Jared went on to follow his family into the house, while Stanley stayed behind.Nicole arched her brows as she observed Stanley's actions, a smile creeping up her lips.She had deliberately mentioned to Stanley that they had just returned, and much to her amusement, Stanley seemed to have understood what she meant. If he did not, he would not have looked in the direction of Tia's quarters located at the backyard. At this time, he should be able to see Tia.Indeed, Stanley was looking at Tia. Though he had caught nothing but a fleeting glimpse of her back, which quickly disappeared into the house, his gaze remained fixed and unwavering.After a moment of hesitation, Stanley made a beeline to Tia's quarters in big strides.Things had settled down now that Cherry had left. However, he still could not shake the feeling that Tia had become more distant for the past few days.Today was a good opportunity for him to make his feelings obvious to her, so Stanley wondered, 'Why not clarify
"Let me help you with that." Stanley stood up.Stanley offering to help with clearing the table was something Tia did not see coming. She was so shocked that she almost dropped the plates she was holding."It's fine. I can do it myself," Tia declined, figuring that it would be inappropriate to let Stanley wash any of the dishes."Don't worry. I can help." Stanley said, holding the dirty cutleries and plates as he made his way to the kitchen.Seeing that, Tia could only follow him from behind. "Just leave them there. I'll wash them."Stanley, however, did not leave when he saw Tia rolling her sleeves up to wash the dishes. Instead, he simply stayed put and stared at her.Naturally, his gaze made Tia feel uneasy, which in turn made her clumsy. Even the clattering of the dishes in the sink became louder as she inadvertently struck them against one another. Stanley, however, was nothing short of happy. He could not help but smile upon hearing the clinking of the dishes.'If we ever
If he had just a little more courage, perhaps things would not have turned out this way. Fortunately, fate had been kind to him, making it so that Tia was not the one who got away."Martin and I..." Tia gritted her teeth, beginning to understand what Stanley was talking about. "There's nothing going on between us. I think he probably treated me well only because of Nicole."She had never thought that Martin would like her, let alone consider the idea that Stanley might have a crush on her. However, over the years, she came to learn that Stanley would always be there to help and support her whenever she found herself in a rough spot. Perhaps that was how she gradually fell for him.But due to their obvious differences in status, she had never dared to reveal her true feelings to herself. She believed that keeping them to herself was the best thing to do. However, that had only resulted in the both of them just silently looking out for each other, with neither of them having the coura
Nicole could not help but feel that something was off with Stanley today. She was wondering if he had made any progress with Tia, who showed up as the thought crossed her mind.Noticing footfalls in the living room, everyone stopped and looked back to see Tia approaching them."Have you eaten your breakfast?""Yes, thanks for asking. I'm here to pick the kids up," Tia replied."You're here early today, so I figured you might have skipped breakfast," Gloria said. "They're still eating, so you'll have to wait for a while longer. Come over and have a seat, please.""Oh, alright," Tia responded, not knowing where to put herself.Her relationship with Stanley had indeed changed overnight. Right now, she was plagued by feelings of uncertainty about how to best interact with the Riddle family moving forward, as neither she nor Stanley had informed others about the most recent development in their relationship."Stanley, it's been a while since you promised to tell me about your girlfri
"Harvey is now awake but he's in horrible condition. Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario just happened. Harvey has become a broken man," Lulu sighed.Nicole had initially thought that she could be at ease once Harvey regained his consciousness. However, Harvey's current condition was anything but favorable. If anything, she should have stayed unconscious."Is Thomas still in the hospital?" Nicole asked."He's still here, worried sick about Harvey," Lulu replied in defeat.Nicole paused and thought for a moment, after which she ordered, "You should go ahead with your work at Ellison Group. Give him a few more days to process the reality around him and get his act together.""Alright," Lulu agreed, knowing that it would be a waste of time for them to expect anything from Harvey at the moment.As she hung up, Nicole frowned in frustration. 'Was the blow too strong for Harvey to handle?'"Do you think Harvey will recover?" Jared asked, his gaze conveying a hint of coldness.Nico
After hanging up, Nicole looked around her office with a sense of longing in her eyes. With Lulu's and Patricia gone, she felt rather lonely in this place. However, if Patricia's absence meant that she could find her happiness in BayCorp, Nicole would be more than happy to let her go. As for Lulu, she should be returning soon.She also believed that Harvey would not remain in the state he was in forever, although he would be broken and depressed for a while.Meanwhile, Thomas was sighing in despair as he stared at a catatonic Harvey in the ward. He had imagined all possible scenarios that would unfold following the end of the feud between Harvey and Nicole, but what he failed to anticipate was that the blow would be too strong for Harvey to stomach."Mr. Ellison? Will your grandson remain this way?" his assistant asked in concern."I hope he'll be back on his feet soon," Thomas replied, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness in this situation.He had hired some of the best psychol
There were so many family members present that there was not even enough space for everyone on the couch to sit on. Meanwhile, Nolan and Lana were clamoring to play outside, forcing Lulu and June to take them to the courtyard, with Samuel and Spencer following them.As Sally was pregnant, Steve was worried that she might experience bouts of exhaustion, so he got her to relax and reserved the most spacious seat for her. Sally then sat down, holding hands with Jane."Ah, would you just look at how sweet the couples are and how close the siblings are? It's truly a sight for sore eyes. I just hope that Emery's and Ellar's families will be the same when they get married." Emma sighed."Don't worry. It will," Gloria assured."Hey, Aunt Emma. Why aren't Emery and Ellar here?" Sean asked."Emery's girlfriend has an assignment abroad, so Emery has flown off to accompany her. As for Ellar, he is on a business trip and hasn't returned yet.""Oh, I see." Sean nodded, having asked the questio
Jared gently caressed Nicole's hair. Although moments of joy and peace like these made her content, he knew that all of the happiness the Riddle family enjoyed was only possible because of her. Having been through the trenches, she had endured and suffered her fair share of misfortune to make all of this happen. Thankfully, she had gotten what she wanted.After dinner was over, Benjamin called Sean and Nicole over to the study."Grandpa?" Sean asked with some confusion, "Why did you call us here? Is there something going on?"After casting a glance at Nicole, Benjamin turned his gaze to Sean and nodded. "Yes."Although she was surprised, Nicole had a vague feeling about what her grandfather was going to discuss. A faint smile crossed her face there and then."Grandpa, are you planning to announce this only to the two of us?" Nicole playfully teased.With a defeated smile, Benjamin replied, "You guessed it.""Clearly." Nicole grinned.It was rather obvious, so Nicole had no prob