Meanwhile, at the Johnston Group headquarters, Jared was working at his desk when an email from an unknown sender popped into his inbox. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the anonymous message, hesitating for a while before clicking it.Jared's eyes narrowed as he stared at the contents of the email."Max," Jared called out with obvious hints of displeasure in his voice.Max quickly entered the room. "Mr. Johnston.""Get someone to keep an eye on Nicole. There's someone tailing her," he ordered as the atmosphere in the room became as cold as ice.Max quickly complied. "I had assigned a bunch of guards to keep a lookout for her prior to this. They should be in close proximity to her. I'll be in contact with them."Max quickly conveyed the message to the team of guards who were watching over Nicole, and naturally, it did not take long for them to receive the message."Mr. Johnston, they're heading there now. They'll be responsible for the safety of Ms. Riddle," Max reported."
'Why? Why does it seem like it didn't affect him at all?! He has obviously seen my email, and Max even came to the restaurant. It's obvious that my plan was a success, but how is this the outcome?!'Iris racked her brain, unable to understand the reason as to why Jared was unfazed. This made her boil as she gritted her teeth.'I've waited here all afternoon like an idiot, and this is the outcome of my plan?! Why does he care so much about her?! What tricks did Nicole have up her sleeve?!' she fumed.Iris' eyes became even darker as she continued gritting her teeth in anger.Meanwhile, Jared and Nicole were heading toward the Riddle residence."Max went to the restaurant where I was having lunch. Did something happen?" Nicole asked, her voice filled with curiosity.The moment Nicole saw Max, her first instincts informed her that something had happened. Seeing that Max did not take the time to greet her and just happened to be busy looking for something, however, Nicole had brushed
'Not only does the person know Jared well, but they also know his email address and Max's too. This person must be an employee of the Johnston Group.'"Send this clip to Max and ask for him to arrange someone to launch an investigation," Jared ordered."Okay." Max agreed almost immediately.'It was weird enough that I wasn't able to catch anyone on the scene. Who would have known that the culprit ran away as soon as they saw me enter. What could that person possibly be thinking? Was it done to create a rift between Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle? Talk about being ridiculous,' Max pondered.The car came to a halt, and Nicole realized they had already arrived. She got out of the car, with Jared in tow. Max drove away once after they had both disembarked."Come on let's go," Nicole sighed, completely drained after everything that had happened today.Jared looked at Nicole, and noticed she was a little tired. He grabbed her by the arm and brought her home.Inside, Gloria was playing wi
Nicole clicked on a link, bringing her to The Hunter web, whereupon the mission interface appeared. It was a little different than it was before. Before this, Nicole had only accepted missions. This interface, on the other hand, was for sending missions out.Soon, after creating a new nickname for herself, effectively making her untraceable, Nicole posted the search for the five crests. She was wise enough to not post directly under the Crest Forum. After all, it would be too direct, and everyone could easily guess it right off the bat and ultimately, know it was related to her.'Who would let anyone know that the Fire Crest is in my hands? Who would even bother with the reward at this point when they can come right at me.'After the post had been uploaded, Nicole switched her computer off. She was very well aware that it was a challenging task for anyone to take on. Indeed, she was just testing her luck, as her options were pretty much limited.'Instead of waiting, I guess the bet
She would not give anyone the chance to see her make a fool of herself and profit from it."That's a great idea," Sean nodded in agreement and admiration.Even if Everett and Raine banded together, none of the Riddles would be afraid of them. This went without mentioning that their collaboration was not even official, so they were even less of a concern, let alone a genuine threat."So what plan have you come up with?" Steve asked without any complaints, seeing that Nicole and Sean had reached an agreement.Instead, he began looking forward to taking action."Let's start with Sky Corporation," Nicole said meaningfully as she looked at both Sean and Steve, whereupon she explained her plan in detail."Alright, that's it," Steve agreed, already eager to try it out.Sean nodded as well. "I'm fine with that. Let's go according to your plan.""Great, then we should start preparing for it," Nicole smirked, before beaming brightly.Soon, after Steven and Sean had left, Lulu came into
How did Lawrence manage to tamper with the data of the Johnston Group? After all, only the people who had sifted through it would know, and only a minority of people in the company were a part of the process.The only plausible explanation was that someone had leaked the company's confidential information. Max, however, was of the opinion that none of the company's employees had a motive to betray them. Other than that, nobody was seen behaving in an unusual manner."Arrange for a thorough investigation," Jared instructed, his eyes glinting with frost.They had to find out if it was an insider's doing, as the company could not afford to keep a rat in their midst."Yes," Max agreed with a somber expression. Indeed, the company could never keep and tolerate such moles who would stab them in the back."What's going on over at Riddle Cooperation," Jared asked."There is indeed a slight issue over at Mrs. Johnston's place. But she has already made the necessary adjustments. There's no
"Who's that girl? She's so pretty!"Having overheard the discussions around them, Nicole and Lulu shifted their attention to the big plasma screen. It was displaying a musical concert, and Spencer, as a special guest, was performing in it. Lulu knew the fact that he was participating in the concert, but she was unaware of the fact that he would be sharing the stage with another person. Lulu had never seen or heard from Spencer about the girl who was performing with him."It's just a performance," Nicole comforted Lulu softly after noticing how crestfallen she was."I know. He did inform me about his performance today," Lulu flashed a beaming smile in response.Lulu did not mind the notion of Spencer performing with someone else. But as she looked at the dazzling Spencer, she felt a pang of insecurity deep down. What made it worse was that he was standing beside such a beautiful girl, leading Lulu to believe that this was originally how Spencer's future should have been. Feeling a s
"She's the fresh face in our company. We had to add her performance into the list today at the last minute for the rehearsal at the company. That's why I didn't have time to pick Lulu up to see the show," Spencer explained frankly."So that's why," Nicole responded, her eyes fixed on Lulu.And as if Nicole had read her mind, Lulu felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment."Alright then, you two can go ahead. I won't disturb your date," Nicole waved her hand, signaling both to leave."Okay," Spencer said.He was also aware that Jared's car was just parked ahead and did not want to hold the couple up longer than he needed to."Spencer, just bring Lulu home if you have nothing to do. Don't always go out on dates," Nicole teased and turned around to search for Jared."Spencer?" A sweet female voice blared out, causing Nicole to abruptly pause and whirl around.The few people in the scene turned their attention to the girl coming toward them in unison. It was the same girl who had
"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