Nicole returned to her room after a lively dinner. Samuel’s enthusiasm was overwhelming for her. Fortunately, the few of them rarely came home. Gloria wanted to know how they were doing these days, as she was preparing what they would need to take to school later. After taking a shower, Nicole locked the door and turned on her notebook to check the job's progress. The monitoring code was working properly. Just as she was about to close the notebook lid, she suddenly noticed a program, which she did not code, running in the lower-left corner of the screen. The little program was emitting a faint glow. Nicole’s keen eye immediately recognized what it was: a location-tracking malware. “Trying to track me down? Not so easy!” Nicole scoffed, her fingers flying over the keyboard, quickly closing all channels, and shutting down this specially built notebook computer. She had many enemies. It would be too dangerous if her location was exposed. But what she did not know was that as qu
Samuel was stunned. "Isn’t our home cozy? I would’ve gone home if it hadn't been because we stayed up too late revising.""Exactly. There is no way our dorm is better than our home." Spencer objected right away."But my exam is just around the corner. If I stay there, I can concentrate on my studies like Stanley." Nicole used her exam as an excuse just to stay on campus.Upon hearing Nicole's words, Norah scoffed in her mind. 'No wonder this country bumpkin wants to stay on campus; she’s worried about her academic performance.'Gloria knew that Nicole was ambitious and hardworking, but she was reluctant to let Nicole go. "Nicole, you're only in your junior year. You can stay on campus when you are in your senior year. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”Nicole had to give Gloria a reassuring smile when she noticed Gloria’s worried expression. "I know, Mom. But my teacher attaches great importance to this exam. I'm afraid that my results will be subpar, so I plan to stay there to revis
After he was done speaking, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not bother about Norah anymore and left with Nicole instantly.When Nicole turned around, she swept her cold gaze across Norah, mocking her for not knowing her place.Norah was so angry that her eyes turned red that even Samuel thought she was going to cry with disappointment."Norah... We will leave with you in a while. Don't cry..." Samuel tried to console her as he sensed that she was upset.Norah immediately bawled in response, "It's okay... You already have Nicole. Everyone can just pay attention to her. I'll be fine; I can go to school by myself."She then took her bag and left with tears of disappointment in her eyes."Norah..." Gloria saw that Norah had not even taken her breakfast, so she wanted to run after Norah.But Daniel pulled her back. "Just let her be. She has to accept reality sooner or later."Though Daniel, too, could not bear to do so, it was only a matter of time. Norah would not feel as bad if she acknowledge
Nicole watched as Mr. Kennedy shrieked like a butchered animal and said coldly, "Sorry, I didn't see you walking here.""You didn't see me? Where are your eyes?" Mr. Kennedy yelled out of embarrassment, looking like he wanted to eat her alive.Nicole smiled instantly. Though it was just a faint smile, it was radiant. "What else could it be? Do I have to give you presents, Mr. Kennedy?""What?" Mr. Kennedy was stunned as he had no idea what Nicole was talking about."Mr. Kennedy, you were so angry just now. Shouldn't I give you presents as a token of apology?" Nicole's words made the people around them think of Ms. Emerson, whom Mr. Kennedy had just scolded.Everyone knew how the Director of the Department always had Ms. Emerson's back against the wall, so she probably had no choice but to give the director presents.Then, all of them started to look at Ms. Emerson with sympathy.Mr. Kennedy sensed what Nicole had implied and got livid. But he could not do anything to Nicole, so
Celia was also stunned as she looked at Norah, dumbfounded. "Hey, what's going on here? Why did Austin address that country bumpkin as his boss?""I-I have no idea too." Nicole thought, 'Nicole was telling the truth! Everything she said was real?!'The Woods family was a powerful and rich family in Northon, so Austin had been at the top of the pyramid in school for the past few years. He did not even back down when fighting the Finley brothers. But now he bowed to a country bumpkin?!Norah could not help to be suspicious of Nicole's real identity.Everyone was in shock as well, but Nicole remained expressionless. She casually glanced at Austin and returned her gaze to the long queue at the window.Austin beamed the moment he saw her looking at him. "You must be hungry, Boss! I'll get someone to bring you food!" Austin volunteered himself.That was when Nicole finally looked at him directly. "It's okay." She sounded indifferent.But Austin was already calling over his subordinate
Nicole had already seen through Celia's evil schemes, so she was looking at Celia's embarrassing state coldly from the side.Celia had fallen hard. She was struggling on the floor for a while before somebody helped her up.However, she glared at Nicole as soon as she got up. "How could you be so cruel?! You actually tripped me!"When the people who did not catch what really happened heard what Celia said, they looked at Nicole with disdain as they condemned her in their hearts.'She sure is acting differently now that she has Austin at her back. It did not take long for her to bully people, huh?'Nicole was not bothered by their gaze and scoffed, "You don't have to point fingers at me here. There's a surveillance camera right in front of us. We'll know what exactly happened when we watch the footage later."Celia was brainless for trying to set Nicole up when there was a surveillance camera in front of them. She had even tried to twist the story because her plan failed. Nicole st
The crowd watched their reactions, so how could they not know what was happening? The tables have turned, and everyone found Celia, who went for wool and came home shorn, utterly shameless.Celia saw them looking at her with their mocking eyes and wanted to say something. But she was really scared of Nicole's gaze, so she could only leave dispiritedly.Nicole only stopped looking when the both of them left solemnly.She would have slapped Celia in the face if it weren't for her principle of not hitting women.However, Nicole still had a long way to go. So she might get her back for this in the future!At that moment, Lulu and Bradley appeared out of nowhere and spoke to Nicole, "Nicole, you're so cool!"Celia was the most overbearing girl in Class A, and Nicole had actually shaken her just by looking at her."Though you're cool, Celia is a very vindictive person." Lulu looked at Nicole worriedly.Even though the Rowe family was not on the same level as the Riddle family or the
Seeing that Nicole was in danger, Bradley pushed her subconsciously, “Run!”Then, he gritted his teeth and rushed forward to defend Nicole. He had the urge to snatch away that man’s wooden stick.However, his thin and small body did not help at all. Instead, he was sent flying with just one kick from the other party.“Where did this nerd come from? Get out! Don’t get in the way of my business!”Jack, Wayne, and Gary happened to witness everything from afar. Jack exclaimed, “Isn’t that Cain Fletcher from Northon Institute next door? Didn’t he get a beating from Gary and beg for mercy? How dare he appear at our school?”“Gary, look! The person surrounded by Cain’s men, isn’t that Nicole?”Gary saw it too. He looked at Cain with eyes full of annoyance.The Royal Creek Institute’s high school department was Gary’s territory. It was as if Cain did not receive enough beating previously that he dared to mess with Gary’s territory.Wayne, on the other hand, although he never liked Nico
"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