Jared gently helped Nicole dry her hair and spoke softly, "I was waiting for you."This amused Nicole. "So that's why you were standing at the door."'You made me bump into you as soon as I came out, and now my nose feels sore too,' she thought."Well, keep that in mind then," Jared said meaningfully."Keep what?" Nicole was puzzled. 'Did I say something just now?'"That I shouldn't be standing at the door, and that I should..." Jared deliberately paused before continuing, "I should just go in."Just as Nicole was about to react to what Jared had said, his last remark took her aback."No... Ahem." After a bout of coughing, Nicole blushed and refused. "No, it's fine."It was better for Jared to stand at the door. If he went in...Nicole's cheeks burned bright red as she thought of the image of them taking a shower together."Really? I think it's quite nice, or do you have something that you're not happy with?" Jared continued to tease Nicole while feigning a pitiful look.Nic
Nolan's remark left Lana feeling even more puzzled. "How am I stupid?""Next time, don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask." Nolan, looking like a little adult, reprimanded Lana. "Come on."After that, Nolan pulled Lana along and walked off.However, Lana was still grumbling, "What did I say wrong?"Nicole pursed her lips as she watched her kids, and she then proceeded to warn Jared through gritted teeth, "You're not allowed to kiss me out of the blue anymore, especially when Nolan and Lana might see us."After a moment of thought, Jared said, "As a matter of fact, I actually think it's because we are not intimate enough. That's why you're always so shy. So, from now on, I'll kiss you once every day, and you'll gradually stop blushing.""Why, you..." Nicole glared at Jared. 'So it's my fault now?'Gnashing her teeth, Nicole sighed. "You wish."After saying that, Nicole left Jared to stand there on his own and went downstairs for breakfast.Jared chuckled softly, after which
Nicole immediately furrowed her brows. 'Ellison-and-Riddle? What kind of stupid name is that?'"Ms. Riddle, this... sounds terrible," Patricia whispered to Nicole.No matter how they thought about it, they did not anticipate that Harvey would have such a twisted sense of humor. 'Why did he name it like that? Does he have a screw loose? Is he off his rocker?'"Hello, everyone, I am Nicole Riddle," Nicole interrupted, not wanting to hear what was coming next.The scene instantly fell silent, and Nicole's gaze swept over the faces of the crowd, her eyes frosty and piercing.Then, she loudly announced, "Mr. Ellison probably made a mistake. Although this factory is a joint venture, its name will not be changed."She did not have the energy to think and come up with a name for the time being, so she decided that it would be better for her to keep the original one."The name's not changing?""But that's not what Mr. Ellison said."The crowd broke out in discussion, but Nicole ignored
"It's almost noon. Let's have lunch together before you go," Harvey stopped Nicole as she was about to leave.Indifferent to his advances, Nicole shot Harvey a glance and said, "I'm good. Please help yourself.""You need to eat too," Harvey said, not disappointed by the rejection as he continued to persuade Nicole.However, Nicole remained unmoved. She did not want to eat with him, fearing that the very sight of his face might cause her to experience indigestion."I have already made an appointment with your grandfather. If you're interested, you can join us," Nicole said before brushing past Harvey and hurrying off.Harvey grimaced as Nicole disappeared from sight. Only Nicole would come up with such an excuse to avoid having lunch with him. It seemed that she had made her mind up on giving him a glaring "no."Still, Nicole had made her way to Thomas Ellison's place after leaving."Are you here to show off to me?" Thomas looked at Nicole, amused."Just here for a meal with you
"He's put in so much effort, so he's obviously going to do his worst," Nicole snorted.She knew that Harvey had put on such a grand display to make things difficult for her. A simple ribbon-cutting ceremony was not all that he wanted."Are we just going to let things unfold like this?" Patricia asked in a low voice."Since he wants to publicize it, let him go ahead. Free advertising shouldn't be wasted." Nicole's eyes darkened. "Now that we're already working together, let's commence with the next stage of our plan.""Of course," Patricia eagerly agreed.She figured that Nicole had her own reasons for working together with Harvey. If anything, Nicole would never let Harvey keep that smirk on his face. All the measures taken would be temporary.Soon after, they returned to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, and during lunch break, Nicole leaned back against her couch in her office, lost in thought.The setting sun was already beginning to set when Nicole and Jared return
"That's good." Gloria issued a sigh of relief. "I can't believe they're capable of doing such things. It seems like they've lost their minds. You've got to be more careful in the future.""Don't worry, Mom," Nicole assured her. "I know."She did not want Gloria to worry about her. Deep down, however, she knew that Chloe would not stop there since she had gone to such lengths to defraud them. Though Miley had taken the blame for her this time, there was no telling what would come next. As such, Nicole would find a way to corner Chloe, to make her face the punishment she rightfully deserved.And now that Everett was still abroad, the only person who might have remained in contact with him was Chloe. If they arrested Chloe now, they might sever the only lead they had to him.Nicole's eyes darkened when she thought about Everett. Ever since Lawrence had rescued a fleeing Everett from San Joto, he had not shown up at all. This led her to wonder what sort of deal the two of them had made
"Did he mention anything else?" Nicole squinted her eyes, thinking that Lawrence would not usually be so nosy.Nolan shook his head and replied, "No, he only asked if you're back. Then, he asked about what Lana and I have been up to recently.""That's all?" Nicole raised a brow, doubtful. 'So he was genuinely missing the kids?'"Oh, Godpa also asked if you've been busy recently." Lana asked innocently.To that, Nolan added, "Yeah, I said you're not that busy. All you've got going for you is work.""Okay." Nicole said, and rested the case.She was worried that the kids might get suspicious if she prodded with more questions, so she changed the topic of conversation at once. "Is Leo still online?""Ye-" Nolan looked at the screen.Then, he frowned and said, "Now he's not."He was online just a few seconds ago, so it was strange that he logged off all of a sudden.Nicole stood beside the computer and stared at Lawrence's message to Nolan. [I have some urgent matters I need to ta
"It is exactly because of this very concern that he needs to use Nolan to achieve what he wants." Jared held Nicole's hands gently. "At the end of the day, none of us have seen the Water Crest before. No one knows what it looks like either. The only way he could crack it and not catch your attention is by enlisting Nolan's help."If Lawrence approached Nicole directly, the outcome would be predictable; Nicole would be able to tell that the object in question was the Water Crest. In addition to that, Lawrence would have to forego his right to own the Water Crest, hence he would not risk it.After hearing Jared's explanation, Nicole nodded. "You're right.""I'll get Max to verify it." Jared's eyes became frosty.If that was indeed the truth, Jared would never allow Lawrence within an inch of the Water Crest. For someone as evil as Lawrence to own the Water Crest would spell unimaginable disaster for everyone else.As Jared and Nicole were discussing the issue, they did not realize t