'What nonsense is that?!'Nicole turned to Jared with an impassive face. "No such thing. Don't listen to him."Jared slightly raised his eyebrows at her beautiful face. "I'd come even if he hadn't told me that. What brings you here at this hour?"Still, Jared wanted her to tell him what had happened.Nicole's expression softened gradually, an icy glint fading from her eyes. Apparently, she knew Jared was worried about her."Nothing major."Although that was what Nicole had said, Jared was not as gullible as Claus. He squinted his glacier eyes and exuded a dangerous vibe."Let me know, or I'll go meet your brothers at your home and have them ask you instead."Nicole locked her gaze on his unearthly handsome face. She could not help but chuckle at how he said it because he made it sound like a threat.'He's acting like a kiddo who wants to complain to my family about this. Do I look like a kid?'Nicole's eyes got even softer. "Really, there's nothing major. I got annoyed when t
The Rogers residence--It was a sunny day. Lyana was in her bedroom staring at the messages she had sent to Jared. Apparently, there was no reply. She got up angrily, wanting to scream to vent her frustration. But before she did that, her phone screen suddenly lit up.Lyana was surprised. She took her phone. But when she read the message, her face gradually turned grave with vague light in her eyes.She got up and left her room. On her way out, her servant approached her in a servile manner, wanting to say something to her. But Lyana did not spare the servant a glance and left the mansion building.The Rogers family's driver waiting on the car porch was surprised to see Lyana. But it did not take him long to recover to his senses and open the car door for her.Lyana was in a hurry that she did not even bring along the bodyguards who used to follow her everywhere she went. She got in the car and instructed the driver, "Take me to the Riddle residence!"The driver was surprised aga
"Call the head of your family over. I want to talk to him about Nicole!"To Lyana, the Riddle family was nothing compared to her family. Her family could crush them like a bug. She thought so highly about herself that she felt she deserved to be treated with the utmost respect.The Riddles were startled for a second. They were puzzled about her intention to meet Mr. Riddle Sr. However, Dillon reacted immediately. He gave her a servile smile as he said, "Ms. Rogers, please take a seat. I'll let my father know."Lyana looked at the chairs and tables before her disdainfully. 'All chairs at my home are made of luxurious wood. These furniture pieces made of low-grade rosewood are just tasteless.'But since I'm here...' Lyana gave Damien a look. However, he did not show any response. He was not as quick-witted as Dillon when it came to this. Lyana felt unhappy."Wipe the chair clean for me!" she said.Damien lowered his gaze. His eyes glinted under the glasses. But he complied with Lya
When Damien was about to reprimand Raine and Snow, Lyana suddenly changed her haughty and disdainful attitude."What did you just say?" Lyana thought, 'These two girls seem to hate Nicole!'Only then did Snow and Raine take a close look at the beautiful yet arrogant young lady before them. But none of them spoke.It was a woman's instinctive wariness of another woman.Lyana rolled her eyes inwardly at the sight of it. She put away her look of despise and gave Snow and Raine a perfunctory smile. "Come, tell me more about it. How did Nicole bully you?"Snow and Raine were startled. Snow looked at Damien and got the hint to accept the invitation because Lyana was not someone they could offend. Hence, she walked over to Lyana and badmouthed Nicole.Raine, who was next to Snow, exaggerated some details.Damien could vaguely hear their conversation. Although he wanted to please Lyana, he was reluctant to let an outsider know about the incidents Snow and Raine had described.'No matte
Although Mr. Riddle Sr. was there, Lyana had no intention to give away the seat. She gave him a nod but showed no respect toward him. She stopped Snow and Raine from talking further and said coldly,"I'm here because I want to know how exactly you handle your grandchild. Nicole Riddle has made my grandfather lose his mind. I didn't expect she would also ruin your family. Is this how the head of a family does their job?"Ever since Mr. Riddle Sr. went through a life-and-death situation, his mentality had changed a lot. In the face of Lyana's questions, he said indifferently, "I do not know how Ms. Rogers arrived at this conclusion. From what I see, Nicole is just in her rebellious phase. What she did was not something as serious as you think."Lyana smirked. "I bet she got it from her elders. Is this how the Riddle family does things?"She got up and slammed the table.Dillon did not heed Mr. Riddle Sr.'s expression when he saw her angry. He quickly approached her, trying to comfor
Daniel looked at Dillon and frowned. "We don't have to be at their beck and call."There was clearly a gap between the Riddle family and the Rogers family. However, in Daniel's point of view, there was no reason to lose their dignity over some intimidation. Not when the person that was going to be handed over was his daughter.He wiped the warm smile off his face and looked over to Dillon, who had a cold gaze. Damien and Dexter remained quiet in the background as they watched everything unfold.Although both of them wanted to get on the good side of the Rogers family, they never thought of doing it in such an undignified way. Hence, to some extent, they were not yet considered hopeless.On the other hand, Dillon was not ready to bow down at Daniel's request. "Don't you stir up trouble, Daniel. Ms. Rogers has come to find us, and you dare say that Nicole has done nothing wrong? I don't believe you!"It was clear that he was defending Lyana.After saying all that, Dillon turned to
A faint smile appeared on Jared's face when he saw Nicole's unwavering attitude. He knew that Nicole would not fall for someone from the Finley family. But the thing he cared about was the diamond. "That classmate of yours mentioned a diamond? What was that about?"Nicole shot a cold gaze at Claus when she heard this. 'What a loyal big mouth. I can't believe he told Jared everything.'Besides being dissatisfied with Claus, Nicole did not react to the incident. She was calm and collected while she looked out the car window with one hand on her chin.Her lips quirked into a half-smile as she glanced at Jared and said, "Zeke gave it to me. Commander Guzman played a part in this too. Why are you asking?"Jared frowned slightly and thought, 'So that's what happened? The Guzmans gave it to her? It wasn't Harvey?' This made Jared feel a little better.Claus was stunned when he heard this. He could not help but peek at Nicole from the rearview mirror. 'Nicole and Zeke? How could this be?'
Behind Lyana were the sycophantic Dillon and the expressionless Damien. Benjamin and Daniel did not see her off.She was in a rage. 'Not only did that old man not want to deal with Nicole, but he even kicked me out of his house! And now someone is blocking my path?!'"Hey! Are you bli—"Before she finished her words, she saw the person in front of her. Her eyes sparkled with surprise. There was also a hint of shyness behind her eyes."J-Jared? Why are you here?"'Did he come to see me?'Nicole raised her eyebrows upon this encounter. She glanced at Jared and then at the three brothers behind Lyana. Something was on her mind.Jared looked at Lyana with indifference. He then sensed a hint of playfulness in Nicole's eyes. His eyes slightly curved upwards as he stretched out his hand to pull Nicole to his side."Are you laughing at me?"Nicole showed no emotions. "No?"Jared grinned widely at the sight of Nicole not pulling away from him. He was beaming from the inside out. Howev
"Let's go, it's time to head down. The ceremony will start soon."The group laughed and talked as they left the bridal suite. Jared and his friends, Spencer and Preston, were also guided out by everyone.Now, only the family of four remained in the bridal suite, getting ready for their big entrance."Mommy, it's almost time. Let's get ready," Nolan said, pulling on Nicole's hand.Nicole gently patted Nolan and Lana's cheeks, whispering, "Okay."As she made to stand, Jared extended his hand toward her. Lifting her gaze, she caught Jared in a moment of elegance, his charm unmistakable. A smile bloomed on her face as she placed her hand in his.With a gentle tug, Jared drew her up, his touch tender against her palm.In a swift move, he pulled Nicole into his arms, his other hand circling her waist to pull her close.As Jared looked at Nicole, admiration shimmered in his eyes. "You look truly beautiful today," he remarked."Daddy, Mommy is beautiful every day," Lana chimed in, til
Nicole laughed off the debate between Lulu and June, saying, "Both are lovely. I'm happy with either."Both sets of jewelry were beautiful, and she felt that either would do."Exactly. Nicole will shine in anything," Cindy said, picking a set. "Let's go with this one."Lulu gave June a victorious look. "Told you this was the one."Cindy then suggested, "Why not wear this for the ceremony and switch for the reception? That way, we use both.""Great idea," June agreed, smiling at Cindy's suggestion.Nicole smiled. "Sounds perfect."With everyone agreeing, the stylist went ahead with preparing Nicole.Lulu watched Nicole, amazed by how calm she seemed. "Aren't you a bit nervous?" she asked. Lulu remembered her own wedding jitters.Nicole bit her lip, a hint of nerves showing. "I'm more excited than anything," she admitted.She had been looking forward to this day, ready to face the future with Jared with hope and joy."Just finished," the stylist announced, stepping back to adm
"Do you think I don't want to meet someone? I just haven't found the right person," Gary said somewhat resignedly. He had long regarded Nicole as just a friend."Why don't we just try the dates our families set up?" Ryder suggested, calm and collected. He figured since finding someone on his own wasn't working, maybe arranged dates could help. In their circles, it seemed like good matches were meant to be."Arranged dates don't sound great. You hardly know the person. Are we really okay with deciding to spend our lives together like that?" Preston wasn't too keen on the idea."Emery's doing pretty well with it, you know," Ryder said confidently. "I trust our families. They wouldn't set us up with someone terrible. They've probably made sure we'd be a good match."Gary thought it over. "You might be right. Our families aren't just trying to make deals; they want us to be happy."As Gary and Ryder seemed more into the idea, Preston was still unsure. "You guys are serious?""Why not
Jared held Nicole close and looked at her. "After we get married, we'll move to the estate," he said.Their future home would be just theirs.He thought it was good for Nicole to spend more time with her family since she hadn't been with them for five years. But they knew they would move to the estate later."Okay," Nicole said, nodding. She was happy Jared made the estate close to her family, so she was okay with moving.Jared gently touched her hair and kissed her...****Time flew, and soon it was Nicole and Jared's wedding day.From the morning, San Joto was alive with excitement. Everyone was talking about Jared and Nicole's wedding.Politicians, business leaders, close friends, and business partners all came to wish the couple well.The Riddles were busy welcoming the guests, making everything look amazing."Patricia, hurry up, Charlie's here," Ellar called out as he spotted Charlie. He quickly got Patricia to come and greet him. Max, hearing the fuss, came over too.C
"You really need to rest. You shouldn't work for the next few days. Stay home and rest. A bride has to look her best," Gloria said, looking at Nicole and making the decision for her."Bride!" Nicole was surprised because she hadn't talked about any wedding yet."Yes, now that everything is settled, it's time for your wedding with Jared," Gloria said, deciding firmly. She used to think it was best for the kids to decide for themselves, but after several delays, she felt waiting longer made no sense. The wedding should happen soon."I was thinking that too," Jared said. They had planned the wedding after solving the Everett problem, but then they found out Lawrence had hurt Nicole in the past, causing more delays. Now, with everything sorted out, they saw no reason to wait. The wedding was the next big step.Nicole looked at Jared and, with a smile, agreed, "Okay." Their wedding had been waiting for five years; it was time, with no need to wait any longer."That's so cool, I'm the f
Patricia felt a mix of reluctance and happiness as she prepared to part ways with Charlie.Jared glanced at Charlie and said, "It's about time for us to board." He tenderly held Nicole's hand and led her toward the boarding gate."I need to go through the boarding procedures too," Patricia said, biting her lip. "You must find happiness as well.""I will," Charlie assured her with a gentle smile, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You've grown up, too. You don't need to cling to me anymore. I believe Ellar will take great care of you."Patricia nodded, then, leaning closer to Charlie, she whispered, 'When Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle get married, make sure you bring my future sister-in-law back with you.' Caught off guard, Charlie playfully scolded her, "You little rascal."Doretta, standing not too far away, overheard Patricia's whispered words. Her cheeks turned even redder."Let's go," Patricia announced, then turned to Doretta, adding, "We'll meet again.""Goodbye,
Lying in bed with Nicole cradled in his arms, Jared whispered gently, "Sleep for a bit.""Mhm." Finally feeling at peace, Nicole smiled slightly, and she quickly fell asleep.As Jared listened to her soft breathing, his eyes softened with affection, and he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.The next morning, as the group got ready to head back to San Joto, Zane and Doretta came to say goodbye."I still have things to finish here, but I promise to be at your wedding," Zane said with a big smile."And I'll be there to wish you well, Nicole," Doretta added.Saying goodbye is always hard, but everyone knew they had their own journeys to continue."Great, we'll see you in San Joto," Nicole said with a bright smile."It's time to go," Zane said, knowing they couldn't wait any longer without risking missing their plane."I've got the paperwork," Patricia said, ready to help with the travel documents for Jared and Nicole. Then, looking at Charlie, she asked, "Need help with
Nicole was quiet, thinking about everything. 'If I hadn't remembered everything, maybe Lawrence and I could have stayed friends. But after finding out about the airport, it's impossible...'Not only had she regained her memory, but she had also learned about the airport incident. Lawrence had gone to great lengths to prevent her from returning to San Joto."Thanks for saving me before, but you also hurt me. We're even now," Nicole said calmly, looking at Lawrence like he was someone she didn't know anymore.Jared squeezed Nicole's hand gently. "Let's go."They decided to leave the rest to Zane and head back."Wait." Lawrence's voice stopped Nicole. He sounded almost like he was begging. "Please, don't tell Nolan about this."Nicole paused, then said, "I won't tell him. Not for you, but because I don't want Nolan to see how bad people can be."With that, Nicole walked away with Jared.Lawrence sat down, watching her leave, with mixed feelings."Let's go too," Patricia said to C
"Your robots don't work anymore," a voice said, sounding very pleased. Then, a person came out from behind the crowd, looking pretty proud of himself."Carl!" Nicole was shocked to see him. 'It's Carl!'"It's been a while." Carl smiled and waved at Nicole.Carl had come as soon as Zane told him about the problem. He couldn't just do nothing when Nicole needed help.He didn't expect them to act so soon, which is why he was a little late. But he was still in time to help. Carl was surprised by Lawrence's robots at first, but luckily, the weapons he brought, which he had been working on for years, stopped the robots. This was a big help to everyone."We really need to thank Carl; we would have been in big trouble without him," Zane said, feeling relieved.Zane had asked Carl for help, hoping it would make them more likely to win, but Carl ended up being very important."Thank you," Nicole said with a warm smile. It was nice to see an old friend again."No need to thank me. I'm jus