"The issue is, he's not Everett anymore; he goes by Lexter," Lulu emphasized."It doesn't matter what name he's using; the wrongdoing is his," Karen said, her face pale with anger.Dillon attempted to calm Karen, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Let's find out what's really happening."Daniel, recovering from his shock, asked Nicole, "Are you certain about this?""We've confirmed it. There's no mistake, and I've seen him myself." There was no way she could mistake someone she had seen with her own eyes."But—"Daniel had wanted to say something, only to be cut off by Benjamin, "It's about time for dinner, let's eat.""Ah?" Everyone was momentarily stunned, then Dillon invited everyone, "Alright, let's have dinner."The family paused, then, collectively deciding not to dwell on the matter, they stood up and made their way to the dining room."Ah, sorry, we're late," Dexter and Emma apologized as they entered with Ellar. "We waited for Ellar for a bit, then got stuck in traffic."
Benjamin realized Nicole had gathered everyone today because Everett had returned.'These problems don't bother me anymore,' he thought, understanding that everyone needed to own up to their actions."Understood," Nicole replied."You guys can leave. I want some time alone," Benjamin told Nicole and Jared."Grandpa..." Nicole gazed at Benjamin, showing a bit of concern."No worries, go ahead," Benjamin reassured her with a wave of his hand.Nicole hesitated, bit her lip, and then suggested, "I'll ask Alfred to bring up some tea."Feeling uneasy about leaving Benjamin alone, she thought it would be good to have Alfred keep him company.Jared patted Nicole's shoulder, "Come on, let's go."As Nicole exited the study, Jared paused, facing Benjamin. "I'll look out for Nicole. She'll be safe with me."Benjamin nodded approvingly. "Good, I trust you."Jared left the study, his eyes showing determination. He sensed Benjamin was more concerned about Nicole.After leaving the study,
At the Riddle residence, Jared and Nicole put Nolan and Lana to bed before heading to their own room."You must be tired," Jared observed, seeing Nicole's slightly weary expression."It's okay, just a bit sudden," Nicole sighed."Let's rest for now," Jared suggested, softly stroking Nicole's hair.Nicole gave a faint smile, took a bath, and then lay down.Jared gently kissed her forehead, whispering, "Sleep now.""Aren't you sleeping?" Nicole asked, looking puzzled."I still have some work to finish, but I'll join you soon," Jared replied, patting Nicole's shoulder before sitting down at the desk.Nicole looked at Jared, feeling a warm comfort, and closed her eyes to sleep.The following day was sunny.After leaving Nicole at the Riddle Corporation, Jared told Max, "Drive.""Everett's at a hotel. Doesn't seem like he's house hunting," Max informed."Hmm, he won't stick around San Joto for long," said Jared, his expression darkening a bit. He thought to himself, 'Obviously,
Everett knew he had to go back and take what was rightfully his. 'There's no way I will give up!' he thought to himself firmly."Mr. Wright, here are the documents you asked for," his assistant said upon entering, handing over a folder."Thanks," Everett replied, dismissing the assistant with a nod. "You can go now.""Yes, sir," the assistant complied and exited the room.Everett glanced through the papers and smirked coldly. "Impressive."Noticing the Riddle Corporation's growth in his absence, he thought, 'Too bad for Nicole, my comeback is set to stir up some trouble for her smooth ride. And those two Crests, I'll get my hands on them no matter what!'As the day ended and the sun set, Nicole and Lulu left the company.When the car arrived, they hopped in and went to Martin's lab.Lulu asked Nicole, "Martin said there's been progress, but I wonder how far they've got? Do you think they might have succeeded already?""We won't know until we try," Nicole replied, secretly hopi
"Not much different," Patricia replied."Let's give it some more time," Martin suggested carefully.Even though Patricia didn't show any unusual reactions for now, they chose to keep an eye on her a bit longer to be sure."Sure, let's wait a bit," Ellar agreed, understanding that pain was just one part, and the medication's toxicity was even more important.Noticing Patricia seemed okay at the moment, Martin addressed Nicole, "Don't stress too much. We've tweaked the formula based on your suggestions. In theory, everything should be fine.""Yeah, and we've got contingency plans. Patricia will be safe," Cindy assured everyone.Nicole grinned at Cindy. "Thanks. You've been putting in a lot of effort lately." She understood that if Martin was occupied, Cindy wouldn't just sit back and do nothing."It's nothing," Cindy replied with a smile, "It's not hard.""If Patricia ends up okay, how about I take everyone out for dinner?" Lulu suggested, considering everyone's hard work and the
"Don't mention it, it's just a dinner," Ellar said nonchalantly, urging everyone to eat.You could tell Ellar was genuinely excited, and his mood relaxed everyone else at the table."Then let me thank everyone," Patricia said, holding her glass of juice, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked around at the group.The others, also drinking juice instead of alcohol, raised their glasses with a smile, reassuring Patricia, "No need to thank us, just focus on your treatment. We believe you'll get better.""I will," Patricia nodded firmly, determined to cooperate regardless of the outcome.Then she turned to Ellar, her eyes sincere. "I still want to thank you."She knew Ellar had helped her a lot without her knowing. If she hadn't stumbled upon it by chance, she might never have found out.Ellar let out a simple, hearty laugh. "As long as you're happy."That was all that mattered to him.But after Ellar said that, his expression turned a bit sad. He looked away, prompting ever
"What?" Patricia turned back, puzzled by his sudden call."If you feel not okay and hesitant to call me, just ring up Charlie instead," Ellar suggested, then hit the gas and drove away.Patricia stood there for a moment, mulling over his words. Without having promised to contact Ellar, he seemed to assume it could be inconvenient for her and recommended reaching out to Charlie instead.As Ellar's car disappeared into the distance, a hint of sadness flickered in Patricia's eyes. She thought, 'I can imagine how difficult it must have been for him to say that.'"He's gone. Come on, let's head back," Charlie's voice came from behind, making Patricia jump. She turned to him, asking, "When did you come down?""Just now," Charlie sighed, "Maybe you should think about leaving this job.""I don't want to retire," Patricia said, biting her lip.Charlie patted her shoulder, "Mr. Johnston has already agreed; this decision won't change.""But—"Patricia started to argue, only to be interru
As Lulu departed, Nicole's gaze sharpened slightly. She was certain Everett's resurgence was more than just a strike against her. There were deeper layers to unravel.Lost in thought for a brief moment, Nicole then made a call to Preston. "I need a favor," she said succinctly."What's going on?" Preston's voice was edged with gravity."I need someone to shadow Everett. I want a detailed account of his activities," Nicole's tone was tinged with an icy resolve.There was a brief pause on the line before Preston responded, "Understood. I'll handle it.""Good, that's all for now," Nicole was ready to end the call, but then Preston chimed in, "You're holding up okay, right?"Nicole understood that Preston was already clued in about the current predicament. His tardiness in getting back to the Riddle family manor was due to other commitments. "I'm managing," she responded, her voice steady."Good to know," Preston replied, then added a reminder, "Remember, you can reach out to me for