However, Eric quickly changed his mind when he saw the Riddle family's reaction.'They all look more stunned than me. It's probably because none of them expected Nicole to say such a shameless thing,' he thought.As expected, Dillon roared with laughter. He was about to tear up from laughing too hard. He slapped the table while saying, "Nicole is so full of herself. She must think that she's a big shot, huh? Is Mr. Wyance someone she can meet just because she wants to? I've booked so many appointments to meet him, yet all of them got rejected. Who is Nicole to meet Mr. Wyance?"'Moreover, how dare she call Mr. Wyance by his name?' he thought.Damien gazed at Daniel's clueless face with suspicion. He thought of Mr. Rogers Sr.'s attitude and Lyana Rogers's contempt toward Nicole.'There must be something going on between Nicole and Mr. Rogers Sr.; she's using him to meet Mr. Wyance,' he thought with a disdainful look.'Nicole is so stubborn. Is it that hard agreeing to meet Mr. Wya
Spencer missed what Nicole said earlier.'Someone like Eric, who's so boastful, can get to meet Mr. Wyance. Why can't Nicole?' Spencer thought.Although Samuel and Stanley did not speak up, they probably had the same thought. They were not going to be bothered by Eric's fake threat. Even if they were unaware of his background, they were not afraid of him'Compared to him, my sister's so amazing. She knows tons of people. It's not surprising that she got to meet with Mr. Wyance.'If Damien and Dillion knew that their nephews thought that way, they would be furious.Eric was mad. He was pampered and lived a rich life. His fat hand was slapped so hard by Samuel that it was swollen.Eric winced as he said, "Nicole, y-you're so ungrateful, you're in big trouble!"A hint of ruthlessness flashed upon Eric's eyes as he looked at the redness on the back of his hand. He then looked at Nicole and her brothers, who were looking furious too.A chilly voice came from behind suddenly."Who's
Nicole heard Eric and looked back with an impassive face. Her eyes were filled with disdain as she sneered at Eric, "Let's wait and see."Nicole then said goodbye to Sean and Steve. Stanley started his car. The black Maybach sped away, leaving the gloomy Eric and the two cold-looking Sean and Steve behind.Sean looked at Eric and left without saying a single word. Steve saw that Eric looked dissatisfied and furious. He shook his head and left with Sean."The Riddle family doesn't welcome you, Mr. Anderson. Please leave."Eric clenched his fist. He came here with pride. But he was standing here with disgrace. He did not get what he wanted. 'This isn't the way I do things.''It's all because of Nicole! She's so stubborn that the carrot and stick approach doesn't even work.'Eric was furious with what the Riddle family said.He stood in front of their house. He looked at the door coldly as it closed. He clenched his teeth as he said, "Alright, way to go, you guys!"'The Riddle f
Mr. Ellison ordered every class to send representatives who were not participating in the Mathematical Olympiad to support the participants.Gary walked toward Class B, which was led by Ms. Emerson.Raine and Noah were led by Mr. Kennedy. Raine was too busy following Mr. Kennedy and was unaware of her surroundings. When she raised her eyes, everyone from Class B gave her a strange look. Jack and Wayne were standing next to Gary. They both were holding their arms as they looked at Nicole calmly. Tolerance for her can no longer be seen through their eyes.A sudden hint of nervousness flashed upon Raine's eyes.Rained remembered how Jack and Wayne asked her harshly to have Nicole pack her stuff the other day. She was still afraid of the scowl on their faces from that day. However, Gary was still right there. Raine clenched her teeth and wanted to continue walking behind him. However, Vivian, who was standing beside Raine, saw what she wanted to do. She quickly walked toward Gary, on
Raine felt not too happy when Mr. Kennedy called her back to his side. After all, Ms. Thompson had assigned her to lead the focus classes, which were Class A of the eleventh and twelfth grades.Noah was the class monitor of Class A of the eleventh grade, while Raine was the top student of the twelfth grade, so he was akin to having two trump cards in his hand and was confident of winning.After Ms. Emerson enjoined precautions on Nicole, she finally let Nicole into the exam hall with confidence.Vivian looked at Nicole with cold eyes and mockery on her face.Mr. Kennedy came out of nowhere and let out a sarcastic smirk when he saw Nicole walk inside."Nicole, I'm curious how many points you can score: winning a first place or simply scoring zero."Hearing his voice, Nicole tilted her head and looked at Mr. Kennedy with a glint flashing in her eyes."Don't forget what you promised." Mr. Kennedy's bet with Nicole was that if he lost, he was going to apologize to Ms. Emerson and ad
Raine felt better at the thought of this. But she wasted too much time staring at and cursing Nicole; by the time she shifted her attention back to the test paper, there were only fifteen minutes left.Raine checked her watch, and her face turned pale. But the more nervous she was, the more she could not answer the questions. She skimmed through the rest of the questions and found that she could answer none of them.She suddenly sweated profusely, clutching the pen in her hand, and blamed it all on Nicole.'It's all Nicole's fault!'Gary also looked up at Nicole, who was very focused when answering the questions. He did not know if Nicole had answered all of them or just submitted a blank test paper, but he was sure that it should be the latter.'How could Nicole possibly have answered the difficult Math Olympiad questions that even I find extremely difficult? She must be sitting there too bored and wanting to get out.'Five minutes later, Gary got up and handed in his papers, hi
Vivian sneered upon hearing what Nicole said. "Stop embarrassing yourself here. Everyone knows you scored zero on the Math Olympiad paper before. What's the point of pretending here? By the time the exam results are out, we'll know if you're genuine or fake."Ms. Emerson gently frowned at the cynical Vivian. As she turned to look at Nicole, she saw Nicole give her an it-is-okay look, so she pulled back her gaze. She wondered what was wrong with the class monitor lately. It seemed that she deliberately targeted Nicole.Nicole did not care. Meanwhile, Lulu handed her a glass of water, and Nicole took a sip, smiled faintly at Lulu, and said, "Thank you."Lulu shook her head and winked at Nicole, then imitated Vivian's disdainful expression and made a grimace.Both Bradley and Nicole were amused.Vivian saw what Lulu was doing and stood up abruptly. "What the hell are you doing, Lulu?"Lulu quickly did away with her expression and looked back at Vivian with a blank look on her face.
Vivian came close to Gary, feeling triumphant, and asked him about the competition when she heard people badmouthed Nicole. Gary looked coldly at the girl and just responded perfunctorily before leaving.Nicole talked to Lulu and others for a while and then told Ms. Emerson that she was leaving.Since all the candidates from her class had come out of the exam hall, Ms. Emerson agreed with a smile and told everyone to disperse and go back to rest.Seeing that Nicole and Gary from Class B had come back while his two candidates were still nowhere to be seen, Mr. Kennedy's face turned grave. He clenched his fists and looked at the crowd in front of him, waiting with some anxiety. It was not until almost all the candidates had left that Raine and Noah came out.Both of them looked pale. Mr. Kennedy did not need to ask them to know that they must have done terribly, but he still hoped for the best. "How's the test?" he asked.Raine glanced at Mr. Kennedy. She had tried her best, b
"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