As soon as the teacher left, everyone swarmed around Nicole to congratulate her."You will be our class monitor from now on."Bradley, Lulu, and June were all smiles.Nicole was not as happy as them. Her thinking was that since she had agreed to the job, she would have to work hard to ensure she did a good job, and that was an added responsibility.The school anniversary celebration had been wrapped out. There was no news of the casting from Lloyd's crew. But the school forum had posted videos of Nicole almost being smashed by falling objects and saving Gary.Inside the café, Jared was watching the videos, his face darkening. He could not wait to see Nicole."Go pick her up." Jared got up and went downstairs, not expecting to see Nicole coming in with Bradley, Lulu, June, Austin, Sammey, and Zeke together. Nicole's arm was bandaged. The others were very careful, but they all looked happy.Austin congratulated Nicole as soon as he took his seat. "Boss, congratulations on being th
"Yeah, the wound is quite deep. It wouldn't be nice to leave behind a scar." June genuinely cared about Nicole.Nicole could only sigh and say, "Okay, then. You guys have coffee. It's on me.""No. Boss took office today; it should be on me." Austin had a generous spirit on his face. "Enjoy yourselves."Zeke smiled. "Thank you."Nicole also smiled, looking at Zeke with a thoughtful face.Jared was not too happy to see this, and he pulled Nicole up from her seat. "Let's go to the hospital.""So fast?" She had not even drunk her coffee yet."The doctor won't be waiting." He simply made a random excuse.Nicole had no choice but to follow Jared.Outside the café, Max had already driven the car over. Nicole and Jared got into the car together. As soon as the door was closed, Jared drew Nicole into his arms and frowned at her. "How could you hurt yourself to save others?" In his eyes, Gary was not worth mentioning at all, not worth Nicole saving.Nicole sighed. "It is sort of my ref
The hospital CEO immediately came forward with respect. "We have been expecting you, Mr. Johnston."Jared replied indifferently, "Where is the surgeon?"The CEO immediately replied, "Don't worry. I have asked our best surgeon to wait in the treatment room."Jared nodded and immediately led Nicole inside. The hospital CEO immediately led the way for the two of them.They soon arrived at the treatment room. As soon as Nicole walked in, she saw a figure in a white robe. Looking from behind, Nicole found the doctor looking somewhat familiar.Hearing the voice, the doctor looked back, and the moment their eyes met, Nicole instantly recognized the doctor."It is you." Martin was also pleasantly surprised to see Nicole. He never expected that the special patient needing his emergency treatment today was Nicole."I didn't know that you were working in this hospital." Nicole knew at once that he had been keeping his father, Sebastian, in the dark about his practice in this hospital.Mar
Martin immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I will be gentler.""Okay." Nicole nodded."Be careful." Jared was not too happy and warned Martin.No one had ever threatened Martin like this, and he was a little upset. But he put up with it for Nicole's sake.After applying medicament, Martin bandaged the wound.Nicole's medical skills may be above Martin's, but Martin probably paid more attention to detail. Given a choice, she would not bother about this minor injury. But she did not want Jared to worry about her, so he followed him to the hospital.Now things turned out to be not too bad. After her wound healed, she would apply her special medicine, and the scar would disappear."Avoiding wetting the wound for the first couple of days," Martin said."Okay." Nicole knew all of this common sense.Martin nodded contentedly at seeing Nicole so obliging.Jared was upset when he saw the two looking at each other. He inserted himself into the middle of the two and took Nicole away. "
She was too nervous and forgot about it when Martin stared at her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was too nervous."She took off the gloves in her hands and threw them into the garbage can, then re-disinfected her hands and put on a new pair of gloves before returning to her post.Martin looked at her neat action, and his brows gradually eased up. Joyce was capable and had never made mistakes at work. But she had been absentminded lately.Martin raised an eyebrow. "Stop what you are doing now. Have you had something going on lately? You look upset."Joyce looked at the dark-haired teenager. Thinking of what her father had told her, she smiled with just the right amount of distress on her face. "Just something happened at home."Joyce's father blamed her for the McCarthy family's failure to win the tender last time.But Joyce knew Martin did not like to hear people complaining all the time, so she had never vented her frustration in front of him for the past few days.She was depressed
Joyce hesitated when she heard Martin's voice, but after hearing what he said, she ran even faster.'Who wants to take leave? Doesn't giving leave of absence mean that I'm not needed in the research? Martin doesn't really care about me.'But Martin did not give a damn what Joyce thought. This time, it was supposed to teach her a lesson. If she still could not focus her mind on the experiment, she would not be needed on the team, as it would only bog him down.He looked at the few remaining people and pointed at a red-haired boy with freckles on his face. "You take Joyce's place to assist me."The boy said nothing. He just nodded and went over. Their tolerance of Joyce was just a gesture of gentlemanliness, not a measure of how important Joyce was, as they all knew that Martin was the core figure of the team.After everything returned to normal, Martin returned to his seat. While continuing with his research, he felt better again when he recalled in his mind when Nicole came to tre
But with what she knew about Lloyd, he could only turn back after he tried as hard as he could.Nachelle looked at the clear water-like sky that flew past the window outside with a hint of upset look on her face.If the path is wrong, one should not continue in the same direction. But she lost Lloyd back then and now felt guilty for him and could not help but give him whatever he wanted. So even if Lloyd's rival was Jared, she would work hard for her son.Nachelle sighed tiredly. As she handed the reports in her hand to her assistant, her eyes spotted a line of text in the report.[The budget for the selection of female lead from major universities has been disbursed.]As if reminding her of something, she thought of Nicole's approximate age, and her eyes glinted. She immediately picked up her phone and made a call with an unconcealable joy in her eyes.Jared had brought Nicole back to his villa.Because of Nicole's injury and the condition in the dormitory, Jared forced Nicole
The next day, Jared sent Nicole to school.On the way, Jared made a pact with Nicole, wanting her to stay away from Gary and Zeke and forbidding her to see Martin.Claus, who was driving and listening in to this, was stupefied. He had never seen his boss so jealous and so lacking in self-confidence.Hearing what Jared said, Nicole laughed involuntarily. "Okay, I get it."She did not take his words seriously but just thought it was funny.Jared also looked as if he could not help himself. At the school gate, when Nicole got out of the car, Jared followed her."Why did you get out of the car? You can just drop me here." She did not want Jared to follow her to the school gate, as that would attract unnecessary attention."Something to do with Mr. Ellison." He looked serious but pretended to be mysterious and did not tell her anything.Nicole thought it was a work-related matter and did not ask again. " I will go to class now."Jared nodded and then went with Claus to Mr. Ellison'
"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