Lawrence was convinced that no matter who else he tried to find or what other plans he came up with, things wouldn't work out.Scorpio's face had turned sour, his words sharpening. "So what you're saying is, you'd rather let that woman have it than us?" he asked, visibly upset."Let the best person win. After all, that's the rule with the Five Badges," Lawrence shrugged, a nonchalant air about him. 'As long as I have it, I'll do what I want with it.'He knew he needed the Water Crest, and that Nicole was his only chance. 'Who else could pull it off?'Besides, he thought, 'It's safer with me. How could I be at ease if it's in someone else's hands?'"Fine, then guard your Water Crest well," Lawrence said, standing up with a hint of threat in his voice.Not backing down, Lawrence gave Scorpio a cold, challenging look. "You can try," he said defiantly.Their meeting ended without agreement. Scorpio glared at Lawrence before storming off.Watching Scorpio leave, Lawrence's eyes narr
"Yeah, he'll be giving them feedback tonight," Nicole said with a smile.Daniel glanced at Nicole, "Good, then let's wrap it up quickly.""Okay, we'll head out first then," Nicole replied, standing up to leave with Jared.Gloria, curious, asked Daniel, "You usually don't ask so many details about the kids. What's up today?"Daniel shook his head, "Nothing much. Just felt like Nicole was a bit off. Maybe I'm overthinking."'It's just feedback for a game beta test. A simple reply should do. No big deal,' he thought.Gloria reassured, "Nicole's got it under control, especially when it's about Nolan. She wouldn't take it lightly."Daniel found Gloria's words reasonable and didn't dwell on it any longer.Nicole and Jared left the house and got into the car.Leaning back in her seat, Nicole sighed, 'It all has to come to an end eventually.'Jared gently squeezed her hand, as if to comfort her.Nicole looked at Jared, a small smile on her lips, and shook her head to indicate she wa
Frowning, Ellar said, "Nicole, I've always listened to you since we were kids. I can tell when something's bothering you."He had always paid close attention to Nicole, understanding her better than anyone else.At this point, Nicole simply mentioned that Patricia was fine, which to Ellar signaled that Patricia might actually be in trouble. He guessed that something had happened, which was why Patricia had disappeared without a trace.Nicole sighed and tried to reassure him, "Patricia's okay. She just doesn't want to be seen right now. I have to respect her choice.""But how can she be okay?" Ellar wondered aloud, confused. "I heard about the hospital incident. Those people were caught, but Patricia vanished right after!"He hadn't been able to find Patricia since, so he couldn't believe she was really fine.Nicole gave him a look, "She really is okay."Ellar felt a lump in his throat and pleaded, "Please, Nicole, just tell me."His suspicions grew stronger. 'If everything was
Patricia thought, 'Besides, with so many people caring for me and by my side, I won't feel any regrets.'After Martin shared his tentative treatment plan, there was a mix of hope and concern in the room. Lulu looked sympathetically at Patricia, who was biting her lip, trying to muster courage. "I'm willing to try," Patricia said, her voice firm despite her evident apprehension.Martin, although not entirely confident, was optimistic. "This treatment combines the best ideas Nicole and I could think of. It's not a guarantee, but it's the best shot we have," he explained, handing Patricia a bottle of medicine along with detailed instructions and precautions.Patricia nodded, taking the medicine and agreeing to return in a week for a follow-up. She thanked Martin, who assured her that both he and Nicole were committed to helping her.As they wrapped up, Cindy suggested they all have dinner together. Nicole agreed, offering to treat everyone as a thank you for their support. Cindy playf
Ellar realized, 'That explains it. Since the hospital incident, she's been out of sight. She's been hiding because of her injury.'Patricia stayed silent, deliberately avoiding Ellar's eyes. Her only wish was to vanish from there.Lulu, slightly taken aback, questioned, "How did you find us, Ellar? Were you following us?"It seemed impossible for Ellar to know they were meeting Martin or about Patricia's injury unless he had followed them. Lulu understood how Patricia must be feeling – no matter how bravely she faced her scars, she wouldn't want Ellar to see them.Ellar, caught off guard, admitted, "I had a feeling you were hiding something from me. I just needed to know what it was."He had overheard Nicole mentioning a visit to Martin, a renowned medical professor. Desperate and worried, he followed, only to discover Patricia's injury – the kind any girl would struggle to accept.Nicole, seeing Ellar's distress, didn't reprimand him. "Well, now you know," she said, acknowledgin
After getting into the car, Patricia leaned back in her seat and stared out the window, her expression lonely and lost in thought.Lulu nudged Nicole and nodded toward Patricia, asking softly, "Is she okay?""She'll sort herself out," Nicole replied. Whether something was wrong or not wasn't always obvious, but ultimately, it was up to Patricia to confront it.As the cars started and headed toward the restaurant, Nicole frowned and glanced in the rearview mirror, noticing Ellar's car following them. 'He's really devoted,' she thought, a bit of resignation in her tone.At the restaurant, the group entered to have dinner. Ellar, showing some restraint, didn't make an appearance.Waiting outside the restaurant, Ellar looked in, his heart aching for Patricia. Although she didn't deliberately hide her injury, the conspicuous bandage on her face drew sympathetic glances from others.Patricia remained composed, but Ellar could still tell she was deliberately keeping her head down, likel
Patricia let out a sigh, her thoughts drifting back to Ellar's intense gaze. It was so powerful that it left her speechless, her mind a blank canvas. Ellar's eyes showed only concern and empathy, no hint of disgust or dislike.Meanwhile, Nicole had just returned to the Riddle residence after dropping off Lulu. She was greeted in the living room by her daughter Lana, who was watching TV. "Mommy," Lana called out excitedly and ran over to her.Nicole playfully messed up Lana's hair and asked, "Where's Daddy and Nolan?""In their room," answered Lana.Gloria, sitting nearby, smiled and added softly, "Lana wanted to wait up for you, so we watched some TV together."Nicole, hugging Lana, suggested, "It's late, sweetie. Time for bed." She then helped Gloria to her feet, who agreed, "Let's go."Upstairs, Gloria headed to her own room while Nicole carried Lana to Nolan's room. Inside, they found Jared and Nolan deeply focused on the computer. "Mommy," Nolan looked up as Nicole walked in.
Lawrence was leisurely sipping his coffee, his attention occasionally drifting back to the computer screen. The room echoed with the rhythmic tapping of keyboards as the hackers intensely focused on their task.Ian, with a hint of anxiety in his voice, broke the silence. "Mr. Royce, why is this taking so long?" He couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this another dead end? Why does it feel like we're moving at a snail's pace?'"Just hang in there a bit longer," Lawrence replied, a trace of impatience creeping into his tone.Internally, Lawrence was growing anxious too. 'Why no progress yet? We've got everything we need,' he thought, puzzled.Suddenly, a hacker let out a confused grunt."What's the issue?" Lawrence asked sharply, his gaze sweeping across the room.One hacker, looking totally bewildered, said, "It's like the program has been hacked, yet it hasn't. I've never seen anything like this."Ian, perplexed, asked, "What does that even mean? It's either hacked or it's not. What's