Nicole could not help but laugh when she heard what Lulu and June were conversing about, thinking they were both right in their own ways. Patricia was indeed not one who could be easily deceived. If Ellar was smart, he would not lie to Patricia.After the joyous and lively wedding ceremony, Dexter and Emma invited everyone to their seats for the lunch session, and that was when Nicole and her friends all gathered at a single table, chatting while enjoying the food that had been served. The room was rife with merry chatter and smiles to say the least."Hey, so what happened? Were you caught?" Lulu asked Ellar."No way. I gave the couple a huge gift, so my mom let me off the hook," Ellar boasted.At the end of the day, they were at Emery's wedding, so Ellar's parents were naturally more focused on welcoming the guests than telling Ellar off.Meanwhile, Lulu was casting a glance over at the newlyweds toasting. "Look at how grand and wonderful their wedding is compared to ours."Thin
Nolan and Lana were getting restless, as they could not see any hope in waiting for their uncles to get married.And after everyone had understood what the two little ones were up to, they burst out into gales of laughter.Wide-eyed, Ellar instantly leaped to the defense, "Hey, I'm younger than your mom. There's no rush for me. Don't count me in for that one."Ellar was indeed single, but he already had a life partner in mind, though he was unsure of when he would succeed in pursuing that certain someone. Still, he felt that the kids had to count him out for this one, as he did not want to get in the way of Nicole's lifelong union, which she deserved.Nolan and Lana nodded their heads in understanding. "You're right. Hey Mommy? Uncle Ellar is younger than you. He doesn't count."Just like that, the kids had solved another problem, bringing another obstacle to their mother's future marriage out of the way.The kids then looked at Preston in unison, making the latter shiver in fear
"Ah, here comes my Nicole," Mrs. Wallace Sr. smiled, welcoming Nicole."Hey, grandma. Are you feeling better now?" Nicole asked, approaching her grandmother's bedside..With a smile plastered on her face, Mrs. Wallace Sr. answered, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."Seeing that Mrs. Wallace Sr. was trying to sit up, Nicole carefully helped her out. "Slow down, Grandma. Easy now."Then, once Mrs. Wallace Sr. was seated upright, Nicole handed her a glass of water. "Here, have some water."Mrs. Wallace Sr. sipped a few mouthfuls from the glass before putting it down. "I see you're all done with your work."Don't worry, Grandma. Everything went smoothly, and everyone's back at home now," Nicole reassured with a smile."That's good," Mrs. Wallace Sr. said, holding Nicole's hand. "It's a pity that Tia didn't get to attend the wedding because of me."Shaking her head, Nicole consoled, "No, no. It's fine. Everyone understood what you were going through. You're fine now, and that's all t
Seeing this, Mrs. Wallace Sr. smiled. "It seems that I no longer have to worry about Tia.""That's right," Nicole said, holding her hand. "Tia and I are all grown up now. You don't have to worry about us anymore. You can focus on enjoying life and taking care of yourself now."The both of them then went on to reminisce about the memories they once shared.Meanwhile, Tia had stopped on her tracks once she had stepped out onto the courtyard. "Hey, is there anything you want to talk to me about?""Nothing, in particular. I just miss you. So here I am," Stanley revealed gently.Upon hearing Stanley's response, Tia blushed and stammered, "Didn't...didn't we just meet in the morning?""Well, I still missed you regardless," Stanley said, caressing Tia's hair.A surge of warmth and fuzziness filled Tia, causing her to blush.Stanley then held onto her hand and informed her, "I'm buying everyone dinner the day after tomorrow. Will you come along and join us?""The day after tomorrow?"
Nicole reached out to hug Lana affectionately. "It's your nap time, right? Let's bring you back to your room.""Okay," Lana nodded, after which she rested her head on Nicole's shoulder and shut her eyes.Jared placed the storybook and tucked Nolan in. After the boy had fallen asleep, Jared emerged, bumping into Nicole who had also just exited Lana's room.Looking at Nicole, Jared smiled and led her back to their own bedroom."You must be tired," Jared remarked, having noticed how fatigued Nicole was."It's alright. But I do feel like taking a nap," Nicole replied, walking up to her bed.As Nicole laid herself down on the mattress, Jared flashed her a smile. "Go ahead."Not wanting to interrupt Nicole's nap, he quietly walked over to his desk and switched his computer on. As for Nicole, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, knowing that Jared wanted to get back to work.The moment Jared switched his computer on, an unread email popped up on his screen. Upon opening the email and
They had checked every flight from every airline yesterday, but none of them had Damien's boarding information."So..." Nicole trailed off, her eyes widening. "You mean, there's a possibility that he was taking a private, chartered flight?"Lulu bit her lips, her eyes wandering in contemplation. "If you put it like that, there is a possibility he was doing just that. However, Patricia could not find any evidence, and they were not able to get an answer from Damien either. What are we going to do?"If they could not determine where Damien was planning to go, they would have to keep him seized, which was an option they would rather not explore."Where are the people who were in contact with Damien?" Nicole asked."Patricia is on the case, but we have not received any updates," Lulu answered."We'll just have to wait then," Nicole said.Lulu nodded and looked at Nicole, before changing the subject, "Have you prepared the gifts, Nicole?"Knowing exactly what Lulu was talking about,
"You knew about it?" Nicole blurted, taken aback by the fact that he was privy to such information."I can't say I know everything about it, but I had a hunch," Martin admitted.He was well aware of Stanley's feelings for Tia, but the misunderstanding involving him and Tia was a recent discovery to him.Nicole chuckled, finally understanding what he was on about. "So, what about you? Don't tell me you're going to remain single forever.""If I could, I should hope so. Unfortunately..." Martin sighed. 'Unfortunately, that's just not impossible. My family has been urging me into getting married for the past few days. I have a feeling they have been driven into a frenzy because of the amount of weddings they've been attending as of late.'Getting what Martin was trying to convey, Nicole laughed. "If that's the case, you must really consider it. There's a huge possibility that another wedding is coming your way."Martin turned to look in the restaurant's general direction and sighed.
"It's our turn now since you've given her your gift already," Lulu teased."Of course," Stanley said, not in the least surprised by how others had come to know about Tia's birthday.He felt that Nicole knew that today was Tia's birthday, and that she had seen her plan to surprise from a mile away. If his guess was correct, Nicole had informed others of the occasion and its purpose."You've all prepared gifts too?" Tia asked, her eyes widening in surprise.The last thing she had expected him to do was throw her a surprise party by inviting all of their close friends to celebrate her birthday this year. The only other thing she did not see coming was that they had shown up bearing gifts."Of course we did. Preparing gifts is a must for such an important occasion," Lulu replied, before handing her gift to Tia.After everyone had given the items they had prepared to Tia, Preston lowered his head awkwardly and apologized. "Sorry, I didn't prepare any.""Did no one tell you?" Samuel a
"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