Nicole looked at Lulu with a smile, seemingly reassuring her.With a sigh, Lulu regained her composure. After all, they couldn't just ask Lawrence to leave since he wasn't going anywhere."Everything went smoothly overseas, I hope," Lawrence said, feigning concern."Quite smoothly, and we even had some unexpected gains," Nicole responded, not revealing too much. She believed Lawrence was already aware of the details.Lawrence smiled wryly, "Well, congratulations then."He understood Nicole was being deliberate. She knew he was aware of everything, so there was no need for him to pretend otherwise.Nicole nodded politely, "Thank you."Observing Nicole's seemingly polite but distant demeanor, Lawrence's eyes darkened slightly.Just then, the waiter brought their lunch. After setting it down and wishing them a pleasant meal, he left."Let's eat," Lawrence said with a smile, looking at Nicole."Sure," Nicole replied, showing no sign of discomfort, and started eating and chatting
"Why are you here?" Nicole asked in surprise."I came to see you," Jared replied softly, his gaze gentle as he took a seat beside her on the couch.Nicole joined him, her body leaning against the soft cushions. "I just got back.""I know," Jared said, reaching out to take her hand.Nicole's eyebrows raised slightly. "You knew?"Her mind raced to a conclusion. Jared must have known about her lunch with Lawrence. His arrival here was far from a mere coincidence."Yes," Jared confirmed, "What did he say to you?"Nicole's frown deepened. "What if I told you we just had lunch? Would you believe that?""Just lunch?" Jared's voice carried a hint of disbelief. 'Is that all? What's Lawrence planning?'"Who knows? He's a weird one," Lulu added with a pout, "But for sure, he's up to something fishy."Nicole agreed silently. Although Lawrence appeared calm, she knew he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, not to be trusted.Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes calm yet filled with concern."Don
As the day wound down, Nicole hopped into the car, ready to head home with Jared.Once the engine revved to life, Max chimed in with a serious tone, "Mr. Johnston, just as you suspected, there seems to be a situation with the Eastern Falcon.""Hmm," Jared mused, acknowledging that it was the only plausible explanation for now."I've got folks keeping watch. If anyone shows up in San Joto, we'll catch it right away and launch an investigation," Max shared.Jared instructed, "Contact Zane. Have him send people to assist in the investigation.""Got it," Max acknowledged.Nicole sighed, feeling things getting more complicated, doubting if peace would return to San Joto."How's Charlie doing?" she asked, hoping that with Max handling so much, Charlie's recovery could help ease the situation."He's doing much better. Had a follow-up today. If he keeps improving, he can handle some tasks," Max replied, understanding Nicole's concern."That's good," Nicole nodded, then asked again, "A
Martin and Ellar were startled by Nicole's suddent appearance. Cindy, holding a tray, was so surprised that she dropped it, the noise echoing in the room.Collecting himself, Ellar quickly covered his arm with a sleeve and attempted to sound composed, "Nicole, what's up?"Nicole looked straight at Ellar's arm. "What happened to your arm?" she asked."I got a little hurt. Martin's helping me out," Ellar said, trying to play down the pain, though his teeth were clenched.Nicole raised an eyebrow skeptically, glancing at Ellar. "Why does Martin need to personally handle a minor injury of yours?"Trying to change the subject, Ellar said, "Oh, it's just a small thing... I was also checking on Patricia's condition. Are you here to talk about treatment options with Martin? I won't bother you then; I'll go."Without saying anything, Nicole observed Ellar as he walked away. When Ellar approached, Nicole suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the injury
"How did Nicole find out?" Cindy mused, still rattled by what had just happened.Even though they didn't mean any harm, there was a lingering sense of guilt for keeping it from Nicole.Martin shrugged, uncertain. "I don't know, but even though she's mad, it seems like she's okay with how things are going. Otherwise, she would've told us to quit."Ellar replied, "As long as we can keep going, that's fine."Martin glanced at Ellar. "There's more pain ahead.""It doesn't matter. I'm not afraid." He was ready to face anything for Patricia's sake."Let's take a break and head home. We could all use some rest," Martin suggested, shaking his head as weariness suddenly hit him.Cindy teased Martin while observing him, "I bet it's just guilt from seeing Nicole."Martin stumbled a bit, firing back at Cindy, "And what about you? You even dropped the tray."Cindy struggled to argue, saying, "I... you..." She then got annoyed and added, "I'm going to rest."Ellar, realizing it was time to
Nicole sat at her desk, carefully reviewing the treatment data Martin had provided. She focused on it, determined to understand every detail.At some point, a glass of milk appeared next to her."It's late; you can continue tomorrow," Jared's voice came from nearby.Nicole looked up and smiled. "Alright."After she finished the milk, Nicole quickly cleaned up and prepared to rest.Later, as Jared finished his shower, he noticed Nicole gazing outside, captivated by the night sky."What are you looking at?" Jared asked quietly."Nothing, just daydreaming," Nicole replied, turning toward Jared with a smile.Jared gently ruffled her hair, speaking softly, "Get some rest.""Mhm," she responded, feeling a sense of calm. She pulled the covers over herself to lie down and thought to herself, 'Things need to be done step by step, no rush.'Jared hugged Nicole, giving her a kiss on her forehead, and softly patted her back. "Time to rest."Nicole cozily nestled in Jared's embrace, shut
Nicole knew Martin and Ellar couldn't be the ones who spilled the secret to Patricia."So, it's true," Patricia took a step back, her voice heavy with emotion. She had suspected it but had been reluctant to accept it until now."I only found out last night," Nicole reassured Patricia with a sigh. "Ellar's doing well, and Martin and I are working on a solution that could help you."Perplexed, Lulu looked at them, unable to grasp the conversation. "What happened to Ellar? And why is Martin involved?""What happened to Ellar? And what does it have to do with Martin?" she wondered.Nicole glanced at Lulu and clarified, "Ellar is testing a drug. If it works, it could treat Patricia."Lulu's eyes widened. "So, Ellar is risking himself for Patricia? But if it goes wrong..."Lulu grasped the situation, and her alarm surfaced. "So, Ellar could be poisoned! Just like what happened to Martin. Nicole had to help him detoxify," Lulu said, clearly shocked. "Ellar must care a lot about Patrici
Cindy handed Ellar a cup of tea. "Warm up first," she said."Thanks," Ellar replied, taking a seat on the sofa.Martin emerged from the lab and noticed the group. "I thought you wouldn't come because of the rain," he remarked."How could we not come when it was planned?" Ellar responded as a matter of course.Turning to Nicole, Martin asked, "How are things on your end?"Nicole handed Martin the revised data she had worked on. "Take a look at this," she suggested."Okay," Martin agreed, sitting down to review it.Nicole waited, then turned to Ellar. "How do you feel now?"Ellar rolled up his sleeve, revealing his scar to Nicole. "I feel it's effective; we can continue," he said.He thought they needed to hurry; his wound was healing, and he wondered how that might help with Patricia's treatment."Let's wait and see," Nicole said, turning her gaze away.Ellar's wound was healing slowly, probably due to recent medication and the influence of the toxin.Nicole had changed the