Nicole racked her brain, but she still felt puzzled. 'What's going on? Did I lose my memories again?'"Awake?" Jared's eyes opened as he sensed Nicole's movement."Um..." Nicole felt embarrassed, so she pulled the covers and shifted away from Jared.However, Jared noticed this, and he immediately reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace."Hey!" Nicole's cheeks flushed when she realized that she was pressed against Jared, naked.Jared gazed at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You've tortured me all night, so how do you plan to make it up to me?""Me? Torture?" Nicole felt unexpectedly guilty. She genuinely had no recollection of last night, but she was absolutely not going to admit that."Really?" Jared's eyes traced down the curve of Nicole's neck, though he could not see anything due to the covers. But Nicole understood his implication.Her cheeks grew even hotter. She attempted to push Jared away and escape, deciding to simply
After having breakfast, the pair left the Riddle residence.Jared took Nicole to her office. He watched her go in before instructing Max to drive away."Any updates on Preston?" Jared asked in a serious tone, reclining in his seat."Not yet. He just sent a message saying he's already contacted Ryder and Gary. Both of the brothers agreed to help," Max replied."Okay." Jared was satisfied. After a brief thought, he added, "The Finley's are working on a network intelligence company. Arrange for someone to negotiate investment."Max paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Sure."In actuality, the Finley family's project did not quite fit with the investment criteria of the Johnston Group. Jared's decision was made more for the sake of his wife. He did not want to owe people too many favors. This way, it was a mutual exchange of help.With the arrangements settled, Jared picked up the documents next to him and began reading them with a solemn expression.Meanwhile in the F
Ryder furrowed his brows and said, "It's probably because we accepted this task."Since Jared was involved, there was only one possibility—it was for Nicole's sake."Oh." Gary also realized it. "We're helping Nicole, and Mr. Johnston doesn't want to owe us a favor."He actually felt that Jared was overthinking. They were helping Nicole willingly, and regardless of how Nicole perceived it, Gary believed they were friends."This way, we'll end up owing Mr. Johnston," Ryder said with a serious tone."What?" Gary was puzzled."Nicole helped me back then, so I suppose I'm repaying her favor now." Ryder believed that helping Nicole was only fair.Preston glanced at the two of them and said, "Stop dwelling on it. This is a good thing. Weren't you two always looking for investors for your new company? Having the Johnston Group invest is a solution to your major problem."Furthermore, with the help of the Johnston Group, he believed this new artificial intelligence company would thrive.
Lulu bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "If I tell you, will you think I'm narrow-minded?""Well, you have to tell me first so I can decide." Nicole chuckled. How could she make a judgment without knowing the details?Lulu then explained her thoughts to Nicole. As Nicole listened, she fell silent, and Lulu grew nervous as she wondered if she was wrong about it."It's not entirely impossible." Nicole agreed with Lulu's assumption after thinking about it."You think so too?" Lulu's eyes brightened. She felt relieved to have someone agree with her thoughts.Nicole nodded. "While we don't have evidence yet, your theory does make sense.""Even if we had evidence, there's not much we could do. What can we do?" Lulu sighed in frustration.Icyln's behavior was self-destructive, and while they might feel annoyed and angry, there was not much they could say or do about it.Nicole squinted slightly. If they had evidence, that would change the situation. However, sin
On the surface, Lawrence appeared supportive and willing to accompany Nicole for her examination. However, now that Nicole reflected on it, she realized that each time she had gone for her check-ups and treatments, Lawrence's anxiety seemed to be greater than hers. At the time, she had thought that Lawrence was just being concerned for her, but now she could not help but feel differently.Especially this time when Lawrence had proactively suggested finding a doctor for her, which made her even more suspicious."What's wrong?" Lawrence asked softly when he noticed Nicole hesitating."Nothing," Nicole replied, masking her thoughts with a faint smile. "Though I don't have high hopes, it's worth trying."Lawrence reassured her, "Even though there hasn't been any progress for all these years, you're now back in San Joto. You're in a familiar environment, so things might turn out differently."Nicole nodded with a slight smile, saying, "Thanks, Lawrence."There was a brief, strange mom
"Sure. Just let me know if you need anything," Lulu said before leaving the office.Nicole leaned back on the sofa, her gaze gradually darkening. 'What could Sean and Steve be investigating Lawrence for, and for such a long time? What were they suspicious of?'After some thought, Nicole decided to ask Steve to find out what was going on.With a determined expression, she got up and left her office.Downstairs, Lawrence got into his car after leaving the building."Mr. Lawrence, how did it go?" Ian asked softly."She hasn't recovered her memory yet," Lawrence replied, his tone heavy.Ian cautiously inquired, "And about the computer?"Lawrence had visited the Riddle residence and accessed Nolan's computer, so they could not possibly be unaware of it. 'How did they react?' Ian wondered."She didn't mention it. However, Nolan has been using the computer as usual these days, and everything seems normal."Nolan continued to use his computer as if nothing had happened. He had also s
Nicole's pupils shrunk. It was the first time Lawrence had come to the Riddle family, so how could he have recognized Steve among all of her older brothers?While she understood that it did not necessarily mean that Lawrence only recognized Steve, it did imply that he was extremely familiar with the Riddle family, possibly even more so than she thought.An unsettling feeling crept into her heart, and Nicole's face grew pale.According to Jared, they had met Lawrence while searching for the Brave. Then, when she was met with danger, Lawrence had saved her. Even though he knew about her identity, it still did not seem to warrant such intimate knowledge of the Riddle family unless Lawrence had done his research."We discussed it at the time. Since you had no memories and Lawrence saved you, it wouldn't have made sense to burden you with this information. It would only add to your troubles," Steve explained.Nicole nodded gently and then asked, "What did you find out?""That's what S
A playful smile crossed Nicole's face as she observed the sweet interaction between the two. She then made her way towards Jared's car, and after they had all gotten into their respective vehicles, they each drove off in their own respective directions."Looks like Lulu and Spencer are becoming sweeter by the day," Nicole remarked as she leaned against her seat.Jared glanced at her with a knowing look and said, "Well, are we not as sweet as they are, or are you implying something else?"After playfully rolling her eyes at Jared, Nicole replied, "Don't read too much into it. I meant exactly what I said.""I beg to differ," Jared said, leaning closer to Nicole, causing her to shield her face."Hey, stop fooling around," she said. 'He's pretty darn shameless, even in situations like this!'"I'm being serious." Jared said, his gaze growing more intense.The entire compartment at the backseat darkened, and the partitions slowly rose. Then, with a swift deliberate motion, Jared encir