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
While Nicole was sitting for the exam, Preston was eager to go take a look. But he was tied up with work at the office, and so he could only go to Edwin.He swiped the access card to go to the top floor, where Edwin and Rowan were right in front of the server.Looking at the restored interface, the mixed-race doctor looked pleased."Not half bad at all. This is much earlier than you have told me."What they had told him before were five days. He did not expect that they could stop the intrusion in three. Not only that, they had even launched a counterattack.Edwin looked calm and did not dare to say that he was stupid, not even seeing the hidden attack methods of the attacker. Had they only been able to stop the attack five days later, probably nothing would be left in the database by now? Warbler secretly gritted her teeth as she also heard what Rowan said. She could not stop thinking about what that girl said that day, which sounded so ambiguous. But she kept a straight face,
Rowan squinted at Preston twice before turning and walking toward the rooftop."He doesn't talk much and just lets others explain for him; isn't he a foreigner? Could he be a Mecrounian spy? Why does he look familiar to me?" He muttered to himself as he went.When Owen met Rowan, he was wearing a black coat, and his handsome face looked as if he was deep in thought.Seeing Owen come over, Rowan looked at him scrutinizingly and then asked coldly, "Why do all Hustuaburgians look alike?"Owen thought for two seconds and then looked at Rowan with a sincere face and said, "To be honest, all Eperonians also look alike to us."Rowan looked at him for two seconds to make sure he was not lying to him and then slowly boarded the helicopter.Hearing the noisy chopping noise above his head finally fade into the distance, Edwin took out his phone and quickly checked his account, looking at the balance, and smiled with relief. He then transferred half of the money to Zeke.He remarked the tra
Nicole's firewall was so advanced that she was struggling to understand it, let alone get started with daily maintenance.'Did she mean to trip me up?' Warbler asked in her mind.Preston watched her expression with interest and then exchanged a glance with Edwin with a smile."Don't work too hard," he said, stepping forward and looking at Warbler's fairly pretty face with a shallow look of concern. "You must have not gotten enough rest lately. Go home and get some rest. Wrinkles and dark circles are starting to pop up on our faces now."Preston patted her on the shoulder meaningfully and then sighed and said, "I'm really touched to see my staff work so hard."Edwin coughed softly as he looked at Warbler's angry face. "Go home and take a rest, Warbler. The crisis has been diffused. You don't have to watch here day and night."Warbler did not really want to leave, but she thought about what Preston had just said and subconsciously wanted to find a mirror to look at her face.She w
"Snow?"Snow fought back her emotions and quickly answered, "I'm here."Harvey's steady voice came from the other side as if he was not the one who had said those callous things previously. "Would you like to go to a party with me?"Snow nodded frantically at the other end of the phone, so excited that words choked in her throat.Harvey seemed to have guessed her reaction by hearing the sound wave in the air on the other side; he knew Snow was nodding her head.There was no smile on his face, but his voice sounded as if he was smiling."I'll pick you up then."At last, Snow uttered a word. "Okay."She still wanted to say something, but he had already hung up the phone.There was no hint of anger on Snow's face. Instead, she stood up by the table in ecstasy, ran to the closet, and took out all her beautiful clothes.She wanted to dress up and make everyone think that she and Harvey had a good relationship, unlike what people said on the forum that they were not talking to each
He looked at the other products in front of him that sold relatively well. Even the mechanical production line that Johnston Group was most proud of had been dragged down.Harvey's expression remained unchanged. Since he had the courage to turn back the focus of the Johnston Group, he was not worried about the obstacles he was about to face. Students had dispersed when they returned to the high school of the Royal Creek Institute.Nicole was walking slowly toward the door while Lulu was jumping up and down and talking to her, and Bradley occasionally bickered with her.Coming to the gate of the Royal Creek Institute, Nicole checked her watch and then turned to walk toward the café."Are you two going with me?"Lulu shook her head. The monthly exam was the day after tomorrow, and she had not done her revision yet.Bradley scratched his head when seeing that Lulu was not going. "I'm going back to the dormitory. So both of us are together."Nicole glanced at the two of them and s
"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