Nicole's voice sounded from the other end of the line, "It's the tuition fee one of my friends gave me for teaching them martial arts."'So that's why,' they thought.The two nodded now that their doubts had been cleared. Both of them agreed that Nicole had impressive martial arts skills; while receiving a diamond sounded excessive, it was normal for her to be admired by people.Lulu then added, "Snow and Raine have gotten it restored. Nicole, don't be bothered by their actions. They're not worth your mental health."Nicole lifted the corner of her lips in the dark."Alright, I won't."Nicole heard their shallow breathing beside her. The two seemed to have let go of their worries and had fallen fast asleep.She did not feel sleepy. After some thought, she switched on the black-colored phone.The moment she switched on the phone, a message popped up on the screen.Nicole opened the notification. It was a message asking her when she had the time to meet and chat. The person ha
Nicole gave him an indifferent look before turning away.Zeke was confused when he did not hear any response from her. When he lifted his head, he saw that she had already walked quite some distance away. He quickly chased after her."Hey, Nicole! Don't be so heartless!"Nicole ignored him. Her eyes glinted as she glanced at the sky that was now bright.She did not speak.'That's because there isn't much time left,' she thought.'I need to help Zeke get stronger as soon as possible,' she thought again.In the end, Zeke did not get any answers. He dragged his feet back to his campus.He did not have many friends. Most people did not bother sparing him a glance.Zeke lowered his eyes coldly. He did not want to be around these commoners either.To him, only Nicole was his partner and good friend.'Nicole previously said we would take things step-by-step, but she's suddenly sped up our training process. Something is definitely going to happen,' he thought.'But I don't know any
Nicole did not care about what they thought. She went to her seat and quickly took out a question bank book.Many things have happened, but Nicole continued to work hard on the math question bank book.She speedily worked on the math problems. After all, the Math Olympiad was soon.She gently twirled her pen. Her thoughts were as fast as lightning; she instantly thought of a method to solve the problem.Nicole was on the last page of the book. She lifted her head before closing the book. There was a sea of people surrounding her. They were all looking at her with eager eyes.Nicole asked resignedly, "What's the matter?"They all looked at each other and started forming a line to apologize.Nicole sighed. She looked at the sea of people in front of her and frowned.'It's good that my brothers have helped me clear my name, but having these people apologize to me is so troublesome...' she thought.Thankfully, she was saved by the bell. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief as the peop
"Nicole, how's your preparation going?"Nicole looked at Ms. Emerson calmly."I've solved all of them."Nicole had never participated in a Math Olympiad back in San Joto, so she did not know if she was well-prepared. However, the smile on Ms. Emerson's face indicated that she was doing fine.Ms. Emerson handed Nicole three more exercise books. They were all past-year Math Olympiad questions that could not be found on the market. The third book, in particular, was Declan Hancock's best work. In their school, only she and Mr. Louis — the two teachers in charge of the Math Olympiad training — got their hands on two copies of the book. She did not expect Nicole to complete all three sets of the questions without any guidance.'I underestimated Nicole,' she thought.Ms. Emerson nodded satisfactorily and asked Gary to leave. She wanted to speak to Nicole privately.Gary frowned. He had seen Nicole's book, and it was completely blank. He could not understand how Nicole dared to spout
When Mrs. Wallace Sr. saw Nicole walk out of the classroom, her cloudy eyes lit up. She quickly walked over to Nicole.Nicole watched as Mrs. Wallace Sr. gradually got closer. Her cold gaze started to turn to one that was soft.She held Mrs. Wallace Sr.'s boney hands and said in a low voice, "What're you doing here, grandma?"Mrs. Wallace Sr. looked at the granddaughter she raised singlehandedly and smiled.She then patted her arm and said, "I missed you. Coincidentally, your class teacher wanted to see you as well, so he brought me along."Only then did Nicole notice the middle-aged man standing beside her. The man did not have a chance to join the conversation. He was her previous class teacher, Mr. Mills.She did not expect him to be able to continue working at their school. Nicole gave him a once-over when she saw his tightly clasped hands.He was sweating buckets and seemed as though he had trouble speaking his mind. Nicole instantly knew what he was doing here.Before her
Of course, Mr. Mills was here for something. He flushed and could say nothing, but thinking to himself that Nicole and her grandma were birds of a feather, as they both talked in such a way that it often mortified him."I'm fine. Please get on with your things. I will just look around the Royal Creek Institute's campus alone," he said in a low voice.Nicole was standing beside Mrs. Wallace Sr. and glanced at Mr. Mills with a smirk, then said coldly, "Then I'll go with Grandma now. You have a good time, Mr. Mills."After saying so and without looking back, Nicole helped her grandmother to her classroom to get her school bag.This time, not even Mrs. Wallace Sr. looked back at Mr. Mills. Mr. Mills stood on the spot, only to feel that Nicole had changed when she came to San Joto, and had become so difficult to reason with, and that she had started to disrespect him just because she was a member of the Riddle family. He looked at Nicole with resentment before turning around and walki
He put a hand to his face and looked at Jack with consternation. "Why did you hit me, Jack?"Jack's family was a self-made millionaire, so he did not feel that there was anything wrong with hard work and simplicity, and he hated to see people bullying those who had no money.He was offended when the boy even had the nerve to ask him why. He looked at the boy with a smirk and said in an icy voice, "You think you're above others and could look down on others just because you have money?"Everyone was equal. Those who thought one was less worthy than the other knew nothing better.The boy dared not say anything, as he knew he had rubbed Jack the wrong way and quickly apologized.Jack did not place nice but kicked the boy in the leg, and then he said in an icy voice, "What's the use of apologizing to me when you used that stinky mouth of yours to denigrate others? Shouldn't you apologize to the other person to show your sincerity?"The boy heard this and spun around and apologized to
At first, the boy was still swearing and cursing, but when he looked up and saw that it was Gary, words choked in his throat."G-Gary!"Vivian was sitting not far away. When she looked back and saw what happened, her face instantly turned grave—Gary had never been so blatantly biased toward anyone. She was so angry that she wanted to stand up, but she resisted and took out her mobile phone and angrily sent a message to Harvey.Nicole looked at Gary in puzzlement. She thought Gary did not like her all along, yet he was now helping her.Gary did not look at Nicole. Instead, he turned his attention to Mrs. Wallace Sr. who was not far away, and then said to the boy, "Apologize to the old lady!"His voice was so frosty, and he looked so angry that the boy trembled in fear. As much as the boy was not afraid of the Riddle family, he did not dare to offend Gary.Nicole raised an eyebrow as she watched on. Her expression did not change, but her eyes looked icy.Being stared at by Gary an
"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