"How can I forget your birthday? This is my gift for you." Norah handed the thing in her hand to Gloria."I'm happy that you are coming. Why did you spend money again?" Gloria took Norah's hand and sat her down in front of her.The arrival of Norah instantly shattered the jovial atmosphere of the family.Norah's keen eye spotted the necklace around Gloria's neck. "This necklace is so beautiful," Norah exclaimed."It is a birthday present from Nicole." Gloria smiled with delight."Nicole has such good taste in necklaces." Norah praised Nicole, surprisingly. "It looks like you have got many presents for your birthday.""How are you doing lately, Norah?" Gloria had not seen her in a long time."Everything is great. Just that things in the student union are a little busy. That was why I didn't have time to come see you," Norah said.The next second, she asked Nicole, "How is the training for your class?""Pretty good." Nicole did not want to talk to her at all."I heard that many
"Wow. What a beautiful ruby carving!" Norah's eyes twinkled with a coveting smile on her lips."Jared is so generous. Such a large piece of fine ruby carving must be worth a lot!" Steve said"Nicole, when Jared has the time, invite him here for a meal." Gloria looked at Nicole with delight."Okay, Mom."Norah looked at the ruby carving and became even more jealous of Nicole. She always thought that Nicole had snatched the man who should have belonged to her.The family rejoiced until the evening.After Norah left, everyone else could finally breathe a sigh of relief, as if everyone except Daniel and Gloria felt uncomfortable with Norah's presence.Nicole returned to school the next day. Because today was a rest day, fewer students were at the school than usual. When she was looking up some materials in the library, Zeke suddenly came looking for her."Nicole, you're really hard to find." Zeke had had a time getting to her."What are you looking for me for?" Nicole glanced at h
"On your marks. Ready."Bang!As soon as the starter pistol sounded, Gary launched first, and other classmates were on his heels. As he approached the finish line, he sprang forward with a quick burst of strength and crossed the finish line.Gary finished first at 11.22 seconds."Not bad. It's already an outstanding result." Nicole was happy with Gary's performance."You all have got the explosive power there, but physical strength is still not up to par." Nicole looked at her breathless classmates and thought of a solution."Prepare for the relay race." Nicole had used half the time of a lesson to review all the items."The overall performance is not bad. I can tell that everyone has improved in terms of skills, but there is room for improvement in physical fitness. It's okay; we will focus on training for physical fitness for the next few days." Nicole pointed out their strengths and weaknesses and gave solutions.Because Nicole's class had been doing well in the past two wee
"Mr. Ellison, what did you just call her?" The CEO of Aegis Corporation looked at Nicole in amazement."She is Nicole, an outstanding student at our school." Mr. Ellison smiled proudly when he talked about Nicole."Nicole..." The CEO of Aegis Corporation looked at her thoughtfully."Are you looking for me, Mr. Ellison?" Nicole stepped closer to say hello."How is the training of your class going on?" Mr. Ellison asked out of concern."Not bad. They have made significant improvements in every aspect.""Great job. Keep up the good work.""Thank you. It's my job."Mr. Ellison nodded and turned sideways to look at Mr. Harmon. "Nicole, this is Mr. Scott Harmon, CEO of Aegis Corporation."Upon hearing the company name, Nicole's heart skipped a beat, and she said politely, "Hello, Mr. Harmon.""I didn't know that you were Nicole. I have been looking for you." Mr. Harmon was friendly. But his response shocked Mr. Ellison, as he had never heard Mr. Harmon say he was looking for Nicole
Nicole was still sitting at the usual spot, and Claus brought her a cup of coffee she usually ordered."I haven't seen you in days, Miss Riddle. How are you?""I'm doing great. Is Jared still busy?""Yeah, Mr. Johnston has been busy with the Turmann family. Please don't get mad at him if you feel slighted. He doesn't mean it." Claus put in a good word for Jared."No, I won't. Please get me a quiet private lounge in a minute."Suddenly, someone familiar walked in."Zeke, over here." Nicole beckoned to him."Nicole, isn't there a private lounge here?" Zeke walked over to Nicole and glanced at the people coming in and out.Nicole got the hint. "Come with me."Upstairs in the private lounge, each of them stared at a computer."Zeke, what happened to your decryptor?" Nicole asked worriedly."I have made improvements on it. You may try it." Zeke was confident in his skills.Nicole was confident that she could beat those elite hackers with Zeke's help this time. She told Zeke abou
Nicole waved the flash drive in her hand, and the two looked at each other and smiled.Based on the information available on The Hunters, Nicole found White's coordinates. She immediately contacted Carl, sent the coordinates, and told him what Rowan had told her earlier.[This is White's coordinates. Don't return to the country yet. Go check up on this person. Be careful.]Nicole felt more at ease after solving the problems that had stressed her out over the past few days. She looked at Zeke and asked, "Can you walk?""You bet.""Let's go out and celebrate."After parting with Zeke, Nicole returned to the Riddle Mansion.As she pushed the door open, she saw Sean and Steve sitting in the living room talking to Daniel. They were all beaming at seeing Nicole return."Nicole, I have something to tell you," Daniel said."What are you all doing, Dad?" Nicole glanced around."The bidding documents are ready. Take a look." Daniel handed her the documents."So fast?""Not at all; ju
Nichole had heard provocations from other classes, but she ignored them completely, as she thought these kids did not deserve her attention.The sports day officially began after the head teacher gave an opening speech, and the competition between the various grades started with men's and women's sprints.The TV station's cameras focused on the starting line. Gary was representing Class B. He was the first to come to the starting line and warm up here. The students off the field saw Gary as the first bastion of the opening game, and they all shouted his name. This showed how popular he was in school.The contestants from other classes followed, but only the students of their respective classes cheered for them.The referee called out, "On your marks. Ready."Bang!As the starter pistol fired, Gary launched out like an arrow, leading far ahead of the other contestants, and crossed the finish line in the blink of an eye. The cameras were all focused on him.The referee then announ
Class A once again failed to finish first, and the class teacher's face sank again. When he saw Ms. Emerson look at him with a proud face and a disdainful look in the eyes, he got even more exasperated. So he took it out on Norah. "How did you train your classmates? Do you mind explaining how we lose to Class B in every game? Do you still want to be a class monitor?""I want to be a class monitor. I swear I will finish first in the next game to make our class proud." Norah said timidly, but secretly, she had an evil plan in mind.Soon it was time for Vivian's turns for the relay race. For the sake of prizes, she had given it all out during the training and done exactly what Nicole told her to do by spending most of her time with her teammates to build up their tacit understanding of each other.Vivian, Lily Moreno, Lulu, and June came to the starting line and performed some warm-up exercises. Nicole kept watching them. As the four of them looked back at her, she gave them a nod of e
"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