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
Ian was deep in thought. 'We used Nicole's trick, but she won't figure that out, will she?' he wondered.Suddenly, one of the hackers blurted out, "We've been duped." His fingers flew across the keyboard, searching for clues."Duped?" Ian was still piecing things together, his eyes darting to Lawrence's computer screen.It slowly started to click for him. Although he didn't get all the details, he realized they had fallen into Nicole's trap after connecting Lawrence's mention of Nicole and the hacker's comment.Ian's heart skipped a beat. 'So, we thought we were using Nolan to outsmart Nicole and unlock the Water Crest, but she was one step ahead the whole time.'Ian's voice came out rough, "Then the Water Crest..."Is it gone?" he asked out loud."Everyone, leave now," Lawrence ordered, his voice icy."Yes, sir," the hackers responded, quickly packing their laptops and exiting the room.Ian lingered, unsure. He knew staying wouldn't help, and he didn't dare face Lawrence yet.
"Go ahead and open it," Jared encouraged gently.Nicole bit her lip slightly. "Maybe you should handle this one."She already had the Fire Crest, and while another wouldn't be too much, she somehow felt the Water Crest might be safer with Jared.Jared looked at her tenderly. "It doesn't really matter who does it," he reassured her.Then, with a click on the 'enter' key and a pat on Nicole's shoulder, he said, "After all, I'm all yours.""Hey..." Nicole watched him walk away, a mix of humor and slight annoyance in her heart. 'He always leaves just like that,' she mused."I'm off to shower," Jared shouted over his shoulder, disappearing into the bathroom.Nicole let out a small sigh, her face growing serious as she focused on the task in front of her.By the time Jared was done showering, she had managed to get it done."It's open," she informed him as he walked back into the room.Jared, with a gentle smile, asked softly, "Did you claim it yet?""Not yet," Nicole admitted, un
Nicole quietly shook her head, impressed by Benjamin's speed in catching up with the latest news."I'll handle this," she said, getting up to grab the phone. "Yes, Grandpa, it's really happening."Benjamin, obviously taken aback, asked, "How did you pull that off?"He had been quite surprised when he first heard about it. 'How on earth did she also get her hands on the Water Crest?' he thought. 'Was there any buzz about the Water Crest showing up?'"It was pure luck," Nicole replied, keeping it vague. Initially, it was all an accident. But now, with it in her grasp, there was no going back."You've got to be more cautious now," Benjamin warned."I get it, Grandpa," Nicole assured him, understanding his concern. She was well aware that the Water Crest was a coveted item and now that it was hers, she had to think about the fallout.After ending the call, Nicole turned to her father, Daniel, who looked bewildered. "Dad, let's have our breakfast," she suggested."Okay," Daniel agre
The Riddles were far from an average family. Their life was anything but simple, with a family business and the Riddle Corporation to oversee, among countless other responsibilities.Gloria let out a sigh. "I believe they can handle it."Despite her confidence in her children, Gloria, like any parent, couldn't help but worry a bit more than necessary.On their way to the Riddle Corporation, Nicole glanced at Jared. "Do you think your grandpa knows what's going on? Should we go back and tell him?"Jared shook his head. "No need. Grandpa already called.""Oh." Nicole was taken aback by Maximillian's swift reaction.Jared's face clouded over. 'Grandpa's call wasn't just about the Water Crest. He also reminded me to keep Nicole safe. Now that she's even more in the spotlight, I can't let her be in any danger.'As they reached the Riddle Corporation, Nicole caught sight of Lawrence. Her eyes narrowed slightly. 'He's here.'As she started to get out of the car, she noticed Jared doin
Lawrence's eyes held a touch of genuine sorrow as he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I had things I needed to do."Nicole's response was steady and calm, "It's okay, that's all behind us now."Their relationship had changed; it couldn't return to what it used to be.Shifting the topic, Lawrence asked, "Can I go see Nolan and Lana?" He didn't want to dwell on the past anymore.He knew what Nicole's words implied - their friendship was over. He might not have another chance to see Nolan and Lana, so he hoped to see them one last time.Nicole considered this for a moment before answering, "You can see them at their school gate after school. But don't bother them. And remember, this is the last time."Lawrence felt a wave of sadness, realizing Nicole was setting a final boundary.After a brief pause, he accepted, "Okay."Knowing there was nothing more to discuss, Lawrence stood up, "I guess I should get going.""Alright," Nicole gave a light nod.As Lawrence near