"Looking for me?"Lulu looked at the secretary and frowned. 'Who would want to find me?'"Did they say who they were?" asked Lulu."No, do you want to head downstairs?" asked the secretary as she shook her head.Lulu hesitated for a while before standing up. "I'll go down and have a look."Lulu's heart was filled with worry as she inched closer to the lobby. Her eyes fell on a strange looking woman. She walked up to her and asked, "Are you looking for me?""Are you Lulu Barrera?" the unknown woman asked, scanning Lulu up and down."I am, but may I ask why you're looking for me?" asked Lulu, her voice filled with uncertainty. Lulu had never seen this woman before in her life, unclear of what her objective could be.Suddenly, the woman grabbed her by the collar and screamed, "You evil bitch! My brother almost died because of you and you're here enjoying your life like nothing happened!""Hey! Excuse me, ma'am. What are you talking about?" Lulu whimpered, frightened by the sudden
Nicole slowly walked over to the lobby. In her office earlier, she saw a mob of people rushing into the building from her window. She wanted to ask Lulu to check what was going on, not knowing that something had happened to Lulu."I don't know her! She suddenly came here and started slandering me and even dragged me around for a few feet!" exclaimed Lulu as she burst into tears.Nicole held Lulu's hand tightly, but it did not stop Lulu's hand from trembling. Lulu was traumatized. Nicole gave Lulu comforting pats on the back. "You go home and rest.""But..." Lulu stuttered, looking at Nicole like a lost puppy."Don't worry. I'll take care of things here," said Nicole as she turned around to signal the front desk. The front desk understood immediately and ushered Lulu away.Nicole's expression darkened almost immediately after Lulu left. She turned to look at the report, completely overlooking the woman's existence."Which media publication do you belong to? I see that all the medi
The reporters protested, "We're reporters, we have the freedom to do whatever and record what we want to!"The police looked at them. "Which publication do you belong to?"Before anyone could answer, Nicole beat them to it. "They claim to be reporters, but they're fake. I think it's best that the respective media publications come and identify their own employees. Those who have been identified can be let go, while those who didn't must be fakes. They probably teamed up with the woman here."The police quickly commanded once more, "Take them all away!"The complexion of the reporters immediately turned pale. They all sneaked out during work hours to pick up the news. 'How will we report this to our higher ups?'Nicole watched as the police rounded up everyone and took them away. She couldn't help but smirk as she confidently strolled back into the office, heading straight for Lulu."It's all my fault, I've caused the company such a huge problem," added Lulu."It's not your fault
Lulu's complexion was pale, still very shaken up from the incident.Bringing her into a hug, Spencer coaxed her, "Don't be scared. They were all caught and will pay the price for what they did.""What on earth is going on? I don't know her. Why did she have to frame me?" Lulu bit her lip. She tried to think of an answer, but got nothing."Everything will make sense in the end. Don't worry," Spencer reassured as his eyes darkened.'If that person wasn't crazy, then their act must've been staged,' he thought to himself.Suddenly, Spencer's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was Icyln calling.Frowning, he answered the call."Babe! Where are you?" Icyln's voice rang from the phone speaker."Is something the matter?" asked Spencer, cutting straight to the point."Oh, I just wanted to ask if you have time to come out with me to pick a gift for our professor. It's his birthday today, by the way, and I want to give him a gift," explained Icyln.Spencer glanced at Lulu a
Gloria saw Nicole walk into the house. With hopeful eyes, she asked, "How's Lulu doing?""How did you guys find out?" Nicole glanced at Gloria's worried expression and sighed deeply. 'The news must've spread like wildfire.'"Is she okay? How could such a thing happen to that poor child..." There was a hint of distress in Gloria's voice."Don't worry, she'll be fine," Nicole reassured."That's a relief to hear." Gloria let out a breath in relief.Nicole briefly chatted to Gloria about the incident that happened earlier in the day and how the police were looking into the matter."I hope they can solve this as soon as possible, what with the weddings approaching. I don't want this to affect Lulu's big day." Gloria sighed again.'A wedding happens once in a lifetime. It's only right to have a happy bride,' she thought to herself.Nicole nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it too much."After dinner was over, Jared and Nicole brought the twins upstairs to Nolan's room. Nolan dragged N
Not to mention the last incident, where he sneakily looked at Nolan's computer. Even if he was their Godpa, he had no right to do so.Looking at how angry Lana was, Nicole lightly patted her daughter's head. "If you don't feel like going, you can stay with Grandma at home. I'll bring Nolan along with me, is that okay?"Nolan wanted to meet Lawrence, but Lana was reluctant. Therefore, Nicole did not want to force her.Then, unexpectedly, Lana looked up and said, "I want to go."Since Nolan was going, Lana wanted to go as well."Otherwise, Nolan might get tricked again, with his empty brain," she muttered softly."What did you say?" Nolan could not clearly hear as he was a bit far away, but his gut told him that there was something off with what his sister said."Nothing." Lana shrugged her shoulders, looking innocent.Nolan frowned and stared at Lana as if he did not believe her words. But he could not say a thing.Naturally, Nicole had heard everything as she was near Lana. Sh
"You should get some rest." Jared held Nicole's hands and pulled her to the bed."Okay." Nicole lightly nodded her head. She was definitely tired.Once the lights were out, the whole room was filled with silence.The next morning, the sun shone brightly.After breakfast, Jared and Nicole sent their children to school.Seeing that the kids had entered the school compound, they left for DillCorp.Just as the car was moving, Max reported, "Ma'am, about Lulu's incident, it's been confirmed that someone was behind it."Nicole frowned a little and slowly uttered, "Icyln?""Yes," Max replied.Nicole snorted. Thinking about the incident, Icyln was the only person in San Joto who would have the intention of hurting Lulu.Icyln had been bothering Spencer multiple times with the intention of creating a misunderstanding between Spencer and Lulu. Now that the couple was going to get married, Icyln would never have a chance if she did not do anything. Finally, she had revealed her true col
Preston understood the situation immediately. "So that's the case. I thought you could predict the future."Hearing Preston's mocking tone, Nicole could not help but laugh. "How's the investigation going?""I've looked into the suspicious traces found previously. Some of it was truly done out of curiosity, but there was one that seems questionable. And we've managed to track down that address," Preston explained briefly."Have you identified the person?" asked Nicole, eyes narrowed."Gary's looking into it. At the moment, we haven't identified the actual person yet, but I'm sure he or she is in San Joto." Preston's voice lowered a little as he said, "In fact, that person might be someone close to us. Someone who's involved in our lives.""You're saying there's a high chance that it's someone we know?" Nicole's heart felt heavy. Could it really be someone they know?"Oh, one more thing. Someone accepted your task. That person has contacted us, and we've checked them. Although we'r
"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