Nicole sat there in silence as she pondered to herself, 'If Everett is coming back and Lawrence is already here...I wonder...were the both of them hiding abroad together and are now coming back one by one here to crack the code for the Water Crest?'But if cracking the code for the Water Crest is a piece of cake, why did it take Lawrence this much time?' she wondered. 'But if the Water Crest isn't the reason, what could have gotten Everett to come back so hastily?'Three days later, time passed in a blink of an eye, and Damien was still keeping his whereabouts under wraps. He had only kept his chef around, and had made no movements that could rouse the suspicion of those who were watching him.Patricia furrowed her brows, as worry glinted in her eyes. "He isn't plotting some kind of grand revenge plan at home, is he?"Nicole nodded. "It's a possibility we can't rule out so easily."'Something must be terribly wrong. How can he be so silent and subdued?' Nicole wondered."We could
"I find it rather surprising that he thinks you'll just sit idly by and watch as he pulls his tricks on Ellar," Patricia observed.The situation in the Riddle family was equally as complex as the situation that had yet to be uncovered, making it exceedingly difficult to solve."It's obvious they got someone who knows me well to do this," Nicole assumed.'If the person who had planned all of this wasn't aware of how everyone works, they would not have resorted to doing something like this,' Nicole surmised."Know you? Everyone in San Joto knows and has heard about you, but the people who would dare to screw with you..." Patricia trailed off with a look of confusion plastered on her face.Judging by the circumstances at the moment, Nicole could not think of anyone else who would do such a thing except for Damien.'He has been keeping under the radar for quite a while now. Does he really think that he'll be able to get away with it by maintaining his silence?' Nicole thought before
Nicole looked up at Jared, confused. "What do you mean when you say leave it to them?""Yeah, it could be a trap, so it'll be much safer to let them handle it," Jared clarified. 'If this is just a conspiracy targeted at Nicole, Charlie and Patricia can deal with it. But if Ellar really is in danger, I won't sit idly by and let it happen.'Nicole nodded at Jared's explanation. "Okay, but Why don't you let Patricia handle it alone and get Charlie to cover for you?"'Charlie should be stationed near Jared, and in the event that someone tries to go after Jared, he would be there in the nick of time to ensure Jared's safety. I think this is the easiest way to ensure that everyone is protected and secured,' Nicole thought."That's fine by me too," Jared replied before summoning Max over to pass the orders down to Charlie.Then, he darted a glance at his wristwatch. "Let's have lunch before you head back to the office."After happily agreeing to it, Nicole stayed for lunch with Jared.
Nicole raised an eyebrow and that was when she saw Martin walking up to their table with a woman in tow."This is...," Nicole trailed off before eyeing Martin with a cheeky smile on her face."A collaboration partner at my R&D Center that we're working on to develop a new project. We're almost done with it too," Martin explained."I can see that you two make a great team.' Nicole smiled before turning to look at the woman beside Martin."Hi, I'm Nicole Riddle, Martin's friend. Nice to meet you," she introduced.Then, the woman returned the smile and introduced herself, "Hi, Nicole. I'm Cindy Rowe.""What brings you here for lunch? Isn't your office rather far from here?" Martin asked, as he was not expecting Nicole to grab her lunch here."I came to see Jared for work and we decided to drop by for lunch," Nicole replied."Ah, I see. Well, I'll leave you guys to it," Martin said, and nodded at the couple before bidding them goodbye."Okay, I'll see you around," Nicole waved.M
Cindy then shot Martin a smile. "I guess I do know quite a little bit about you. You must be lucky to have me as a friend."Martin understood that there were many factors in play that were beyond his control. Therefore, he truly was lucky to have a friend like Cindy."So, since you've now made peace with your feelings, will you not consider other women as potential partners?" Cindy questioned."No." Martin answered quickly.This was not something he could help either, for it had become near impossible for him to develop feelings for another woman.Understandably, Cindy smiled and decided to drop the subject, bringing up work-related topics instead.After lunch, Nicole and Jared left the restaurant and made their way back to their respective companies. He proceeded to send her back to Riddle Corporation. Then, he left for Johnston Group, whereupon Nicole turned around and entered her company building.As the car maneuvered through the afternoon traffic, Max said, "Sir, from our c
"Alright, I'll think about it." Nicole replied."I hope to see you then." Lawrence said, seemingly sincere in his intentions."Hopefully." Nicole shrugged her shoulders, not giving him any promises yet.The project was definitely suitable for the company. However, Nicole still had to discuss it with Sean and Steve to assess the company's present status and determine if they could participate or not. If they were not in the position to participate, perhaps Ellar could try it out.A few possible scenarios came to her mind at an instant, but she decided that there was no need to discuss them with Lawrence.Hearing Nicole's short response, Lawrence became silent and changed the subject of conversation, "How are Nolan and Lana doing?""They're doing fine." Nicole replied."I've come to notice that Nolan hasn't been active on social media these days. Has he found something more interesting to play with?" Lawrence casually asked.To that, Nicole responded with a question of her own. "
"Sure. Ask them to swing by whenever they're available." Nicole nodded.After all, it was not an urgent matter. They could settle it whenever they had the time for it."Alright." Lulu turned around and went on to exit the office.Unexpectedly, Sean and Steve were already standing by the door when Lulu was about to leave."We're quite free. Why don't we discuss it now?" Steve shrugged when he saw the look of surprise on her face.Nicole then passed the document to the boys and said, "You guys may take a look at this first."After they had read the document, the two men exchanged looks.Then, Steve said, "This does seem like a good project, but I have just taken on another project that's similar to this one.""At the moment, I'm quite busy with my own plans as well," Sean added."I'm also hesitant about this. Why don't we pass it to Ellar?" Nicole asked.She could tell that Sean and Steve were not really interested in this project. In fact, it would be better for them to let El
'This is definitely a good project. Nicole must have a lot of faith in me if she is handing it to me. She's trying to help me out too. But whether I can meet her expectations or not is another question altogether. What if I lose in the bidding...'All of a sudden, Ellar tensed up, and he began straining his eyes. Then, he picked his phone up, wanting to make a call.After thinking about it for a moment, however, he placed it down and composed himself.'Nicole did not call me to tell me about this at all. Instead, she has faxed the document over. I guess this shows that she places a lot of trust in me. Because of this, I think I should take care of this myself without bothering her,' Ellar thought.Gritting his teeth, Ellar made the decision to rely on nobody but himself in solving his conundrum.All this time, Nicole had been guiding and aiding him along the way, and now that she was showing some faith and trust in him, Ellar should not let her down.Having made his mind, he sift
"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