Back then, Nicole was already exceptionally beautiful even though she was only fifteen. At the time, Sebastian was waiting for someone to crack open the geode. He had spent an exorbitant amount in hopes of bringing home an ocean gem. However, he did not find any despite spending an entire afternoon there. Nicole passed by coincidentally and saw him standing there like an easy mark. She then called him aside and handed him an average-looking geode."Crack this open."Sebastian looked at Nicole, slightly shocked. He did not expect a little girl to have such a calm demeanor.For some reason, he believed the little girl. He handed the geode to the person in charge of cracking them open. He initially thought he was pouring money down the drain for fun. However, they saw a violet gemstone within when the geode was cracked open!Sebastian looked at Nicole in astonishment. On the other hand, Nicole's expression remained unchanged; she seemed to have expected such an outcome.The person wh
Sebastian glanced at Nicole on the opposite side, who was still expressionless.'This girl is incredibly indifferent and reliable,' he thought.He then smiled and said, "Nicole, consider this piece of gem a reward for winning first place in the Math Olympiad."Nicole picked up the gemstone and handed it back to Sebastian. "Mr. Wyance, do keep this piece of gem for yourself. I appreciate the offer, but you've given me a lot in a year. I don't think there's enough space in my room anymore."Nicole knew that the gem meant something to Sebastian. He took it with him wherever he went. Thus, she did not want to take it away from him.The coldness in her eyes melted away at the thought of how he had been silently taking care of her and her grandmother over the past few years. Nicole did not expect to meet him under such circumstances since he was a busy man. Moreover, she was not always in Great Oak.Despite the two of them having contact for the past three years, they had only met a ha
Nicole had faith in Sean. She knew that there was no need for her to worry if he was doing the bidding. She only asked for Sebastian to be just.His eyes turned gentle when he heard her request. "Oh, Nicole," he said with a smile.His face was solemn when he noticed Nicole's clear and lingering eyes. "Rest assured, this bidding will be fair."A faint smile appeared on Nicole's face. She looked at Sebastian and said, "I believe you, Mr. Wyance."'I would have done anything for her if she asked. But the Nicole that I know would never ask for more,' he thought as he looked at Nicole in admiration.He then stood up when he heard Merwin knock on the door. "Come on, it's time for me to fulfill your request," he said with a smile. Nicole stood up and tagged along.Sebastian dropped her off at the school and went to the provincial office.Merwin glanced curiously at Sebastian and asked, "Is that the kid you were looking for? She seems to be cold and distant."Sebastian laughed at the s
Many people recognized that he was the head of the Ellison family—Thomas Ellison.They all stared blankly with their mouths open wide. They did not understand why he would come over in person just to listen to what they were talking about. But that did not stop them from doubting Nicole.Mr. Kennedy had heard what the other teachers had to say. As he saw Mr. Ellison coming over, he thought he was interested in the discussion, so he tried to flatter him and said, "Mr. Ellison, you're here. We were discussing the relationship between Nicole and Mr. Wyance. All of us are highly suspicious that this has something to do with why she got first place in the Math Olympiad. We suspect that she knew the question beforehand. Otherwise, how could she have gotten full marks with her level in math?"After he said this, he looked at Mr. Ellison confidently and waited for him to agree. Many teachers were also looking at Mr. Ellison. They knew that the head of Royal Creek Institute was upright and h
Vivian's eyes widened when Mr. Ellison defended Nicole. Her eyes and cheeks were getting red at how merciless his words were.Mr. Ellison's eyes filled with disgust when he saw that she was about to cry. He was not impressed.He had met a lot of girls like her. 'They always regard the other party as their enemy without any particular reason and ruin their lives with their big mouths,' he thought.He looked around the room coldly and said, "Nicole's results have been reviewed by the Olympiad committee. She indeed got full marks. As for her relationship with Sebastian Wyance, they know each other because she had helped him before. I am here to let you know that it is not what you all think."It is not hard to admit that you are not as good as other people. You are upset because of Nicole's excellence. Let go of your prejudices and open your eyes. You will see that Nicole is actually an admirable person."He gave Gary a meaningful look and continued slowly, "Nicole's paper was person
"It's all your fault! I was obviously just stating what you said to me! Why is no one talking about you!" Vivian shouted at Raine.Norah knew that something big would happen, so she left quietly. Fortunately for her, Vivian did not recognize her. Hence, she did not remember that it was Norah who told her about Nicole.Raine, who was taking the blame for Norah, hid behind Gary. She was about to say something, but when she saw Mr. Ellison, she decided to stay silent. She remembered that Mr. Ellison was the one who personally handled Nicole's admission into Royal Creek Institute. Thus, she was not ready to get caught in the crosshairs.'After all, it was Vivian's fault for not knowing her place.'Vivian glanced at Raine hiding behind Gary with mockery in her eyes. She angrily rushed toward Raine and stretched out her hands to scratch her. "You b*tch! How dare you hide behind Gary?!"Raine was not going to let Vivian hurt her. She ducked to the other side, but it was too late for Vivi
"I didn't expect to see you still look as good as ever, Gary."The two girls were jealous of her, not sure which one of them Gary favored most. He had a frosty face as he looked at Jack with no emotion and asked him to go away.As Jack rubbed his chin and ran after Gary to apologize, Wayne glanced at Jack and thought to himself that Jack was dumb. Seeing the two zealous girls, he felt just as annoyed as Gary. This was the last kind of girl he wanted."Gary, Mr. Ellison has said it; Nicole is first. How did she do that?" he asked slowly. 'Even Gary has only gotten second place. Nicole is simply nature-defying.'"Did Nicole really not cheat? No way she is this smart," Jack said suspiciously.Gary looked back at the two of them for the first time in all seriousness. "Don't taunt anyone like this next time. Nicole achieved it by her own merit. I've got to admit that she is better than me."With that, he strode away from the Royal Creek Institute without looking back, leaving Wayne an
Luke McCarthy, the representative from the McCarthy family, was looking triumphantly at Sean and Steve across from him. He already had a chin-wag with many people at the tender venue and was acquainted with Taylor Wyatt and George Allen; both were government officials.They now held all the cards and were expected to win the tender.He looked at the stone-faced Sean with disdain.'No matter how good an offer is, relationships are the last word. I will certainly be able to win the bid and then build a hospital on that land, making a ton of money out of those fools. Just like Michael, the CEO of San Joto Central Hospital, I will soon be able to multiply my net worth by dozens of times.Luke had a greedy look on his face, excited when he thought of the money he was going to get. He swaggered up to Sean, rolled up his tender documents, and knocked it on the table."Don't you know better, brat, that you should at least say hello?" He wanted to intimidate the young man. If the young man
"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