Since Harvey had given them the chance to bring him down, they would just seize it. It would be stupid not to.After careful consideration, Nicole smirked and said, "Well, that works.""I'll get on it then!" Lulu beamed excitedly, ready to do something big.And to that, Nicole chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Right. I'll leave it to you."Since Lulu had taken charge of any dealings with the Ellison Group, Nicole had faith that she would be able handle it well."I'll be on my way, then," Lulu responded, and began humming a cheerful tune as she left.After giving Lulu's figure a smile, Nicole got busy and flipped through the documents on the desk to peruse them.About an hour later, she heard a knock on a door."Come in," Nicole said without looking up, as she was focused on her work.It was Patricia, who then opened the door and walked up to Nicole's desk. "Ms. Riddle? There are updates pertaining to Damien."Upon hearing that, Nicole immediately looked up. 'Has he finally d
Nicole, expecting some sort of news from him, was surprised when Jared maintained his silence. "Did you really just come over to have a meal with me?"She thought something significant had happened, but upon noticing that he had not said a word along the way, she concluded that she had simply misunderstood.The smile from Jared proved exactly that. "Just a meal, yeah.""Oh, I thought something occurred, and you came over to tell me about it." Nicole took a sip of water.Teasing her, Jared said, "You seem quite disappointed."Annoyed, she rolled her eyes and placed her glass down. "Of course I'm not."As Jared's sudden appearances usually indicated that there was something he needed her to know, it was natural for her to assume that he had brought some kind of word with him. Still, she was happy that he had simply brought her out for a regular meal.With a gentle smile on his face, he explained, "I just signed a project, and I thought I'd come to see you after I'm done with it."
"Hehe." Ellar awkwardly smiled. "She got injured while saving me, so I just wanted to know more about her.""Is that all?" Nicole squinted at Ellar, unable to shake the feeling that he was up to something.There was something obviously unnatural and forced about the expression on his face, and yet he stuck to his guns and insisted, "Yes, that's all.""Oh." Nicole uttered, trying to stop herself from exposing him.After shooting him another glance, she said, "Patricia didn't come.""Is she okay?" Ellar asked, seemingly a little disappointed."The injury has already healed. You don't need to worry about it," Nicole replied with a slight smile as she looked at him.Ellar looked away in discomfort, and after coming up with an excuse to skedaddle, he said, "I'm running out of time. I'll go meet my business partner now.""Sure, go ahead." Nicole grinned.Ellar was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Something told him that Nicole had seen through him, and that was good enough of a re
Nicole and Jared returned home, and Nolan and Lana followed suit soon after.Due to the fact that it was a busy day today, Samuel, Spencer, Lulu, and June had all shown up as well, bringing the living room to life.After Tia had dropped Nolan and Lana off, she was about to leave when Lulu stopped her. "Stay and have dinner together. The more the merrier.""Yeah, please stick around," June echoed.Tia, who looked a little hesitant, darted her eyes at Nicole. Though she had no issues with anyone present, she really did not want to stay, simply because she did not know how to face Stanley.Although Cherry had explained everything to her, she was still flustered and confused, for she had not sorted any of her emotions out."Why don't you go and ask Mrs. Wallace Sr. first? It's up to you to decide whether you want to stay or go home," Nicole suggested, understanding Tia's dilemma."Okay, I'll ask her first." Tia breathed a sigh of relief, bade farewell to everyone, and returned to he
Nicole, however, had an inexplicable feeling of unease in her heart. She could not put a finger on what was wrong, but she just could not shake the feeling of disquiet within her."Let's eat first, and then we'll go upstairs to check." Jared comforted her, as he saw that she looked somewhat worried.He thought there was nothing particularly unusual about Nolan's behavior but considering that she had been taking care of the kid for the past five years, and because she knew the boy better than he did, it would be in their best interest to give it a look later on."Okay." Nicole nodded in agreement, still feeling that it was necessary for them to go up later and see what was going on."Tia, our company has a minor team-building exercise tomorrow. Would you like to join?" June asked."Ah? I-I'd rather not." Tia instinctively refused.Refusing to give up, June continued to persuade Tia. "Most of them are from the previous group of bridesmaids, whom you've met. There are only a few you
The living room was now empty, save for Stanley, who appeared to be somewhat depressed and lonely.Leaning back against the couch, Stanley sat in silence, as if contemplating something. It was only after fifteen minutes that he stood, as if he had made a decision, and returned to his room.Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were watching Nolan, who was playing his game. Jared was also holding Lana, who was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes heavy with sleep."Daddy, I want to go to bed." Lana rested on Jared's shoulder with her eyes closed, unable to stay awake anymore.After shooting Nicole a glance, Jared said, "I'll take Lana back to sleep.""Okay." Nicole agreed, her attention returning to the computer screen.Nolan's gameplay seemed ordinary, much like a typical level-based game. However, Nicole could tell that something was off about it."Yay!" Nolan cheered loudly, snapping Nicole out of it.Seeing that Nolan had completed the level, she reminded him, "It's getting late, an
"What?" Jared squinted when he saw the look of unease on her face."This game seems to have been deliberately made for Nolan to discover," Nicole realized.It was not something Nolan accidentally stumbled upon, but rather something that was sent to him, giving him a false sense of coincidence."Who is behind this, and why would they do that?" Jared's expression darkened.Nicole then shared her analysis with Jared, and the more he thought about it, the more furious he became. If her assumptions were correct, it was evident that this game was deliberately designed for a nefarious reason."I need you to log into Nolan's computer tomorrow to investigate," Jared ordered."Okay," Nicole nodded.For now, they could only keep their suspicions under wraps, as a discreet investigation would only be possible later on.Jared then patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."If there was an ulterior motive on the part of the developers, it would most l
"Nicole, I've come to deliver good news," Ellar said with a cheerful smile."Wow, that's quick!" Nicole was surprised.They had discussed the matter in passing last night, and yet, the results were already in."Yes, I got the news, so I came over to tell you right away." Ellar proudly handed the documents to Nicole. "Please, take a look!"Nicole rolled her eyes and grabbed the documents.After flipping through them, she nodded in approval. "Excellent. Keep up the good work. I believe you'll be able to secure the project.""Although we've only passed the bidding phase this time, I will work hard for the project," Ellar said.He had invested a great deal of effort into this project, so it was natural for him to hope for a positive outcome."You know, for something like this, you could have just faxed it to me. Why bother coming over in person?" Nicole asked after placing the documents down."Well, it's quite a big deal for me, so I had to come and inform you in person. Besides,