[Alright then. Get some rest.][Goodbye.]After signing off, Nolan stepped away from the computer desk. Catching Nicole's gaze, he said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm going to take a shower.""Sure thing," Nicole replied with a smile, finding her son's sudden bashfulness endearing.Once Nolan had finished his shower and climbed into bed, Nicole made sure he was tucked in before switching off the light and leaving the room.Lying in bed, Nolan gazed into the darkness of his room. His eyes, glimmering faintly in the dimness, held a whirlwind of emotions that gradually settled into peace. There were many things he didn't fully understand yet, but he found solace in knowing that his mother was always there for him, and in that, her decisions were his as well.****Meanwhile, Lawrence sat staring blankly at his computer screen."Sir, Nolan has logged off," Ian murmured softly, breaking the silence that had enveloped Lawrence.Snapped back to reality, Lawrence glanced at Ian. "You can go
Glancing at Nicole, Jared awkwardly excused himself. "I'm going to take a shower, " he said.Nicole chuckled softly, amused by his clear devotion as a doting father. She could only imagine the long road ahead for any boy who fancied Lana, wondering just how exceptional they would have to be to earn Jared's approval.The next day dawned bright and sunny.Nicole arrived at the office as usual. Despite a day's worth of work pressing down, thanks to Nicole and Lulu's efforts, the workload left for Nicole wasn't overwhelming."Ms. Riddle, it's unusually quiet on Everett's end. Could there be something amiss?" Patricia whispered cautiously.Nicole's eyes narrowed slightly. Her voice turned cold as she said, "Keep an eye on him."It seemed out of character for Everett to stay quiet; Nicole felt there had to be something brewing. After the recent events, Everett would likely be more cautious, making him harder to deal with."Got it," Patricia replied."Nicole, do you think Everett will
Biting her lip, Patricia left with a slightly awkward demeanor, muttering, "I'm off to work."Watching Patricia's hurried departure, Lulu couldn't help but laugh. She could see that Patricia clearly cared a lot, yet Patricia pretended to be indifferent.Back in her office, Patricia leaned against the door, biting her lip in embarrassment. It seemed her feelings had been inadvertently revealed; she did care about Ellar and wanted to know about him, concerned for his well-being.****Meanwhile, at BayCorp, "Achoo!" Ellar sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose. "Did I catch a cold?"He glanced at the air conditioning; the temperature was fine.Knock, knock, knock.Someone knocked on the door, and Ellar responded, "Come in."His assistant entered with a serious expression. "Mr. Riddle, that car is back at the front of our office building again.""Again?!" Ellar clenched his teeth, his expression darkening.The car had been showing up for three days straight now. There was always some
When Ellar realized Doretta was crashing his home to get settled in San Joto, he thought, 'Having an extra person hanging around is gonna be a bit of a hassle. Finding her a job might help her move out sooner.'"Got any job preferences? I could lend a hand with the search," Ellar offered, his brow furrowing."Thanks. I've got a master's in management. Gonna scope out what the local job scene's after," Doretta replied, indicating she wanted to suss out the job market first.Doretta noticed Ellar's expression and laughed. "You didn't think I was looking for a job in housekeeping or caregiving, did you?"From Ellar's reaction, she had guessed his initial assumption. She understood that Ellar probably thought of her as just someone from rural areas. But if she had no skills or qualifications, she wouldn't have bothered coming all the way to San Joto; she could have easily found a job back home.Ellar felt a bit embarrassed; he had indeed thought so initially, but Doretta's education a
"Treat this place like your own home, and don't hesitate to make yourself comfortable," Emma comforted Doretta."Got it. Thank you, Aunt Emma," Doretta responded with a smile."If you're feeling tired after your journey, feel free to rest," Emma said, her concern evident."In that case, I'll leave you guys to enjoy your meal. I'll head back to my room," Doretta said as she stood up."Of course, take your time," Emma said, her satisfaction with Doretta evident as her smile widened.After Doretta left, Dexter quietly cautioned Emma, "Don't set your expectations too high." His advice was meant to temper any potential disappointment."You're not exactly helping by being so pessimistic," Emma replied, clearly unhappy with Dexter's comment."I'm just reminding you, some things can't be forced. You don't want it to backfire," Dexter explained.Emma rolled her eyes at Dexter. "I know. Even if I think Doretta is a good match, we still have to respect what Ellar wants."Dexter felt some
Nicole thought, 'Everett is utterly despicable. Even if he wants to target a building, there are so many people inside!'Her expression was grave as she said, "They placed it in your company?"Ellar replied, "Yes, I've felt something off these past few days. There's always been a strange car parked at the entrance of the company."So, I had my assistant arrange for someone to keep an eye on them."We even intentionally let the security guards lower their vigilance, and sure enough, they acted." His expression darkened with seriousness.He believed that Everett was planning a devastating blow to BayCorp when nobody expected it. If something happened to BayCorp now, all their previous work would be in jeopardy, causing unimaginable problems."How much did you discover?" Nicole inquired, her brow furrowed."We found it in several key departments of the company and near some warehouses storing flammable items," Ellar replied, clearly irritated. The preparations were so thorough that
Moreover, now that Ellar was aware of the need for caution and had taken precautions, Everett wouldn't find it so easy to target BayCorp.Nicole nodded. "You're right. But we still need to get everything ready ahead of time.""Absolutely," Lulu agreed. Her tone turned serious. "We can't let Everett win."Their discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door. Patricia announced, "[Ms. Riddle], it's me.""Come in," Nicole directed.Patricia entered and approached Nicole's desk."How's the investigation on Everett going that you were tasked with?" Nicole inquired."That's actually why I'm here," Patricia replied. "Everett hasn't even been to his company these past few days, but his assistant has been going out frequently.""The guy named Jerry?" Nicole murmured, recalling the name Preston had mentioned."Yes, that's the guy. And it seems he's been in contact with several individuals. I've got people looking into those individuals, but we haven't got any results on their identit
"Sure thing," Charlie replied respectfully."Patricia's gonna keep an eye on Everett. Need someone to watch Lawrence too," Nicole said, her tone serious."Don't worry, I'll get someone to keep tabs on him," Charlie promised."Be really careful. I think if Lawrence does anything, it won't be obvious. He'll probably help Everett quietly," Nicole cautioned."Yeah, I get it. I won't let him get away with it," Charlie replied firmly."Good," Nicole said, then hung up.After she put her phone away, Nicole looked thoughtful, as if thinking about something.Meanwhile, Patricia had arrived at BayCorp."Why are you here?" Ellar asked, surprised to see her."Ms. Riddle asked me to look into something. I need the surveillance footage from the past few days," Patricia explained briefly, not elaborating with Ellar."Oh, sure," Ellar said, pressing the intercom button. "Can you have the head of security send over the surveillance footage from the past few days?""Of course," his secretary