"Nicole, Lulu, this is Doretta, a distant relative of mine," Emma introduced to Nicole and Lulu."This is Nicole, Ellar's fraternal cousin, and that's Lulu, Nicole's brother's wife," Emma continued with the introductions.After the greetings, Dexter encouraged everyone, saying, "Alright, we're all family here, no need to be formal. Let's eat.""Okay," everyone agreed, picking up their utensils."Patricia, try this," Ellar immediately served Patricia her favorite dish.Lulu saw this and gave Nicole an ambiguous smile, raising her eyebrows.Nicole chuckled softly, then turned to Dexter and Emma. "Uncle Dexter, Emma, you both look great recently, seems like you're enjoying yourselves.""Of course, we're thrilled," Emma replied, looking at Patricia with a satisfied smile.Patricia felt embarrassed, her face turning red.She glanced at Ellar, aware that their relationship was fake. But now, the situation seemed out of her control, and she realized she hadn't planned carefully. She
"Let's catch up another day," Emma said, although she felt reluctant to part ways, she knew she couldn't keep Patricia from her commitments."I'll walk you out," Ellar offered, standing up.Patricia nodded in acknowledgment and then followed Ellar out."Nicole, your assistant Patricia is both beautiful and capable. That's a real stroke of luck for Ellar," Emma couldn't stop praising Patricia."Emma, Patricia is great, but..." Nicole tried to caution Emma not to get too carried away, but found herself at a loss for words."But what?" Emma asked, puzzled."Oh, it's just that Patricia might not be planning to get married anytime soon, so her relationship with Ellar could still face some uncertainties," Lulu chimed in, understanding Nicole's hesitation and making an excuse for Patricia.Hearing this, Emma laughed and said, "That's alright. They're both young. Waiting a couple of years is fine, as long as they love each other."Her concern for Ellar's marital prospects was eased by
Charlie's expression stiffened momentarily but soon returned to normal. Both understood each other's thoughts and thus didn't delve further into conversation."How have things been on your end lately?" Charlie asked Patricia."Pretty smooth, overall," Patricia responded. "Did you call me over tonight because you found something?""Yes," Charlie said, pointing toward a restaurant not far ahead. "Our person is in there."Patricia frowned slightly, "Are you sure he arranged to meet Doretta?""Yes, Doretta is definitely showing up tonight," Charlie said, his gaze fixed on the restaurant.After a short wait, Doretta finally appeared."She actually showed up," Patricia remarked, her tone slightly icy."Doretta is starting at BayCorp tomorrow. Everett must have assigned her a task, probably related to the company's project. Are you guys prepared to counter it?" Charlie asked."Yes," Patricia replied, a faint smile playing on her lips as she thought about Ellar's plan.Seeing Patrici
Unfortunately for Doretta, Patricia had no intention of allowing her the chance to fulfill her ambitions. After concluding there was no new information to be gathered, Patricia stood up and left the restaurant.Unnoticed by Patricia, Doretta also stood up, her eyes darkening as she watched the departing figure vanish through the door.Once outside, Patricia gestured for a taxi and left. Charlie quickly followed, catching up to Patricia.Arriving back at the apartment building, they went up to Charlie's apartment."How did it go?" Charlie inquired.Handing over the recording pen to Charlie, Patricia replied, "Everything's in here.""Good," Charlie said, satisfied. "These will serve as evidence.""It aligns with the information we had before. We can proceed with the plan as intended." It seemed Doretta would likely make her move soon.After sitting down, Charlie poured a glass of water for Patricia, urging, "Drink some water.""Charlie, once this is over, you should also resign,
Standing up with a smile, Nicole said, "Mom, we should be going now.""Oh, alright, be careful on the road," Gloria cautioned Jared and Nicole."Don't worry," they assured, leaving together.The house quieted down again. Gloria turned to Daniel. "Why aren't you leaving today?""Dad's been alright these past few days, so I'm not going anywhere," Daniel replied."I see," Gloria shrugged and stood up."Where are you going?" Daniel asked, holding her back."Back to my room," she said, planning to return to her room to read since there wasn't much else to do.Daniel also stood up, taking Gloria's hand. "Why not join me for a bit outside?""Where to?" Gloria asked, intrigued. 'If he's not going back to Benjamin's place, does he have someone else he needs me to go with him to meet?'"I've reserved that limited edition necklace you liked but couldn't get last time. They said it would arrive today; let's go check it out," Daniel said softly, surprising Gloria."I just made a passing
"You're right," Ellar said, shaking his head. He felt his heart grow cold as he thought about Doretta's actions.Emma had trusted Doretta so much and had treated her so kindly, only for Doretta to betray them like this.Ellar might not be too upset, but Emma would surely be heartbroken when everything became known."Hey," Patricia said, noticing Ellar staring off into space, fixated on Doretta. She gently nudged him, frowning."Remember, create more opportunities for her to act," Patricia suggested, implying that he shouldn't guard the office too closely and arouse Doretta's suspicions."Got it. I've planned to give her a chance at lunch," Ellar replied with a smile."Lunch?" Patricia frowned, concerned that it might be too soon since Doretta had just arrived.Ellar purposely raised his voice when he said, "I've made a reservation for lunch. I'll come find you when it's break time."Patricia rolled her eyes at Ellar, frustrated but unable to show it, and silently left with her
"What did you say? I didn't catch that." Doretta noticed Ellar's clear displeasure, her own face losing some color at his reaction.Before things could escalate, Patricia stepped in, "Jumping to talk of marriage is jumping the gun, don't you think?""But Aunt Emma adores you. She's quite keen on the idea of you joining the family," Doretta couldn't help but smile again, trying to lighten the mood.Noticing Ellar's continued annoyance, Patricia subtly pinched him as a cue to ease up."Ouch!" The pinch caught Ellar off guard, making him grunt involuntarily."Ellar?" Doretta's confusion grew, looking between them for an explanation.Catching Patricia's subtle cue, Ellar took a deep breath, attempting to soften his stance. "Like we've mentioned earlier, marriage isn't on our agenda for the next few years. Mom's on board with that decision, so it's not something we're rushing into.""Oh, I understand," Doretta replied, her smile returning. "Well, in that case, Ellar, you'll have to r
Watching Doretta's departing figure, the man's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was pondering something. It wasn't until Doretta had walked away that he started the car and drove off.At Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu, having just finished their lunch and taking a break, were surprised to see Patricia walk in. "Patricia, what brings you here?""Ms. Riddle..." Patricia approached the couch, her tone slightly grave as she said, "Today, Ellar and I deliberately gave Doretta an opportunity, but her reaction was quite abnormal."After explaining the events of the lunch to Nicole, Patricia frowned. "Did she sense something, or is she trying to deceive us?""It's unlikely she's noticed anything," Nicole pondered for a moment before responding."Then what's going on?" Lulu asked, puzzled about how such a perfect opportunity could be missed.Patricia hesitated before adding, "After Ellar and I left, Doretta met with that man again."She had arranged for someone to keep an eye on Dor