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
As Everett made his exit from Lawrence's office, Ian stepped in, his curiosity piqued."Mr. Royce, what's going on?" Ian asked, his eyes following Everett's retreating figure.Lawrence, displaying a flicker of irritation, explained, "It appears I've thrown a wrench in his schemes, much to his displeasure."Ian, taken aback, questioned, "So, he's operating on his own agenda?"Lawrence snorted derisively, "Did you ever think he's straightforward? A man who doesn't hesitate to plot against his own kin is anything but simple."Frowning slightly, Lawrence added, "Check what he's been up to."He had a feeling that Everett's visit was more about showing off than anything else."I'll get on it right away," Ian responded, quickly setting off to investigate.After a while, Ian returned and briefed Lawrence on the situation at Riddle Corporation."Keep an eye on him," Lawrence ordered, his expression growing darker. Everett's return was not going to be low-key, and Lawrence wasn't certai
Nicole couldn't help but give Steve a playful eye roll. "What kind of brothers are you two?"Steve laughed heartily. "Well, it's not like you're an ordinary little sister.""Alright, we're off to a meeting," Sean said, his mood lightened a bit.After Sean and Steve left, Nicole took a deep breath and a warm smile on her lips. She wasn't going to be affected by the current situation, especially with her family's unwavering support.Returning to her desk, Nicole picked up some documents and got busy until it was time to leave."Nicole, let's go," Lulu called her."Okay," Nicole agreed, standing up from her desk.Together, they headed downstairs and out of the company, where the driver had already brought the car around.Once inside the car, Lulu asked, "I wonder how Patricia is doing?"They hadn't seen her in a few days and hoped for some improvement."Martin thinks there's been some improvement, so he asked me to come over and see if the medication needs adjusting," Nicole rep