Nicole's room."You two are up so early," Nicole said helplessly, finding them extremely excited."We promised Godpa, and I don't want to be late," Nolan said earnestly.Nicole smiled and said, "Alright, head downstairs first."Once the children left, Nicole changed her clothes and prepared to go downstairs.After Jared finished washing up in the bathroom, he realized that Nicole had already gone out and felt defeated.He was aware that the children had come inside, but none of them waited for him.He changed his clothes and went downstairs, where everyone was already in the dining room."Dad, com
"Mhm." Nolan had already climbed onto the sofa. He automatically turned on the TV and picked up the game controller."Nolan, you should spend some time with your Godpa while you're here." Nicole was speechless when she saw Nolan about to play games. 'Are the games at home not fun enough?'Nolan looked up and said matter-of-factly, "This is what I did last time.""It's fine. You can relax and do whatever you want here," Lawrence said, voice full of affection."Mommy, let's spend time with Godpa!" Lana pulled Nicole's arm and sat down next to the sofa.Lawrence smiled gently and asked, "Then tell me, Lana, what would you like to do with Godpa?""Godpa, you're the one who invited us over, so what do you want to do?" Lana smiled sweetly.Lawrence chuckled and took out a beautiful little box from under the coffee table. "This is for you.""Durian pancakes!" Lana's eyes lit up at the sight of her favorite food.Seeing Lana's expression, Lawrence smiled softly and said, "Go on, eat s
Staring at Nicole, Lawrence felt a deep pain in his heart, and his eyes revealed a faint hint of sadness.Nicole's eyebrows furrowed slightly. She did not know if she should explain anything at this moment. After all, she and Jared had not really planned to have a wedding. But if this would make Lawrence realize that they could only be friends, she chose to remain silent.Nolan seemed to sense Lawrence's burden and came to his rescue. "Why don't you come and play games with me, Godpa?""Oh, sure." Lawrence agreed and went to Nolan's side, playing games with him.But because his mind was elsewhere, he quickly lost each round. Similarly, Nolan suffered the same fate and quickly got defeated as well."Godpa, you need to concentrate," Nolan said helplessly."Sorry." Lawrence patted Nolan's head, feeling a bit embarrassed.It was not that he did not want to concentrate, but his mind was truly in turmoil, making it impossible to focus.Putting down the game controller, Nolan sighed a
Hearing the argument between her kids again, Nicole shook her head helplessly."Alright, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner." Nicole interrupted them, diverting their attention."Okay." Lana and Nolan walked toward the restroom together.On the way, they appeared harmonious and friendly with each other, as if they had not just had a heated argument.Nicole then watched her two children with a gentle gaze, her heart softening at once.Harkening back to the past, she felt that life was always full of joy and hope no matter how difficult things were, so long as Nolan and Lana were there."Let's get ready for dinner." Lawrence approached her."Okay." Nicole stood up in agreement and prepared to head toward the dining room."Nikki," Lawrence called out to her.Nicole paused and turned to look at Lawrence. After returning to San Joto, she had reclaimed her true identity, and Lawrence had stopped calling her that. As such, it made her wonder as to why he would suddenly use t
"It's nothing." Nicole grabbed the glass of juice. "Let's eat.""Okay." Lawrence did not pursue further, though he was still looking at Nicole sentimentally.Nicole seemed to be oblivious to the peculiar expressions on Lawrence's face, as she was focused on taking care of Nolan and Lana while they were eating. However, deep down, Nicole felt that Lawrence had been acting strangely.In the afternoon, Jared came to pick Nicole and the children up.After bidding farewell to Lawrence, Nicole left Lawrence's mansion with Nolan and Lana, before following him into the vehicle. Watching as the car drove away, Lawrence's gaze grew even darker and colder.Jared and Nicole were about to get married, and this news had done nothing but driven him crazy. Besides, Nicole's obvious infatuation with Jared had made it even harder for him to accept this. With that in mind, he could absolutely not allow such a thing to happen. To him, Nicole must never be allowed to marry Jared."Mr. Royce, they've
"Let's go to the office first." Jared's pupils slightly narrowed.His gaze was so dark that it was impossible to discern his thoughts.Meanwhile, at the Riddle residence, Nicole had already entered the living room with Nolan and Lana."Mom?""Grandma!"The three of them greeted Gloria and plonked themselves on the couch."You're back." Gloria's eyes narrowed into a smile. "I thought you would stay until the evening.""We came back after having lunch." Nicole sat down and proceeded to express her concern for Gloria. "Why are you sitting here instead of resting upstairs?""I suddenly felt restless and could not sleep, so I sat here for a while." Gloria then shot a glance at the window. "Jared brought you back just now, didn't he? Why did he not come in?""He has something to do at work, so he went off to deal with them," Nicole explained."He has something to tend to on a weekend?" Gloria asked, surprised.Nicole nodded. "There might have been an emergency."She had overheard
Jared immediately understood Nicole's intentions when he heard her asking him these questions, but then, he could not help but brush it off. "I think it might take a while.""Can you think of an idea to solve this?" Nicole asked.Jared nodded. "There are quite a number of solutions to this but they're not completely effective as we're still researching them."'Every solution has its own set of pros and cons, and the final one has yet to be determined,' he thought."Well, it's best to have a solution when things go awry." Nicole issued a huge sigh of relief. 'This won't affect the Johnstons much.'"Yeah, don't worry about it."Gentleness flashed across Jared's eyes as his hand caressed Nicole's hair. Then, he spun around and made a beeline for the bathroom.Nicole set her laptop aside while waiting for Jared to come out from the shower. Nicole had been focusing on coming up with a solution the entire night. She was relieved when she could finally get some shuteye, as she was begi
Nicole answered the phone, "Lulu? What's the matter?""Nicole, I thought our meeting with Sky Corporation regarding AI development went well. They phoned me just now, saying that they're backing out of the deal, so I've decided to call you to tell you about this." Lulu anxiously stated.Nicole's eyes narrowed, her expression turning cold. 'They're not going to sign the contract with us?'Unconsciously, Nicole turned to look at Jared. 'Why are things not going our way? Could someone be plotting against us?'"Okay, I got it," Nicole finished, hanging up as she bit her lip.Then, she pocketed her phone, furrowed her eyebrows, and thought, 'Something definitely smells fishy.'Soon, the car came to a halt, with Jared turning over to look at Nicole. "If there's anything you need, you can call me."Though Nicole was unsure of what exactly went wrong, she could sense that there was inevitable trouble heading her way.With that, she gave Jared a faint smile. "I can handle it."'He has
"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