June couldn't help but laugh, "He's too little right now. It will be a few months before he needs toys to help with hand-eye coordination. What's the rush?"Lulu raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was rushing? Seems like you're the keen one, knowing all this. Nicole understands because she's a mom. You're not yet, are you? Have you started looking this up?"June's smile briefly stiffened as she awkwardly said, "I was just making a guess.""Really? Guessing about hand-eye coordination? You're quite the predictor," Lulu joked, playfully turning the tables on June after her earlier remark.Nicole watched their friendly teasing, smiling, and feeling like they were back in their school days, enjoying each other's company.Eventually, they arrived at the mall and headed straight to the baby and maternity section, browsing for gifts.As dusk settled and lights began to twinkle, Nicole returned home to find dinner preparations underway."Mommy!" Nolan and Lana ran to greet Nicole happily up
"Okay," the family agreed, heading toward the dining room.Jared gently held Nicole's hand, smiling. "You seemed to have a lot of fun today.""Yes, the three of us haven't had such a relaxed outing in a long time," Nicole nodded, clearly happy."In the future, when you're off, you should hang out with them more," Jared suggested, pleased to see her joyful."With our own families, we are all so busy. How can we just go out and play whenever we're off?" Nicole chuckled, finding occasional outings like this quite nice.Jared smiled tenderly, content to see her happy.After dinner, the children were brought back by the butler because it had gotten quite dark outside. Concerned that they might get too excited and accidentally hurt themselves, he had them come in.Nolan was so fascinated with his new drone that he insisted on keeping it beside his pillow at night.Nicole, with a face full of indulgent laughter, agreed, and Nolan went to bed satisfied.After the children were asleep,
'But without Lawrence's confession, there wouldn't be any concrete evidence, would there?' Nicole thought"Sambawe must have disclosed something," Jared hinted vaguely, not going into detail but guessing that Zane's sudden decision to capture Lawrence was probably linked to Sambawe."I get it," Nicole acknowledged, her eyes narrowing slightly. After Zane rescued her, Sambawe had agreed to cooperate and likely spill a lot of information.Nicole had an inkling about Lawrence's influence in Mecrounia and his possible involvement in illegal activities. Those in his inner circle, like Sambawe, would have a better idea.Jared gave Nicole's hand a gentle squeeze, hinting, "It might not be long now." Now, they were now just waiting for Lawrence to slip up so they could bring him to justice."Got it," Nicole nodded slightly, realizing that Lawrence must be feeling the pressure.The car came to a stop, and they had arrived at Riddle Corporation.As they got out of the car, Nicole entered
Not long after Doretta left, Lulu knocked on the door and came in, her curiosity piqued, "Was that Doretta just now? Why did she come here? Is there something going on?""Nothing much." Nicole didn't elaborate further and turned to Lulu, saying, "Tia and Stanley's wedding is the day after tomorrow. Have you got the big gift you mentioned ready?""It's all set. I went shopping for it with June," Lulu replied, then asked Nicole, "What about you? Is everything prepared on your end?""Yes," Nicole confirmed."Time flies, doesn't it? It feels like just a moment since you've been back, over a year now. Thinking about all these years, we've all changed so much and now have our own families," Lulu remarked, reflecting on the upcoming wedding."Indeed, but while it seems there have been changes, it also feels like nothing has changed at all," Nicole said with a light smile.Lulu looked at Nicole and said, "It's because you're back."Her return seemed to have brought back the vibrancy of
Meanwhile, Patricia sat in Ellar's car, looking concerned. "What's so urgent that we had to discuss it now?" she asked, worry flickering in her eyes.His call had sounded serious, leading her to believe something bad had occurred.To her surprise, Ellar handed her an invitation and said, "It's about Stanley's wedding. You're invited."As she opened it and saw her name, she bit her lip slightly. 'So, it wasn't that I hadn't been given an invitation; it was with Ellar all along.'"Come with me, be my date. Let's attend together," Ellar said, his eyes earnestly hoping for her acceptance.Patricia hesitated, still biting her lip as she held the invitation."I know you're not used to wearing evening gowns. You can wear whatever you like. If you're worried about what others might think, I won't wear a suit either," Ellar quickly added, seeing her hesitation.Hearing this, Patricia looked at Ellar with a complex expression. Due to her work, she rarely wore dresses or high heels, but sh
After the series of ceremonies concluded, Stanley and Tia went to change their outfits, preparing to give their toast.Those who had been busy helping finally sat down."Ah, time to eat at last," Lulu sighed, picking up her water glass and taking a big sip."Go slow," Spencer said, handing her a napkin to wipe her mouth before passing the silverware to Lulu.Everyone else also picked up their cutlery, getting ready to eat."Mind if we join you?" A somewhat familiar voice interrupted, and the group glanced up.They were surprised to see the two individuals standing there. "Martin, Cindy, it's really you!""We heard about Stanley and Tia's wedding and wanted to make it back for it, but we didn't expect the flight delay and ended up running late," Martin explained with a hint of frustration."That's alright, sit down and let's chat," Nicole invited them to join.Lulu glanced at Cindy and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"Cindy just smiled and replied, "I'll tell you when we
"Alright, then we're off to sleep. You should go to bed early too," Gloria said, as she and Daniel went upstairs.After they left, Nicole, Jared, Nolan, and Lana also went to their rooms.Only Stanley and Tia were still in the living room. Stanley, holding Tia's hand, said, "You must be tired after today.""Not really," Tia answered, blushing a little as she looked down."Then... should we head to bed?""Yeah."Holding hands, they gently walked up the stairs to their bedroom.****The next day dawned bright and sunny, and everyone got up as usual and gathered in the dining room.The only new thing was that Tia was now officially part of the family."Stanley, when is your flight? Do you have enough time?" Gloria asked."We have lots of time. Our flight isn't early, so we're not in a hurry," Stanley answered."Good, then have breakfast and prepare to leave," Gloria said, relieved.Stanley nodded, "Tia has already packed everything, Mom, don't worry."Gloria smiled at Tia, "
Jared said, "Alright, then we'll set it for a month from now." He looked at her warmly.They had been planning the wedding for a while, and he was just waiting for her to confirm the date."Okay," Nicole agreed, feeling sure about her choice.Thinking about their soon-to-happen wedding made Nicole excited.Soon after, the car came to a stop.Seeing they had arrived at Riddle Corporation, Nicole opened the door and got out. "I'm heading up.""I'll pick you up after work," Jared said, his eyes brimming with affection."Okay." Nicole smiled brightly and turned to enter the building.After watching Nicole go inside, Jared instructed Max, "Drive.""Yes, Mr. Johnston." The car started moving, and Max spoke softly, "I'll arrange for someone to reconfirm the wedding party's schedule and all related arrangements once more."Even though everything was ready, it was best to be cautious as the actual moment approached."Good," Jared replied, pleased, then instructed, "Keep the news unde