Ellar's tired and downcast appearance immediately caught Dexter and Emma's attention, deepening their concern."Mom, Dad, why are you just getting back?" Ellar asked with a hint of confusion."We were visiting your Uncle Daniel," Dexter responded. He then turned the conversation towards Ellar's late arrival, "Why are you out so late again? What's keeping you?"Ellar gave a half-hearted response, "Just had to work some overtime."Dexter frowned, not convinced. "That's not true. You weren't at the office when it closed, and there wasn't any overtime scheduled."Ellar looked taken aback. "How did you know?" He had left the office early, using overtime as an excuse to avoid questions from his parents, not knowing how else to explain his actions.Emma gently explained their concern to Ellar, "We've noticed you're not yourself these days, and it's worrying us. That's why your dad went to check at your office. We just want to know if everything's alright."Ellar scrambled for an excuse
"I just wanted to check on Nicole," Ellar explained, trying to appear composed.Internally, his world wasn't calm at all. Observing Patricia from a distance in the past few days brought him comfort, and seeing her well added to that. Now, being so close and talking to her, he couldn't contain his emotions."Ms. Riddle should be here soon," Patricia said, quickly regaining her composure.After putting the papers on the desk, she turned and walked away. Ellar's sudden appearance had surprised her, stirring up different feelings. Right now, all she wanted was to get away.Coincidentally, Nicole arrived and encountered Patricia at the door."The documents are on the desk, Ms. Riddle. I'll handle other matters," Patricia reported."Sure." Nicole noticed Patricia leaving in a bit of a hurry but didn't pay it much mind and walked into the room.As soon as Nicole saw Ellar, a realization struck her. 'Oh, it's because he's here.'"What brings you here?" Nicole asked Ellar."Good mornin
"Leave it," Nicole told the secretary, her eyes fixed on the door. 'Wasn't that Patricia just now? So she must have heard what Ellar said.'Once the secretary left, Nicole turned to Ellar and asked, "Are you really giving up? Don't you want to give it another shot?"Ellar shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to fight, but I can't. If this is Patricia's decision, I don't want to complicate things for her. I just want her to be happy."Nicole sighed, saying, "Forget it. Sort it out yourself." She figured if Patricia didn't explain, there wasn't much to say. She'd let Ellar figure things out on his own."What do you mean?" Ellar asked, a bit puzzled.Nicole didn't elaborate. She simply looked at Ellar and said, "You should go back to BayCorp.""Okay." Ellar checked the time and agreed, "Sure, I won't keep you from your work.""If you're really set on this decision, change your current life. If you're unsure, then figure it out yourself," Nicole advised before letting him go.
Having ordered, Lulu and Nicole settled at their table, anticipating their meals."Is Ellar okay now?" Lulu asked, finally getting the chance to check in after a busy morning."He should be fine," Nicole assured.Lulu looked a bit surprised. "Should be?"Nicole shrugged. "Well, whether there's an issue or not, it's up to him.""So it's not sorted out yet," Lulu sighed, understanding the situation.Nicole smiled, reassuring Lulu, "Don't worry. When the time comes, things will fall into place.""Okay," Lulu nodded, acknowledging there wasn't much else they could do. She sensed that Ellar and Patricia had been through a lot, yet she wondered when they would fully embrace each other's feelings.Changing the subject, Lulu added, "Oh, by the way, Patricia mentioned this morning that the shipment has been sent out. It should arrive in a few days.""Yeah, that's probably why she left the office," Nicole nodded."Oh, got it," Lulu said, understanding. Patricia seemed pretty focused wh
"Ms. Riddle, you should head back. I'll handle this," Patricia whispered."Be careful," Nicole cautioned, then entered Riddle Corporation building with Lulu.Patricia went to the lobby but avoided heading upstairs like Nicole and Lulu. Instead, she strolled toward the emergency exit and left through the side door, circling around to approach the main gate.Now, Patricia had a clear view; indeed, someone had been following them, or more precisely, monitoring Nicole. Patricia's eyes narrowed slightly as she discreetly concealed herself, waiting for these two individuals to leave before following suit.When Patricia returned, it was close to the end of the workday."How was it?" Nicole asked Patricia."They're Everett's men. They probably haven't found out our actions, so they sent someone to keep tabs on us," Patricia said with a cold expression."So, does that mean our raw materials can arrive smoothly?" Lulu speculated, thinking that if Everett hadn't discovered their movements
"Stanley took them to the backyard," Gloria chuckled. "Said they wanted to check on Mrs. Wallace Sr. and Tia.""But Tia just brought them back from school, didn't she?" Nicole found it amusing."That's right. Tia brought them back, but they seem eager to play in the backyard," Gloria explained with a laugh."Let them be then," Nicole thought they could play for a while before returning."It's just us for dinner today. Let's not wait any longer; let's start," Daniel suggested.The group gathered in the dining room."Nicole, did Ellar come to see you?" Gloria inquired."He did. Please assure Emma that Ellar is fine," Nicole responded.After a moment of hesitation, Gloria gently asked, "Is there something difficult to talk about regarding Ellar? Why is nobody discussing it now? Does the silence mean it's serious?""Mom, don't worry. He's okay," Nicole reassured Gloria with a smile."Really?" Gloria remained somewhat skeptical.Nicole placed a serving of food in front of Gloria
"Mr. Johnston, there's an update," Max conveyed with a serious tone. "Everett has taken charge of the Eastern Falcon, and some members are now following his lead.""How resourceful," Jared remarked, his tone icy. Everett's sudden return had triggered Jared's suspicions, and Max's investigation confirmed them."It's likely more of his men will come to San Joto soon. Should we prepare?" Max asked.Understanding Max's concern, Jared advised, "Not yet. Let them come first." He believed that intercepting now might only lead to new replacements. Waiting would make it easier to identify the targets."Okay," Max agreed.Jared added, "Get Charlie to have someone shadow Nicole. We can't afford any mistakes on her end."After giving a few more orders, Jared hung up. Turning around, he found Nicole standing behind him. He reached up and smoothed her hair, saying, "You caught all of that.""Yeah, I guess I've underestimated Everett," Nicole admitted, her expression darkening. Everett's capab
A series of knocks echoed as Lulu and Patricia entered. "Nicole, the documents," Lulu said, placing them down."Leave them here," Nicole instructed."Ms. Riddle, was that..." Patricia hesitated.Nicole calmly replied, "Zane. He'll send someone over.""Just for Everett?" Patricia was surprised. She couldn't believe they had to go to such lengths just for Everett."Everett is just the start," Nicole added with a meaningful tone. Or rather, Everett was just a catalyst for a real investigation to address the Eastern Falcon issue once and for all."Just inform me if you need assistance, Ms. Riddle," Patricia said, her tone turning more serious."Don't fret, even if there are missions, they won't assign us anything too critical," Nicole said, lifting her gaze to Patricia with a gentle expression."Yes," Patricia respectfully replied.As Nicole watched Patricia leave, she opened the documents and resumed her work.Two days flew by. The initial batch of raw materials had safely reach