But Nicole did not plan to fight back. Instead, she flipped backward, her legs running into Karlo's left kick. Leveraging on the force of the collision, Nicole bounced almost ten feet back and away.The earlier two men watched in amazement. Nicole did not only dodge beautifully but also forced Karlo three steps back.Karlo had a wary look in his eyes. Nicole's feet had just lightly touched his, yet her muscle reflex could produce such a high level of force. He could not imagine the consequence if she really wanted to harm him.Karlo stopped attacking momentarily. He was not a miscreant who would take a mile when others gave an inch. Nicole never actively attacked him; she was defensive. Besides, he knew very well that all his earlier moves had failed. He had used all his strength, but he had not even touched the corner of Nicole's clothes. This clearly told him something. Karlo looked at Nicole with deep appreciation in his eyes. "Are you interested in joining my special forces?"E
Blue veins popped up on Karlo's forehead. He then glanced back to acknowledge Jared. "See you, Mr. Palmer."Karlo then looked at Nicole with a look of regret for missing such a talent. "Please tell me if you change your mind," he said.Nicole looked at him but did not respond. But the look in her eyes showed she had started to like this commander.Karlo was a good fighter. She could take on him so confidently because she had been trained to fight against the close-quarters combat techniques of the military. He might be holding the post of a commander, but he did not coerce her to do anything, nor did he get angry after he lost. In a sense, he was a real fighter.Karlo was not angry when he did not get a response from Nicole. Instead, he waved his hand at her before getting into the car. The low-key Volkswagen Phaeton quickly drove out of the airport parking lot toward the city center of San Joto.In the car, Karlo looked at Zeke with a devilish smile. "You talked tough just now, e
Karlo looked at the road ahead and stopped asking Zeke questions. Zeke looked at his father's seemingly shocked face and sat quietly, waiting for the car to drive them back to the Guzman Mansion instead of gibing at him.As Nicole watched Zeke and Karlo leave, Jared spoke with a hint of displeasure beside her. "They have left. Stop staring already. Let me send you back to the Riddle Mansion."Nicole nodded and whispered a thank-you to Jared.Jared cocked an eyebrow at Nicole, as she was always so courteous to him. But he said nothing, just taking out his mobile phone to make a call. Soon, a metallic blue sports car pulled up in front of them, with Claus sticking his head out and looking at Nicole in surprise. "I didn't know you're here, too, Nicole."Jared looked at the car in front of him with a frown. Claus noticed the disgust on Jared's face and said helplessly, "Max thought you would have gone for a few days, so he sent your car to Eperon for maintenance. It will only be brough
Nicole did not expect that her phone would vibrate in her pocket.Nicole took it out. There were nearly two hundred missed calls, eighty percent of which were from Daniel, Gloria, and her brothers, and a few messages from Austin and others, asking her when the tuition would continue.'What's going on?' she wondered. Just as Nicole was about to call home, the phone in her hand vibrated again. It was Daniel. She picked up the call.Daniel was used to hearing the unreachable tone when he called Nicole. He could not react for a moment when he first got through to Nicole until she answered in a flat voice. "Nicole, you finally answered the phone," he said, sounding stupefied.Gloria, who was beside Daniel, heard what he said and abruptly looked up at her husband, her eyes full of eagerness.Nicole heard the exhaustion and anxiety in her father's voice, and she could not help but frown. "Is something happening at home?"Daniel had been in the hospital for days, feeling distressed when
"What are you doing here? Are you looking for me?" Lyana asked.Jared ignored Lyana and walked past her to accompany Nicole, quietly waiting for the elevator.Nicole did not have time for Lyana. She glanced at Jared gravely, as she still remembered he had explained to her about Lyana.Lyana looked with jealousy in her eyes at the two standing together. She recognized Nicole as the girl who had taken Jared away from the birthday party the other day. Jared ignored her every time she saw him. 'What makes this girl so special that she can find favor with Jared?' she asked in her mind.Lyana was proud of her body and appearance, but she lost that sense of superiority with Nicole's presence. So she looked bitterly at Nicole's beautiful face.The bodyguard whom Nicole shoved aside earlier came up with a sneer when he saw two random people standing in front of Lyana. "Do you know who we are? How dare you shove our lady out of the way!" He did not know that Lyana had given up her spot in f
Lynana completely ignored Nicole, as if she did not exist.Jared glanced at Lyana apathetically. Blood instantly drained from Lyana's face, and she looked in an unspeakable fear.She knew very well who Claus was—he was just following and serving Jared. He was basically a knife in Jared's hand. She was afraid no matter how much Mr. Rogers Sr. pampered her, if she angered Jared, Mr. Rogers would turn against her.Lyana still thought of saying something, but the elevator had arrived. Nicole and Jared walked in. Claus glanced at Lyana with a smirk and followed Jared into the elevator.The bodyguard finally got his due. He was struck dumb after getting slapped by Lyana. He had been acting like a bully all this while with Lyana's connivance. Lyana wiped her hands with a handkerchief handed over by the others and said coldly to the bodyguard on the floor. "Get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you again."The bodyguard looked sorry and dumbfounded, not knowing why Lyana's attitud
No wonder she had been feeling like missing something. It turned out that she had forgotten to go to the family dinner every Friday night. But Nicole did not give Norah a damn, knowing that Norah was deliberately looking for trouble.Just then, Steve had come to Nicole's rescue. "No point talking about it now. Grandpa has fallen sick. We are all family, so there is no need to fuss about it."He looked at Nicole understandably, and Nicole gave him a grateful nod. "Steve, I understand. Dad, Mom, I'll go see grandpa first," she said and then walked into the ward calmly as if nothing could affect her.Norah looked jealous as Nicole went. She then set her eyes on Jared, who had come with Nicole. She thought Nicole had been fooling around with some random men for the past two days, not expecting Nicole to see Nicole coming back with Jared.After not seeing Jared for so many days, Norah immediately went up to say hello. "Jared, I didn't expect you to come. Are you with Nicole?" She was re
That was not much of a surprise. After all, Michael could not have built such a hospital in San Joto had he come with no background.Steve's face looked a little grave while he was thinking of this. He knew it; there was more to Jared than met the eye.Meanwhile, Nicole was in the ward, looking on as a doctor was instructing two nurses to do a routine check on Mr. Riddle Sr., who was hooked up with tubes to some medical instrument.Nicole leaned casually against the wall as the nurses were doing their job. She waited for them to finish before asking calmly, "How is his condition?"Hearing the crisp, bitter voice, the doctor looked at the beautiful girl in front of him and replied involuntarily,"He needs surgery as soon as possible because we have observed signs of heart failure. The coronary instability has caused plaque rupture, affecting the blood supply to the heart. More delay may affect the normal function of certain parts of the body. According to our observation, it is li
"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