Nicole, with a knowing smile, remarked, "In business, there are always winners and losers."Lawrence, with a casual shrug, responded, "If that's the case, then yes, I've lost this round.""But you didn't have me brought here just to say you're giving up, right?" Nicole questioned, noticing Lawrence's tendency to beat around the bush."Absolutely not," he replied, shaking his head. "Since I've lost, I need to make some moves to even things out."Nicole nodded, understanding. "Alright, then. What is it you're after?"It was clear Lawrence had a specific reason for bringing her here."You know what I want," he said, looking directly at Nicole."If it's the Fire Crest and Water Crest you're after, that's going to be tough. I'm not exactly planning on dying anytime soon." Nicole knew that without her death, the Crests wouldn't transfer ownership.Lawrence simply looked at her, his silence making his intentions unclear.Nicole maintained her composure, facing Lawrence with a calm an
In the backyard of the villa, a helicopter waited on the lawn, ready for immediate departure from San Joto."Get in," Lawrence said to Nicole, noticing her momentary pause."Alright," Nicole responded, stepping into the helicopter first. She figured it was best to go along for now, seeing no viable way to escape. Resistance seemed futile.With everyone on board, the helicopter lifted off, quickly gaining altitude and leaving the area behind.As the helicopter shrank to a mere speck in the sky, Doretta made her appearance, her expression one of deep concern. Without wasting a moment, she hurried away from the scene.Her destination was clear: the Riddle residence.In the study, Jared frowned at Doretta. "Why are you here?""Nicole has been taken by Lawrence," Doretta said through clenched teeth. "After discussing the plan with Nicole, I left first."But then, I remembered something and turned back, only to see someone taking Nicole away."I followed them and discovered she was
Knowing how perceptive Nolan was, Jared felt somewhat resigned but knew he couldn't tell the truth at this moment. He could only say, "Doretta came because of something else. I have to go to the airport now and leave with Mommy. We'll be back soon.""Oh, okay," Nolan agreed, but it didn't seem like Jared had convinced him. It looked more like he didn't want to waste time, saying, "Then go find Mommy.""Mm." Gently touching Nolan's head, Jared said meaningfully, "Take good care of your sister, and don't leave the sight of adults."Looking at Jared, Nolan bit his lip and finally nodded. "I know."Although the specifics of the situation were unclear to him, Nolan could tell that Jared's explanation was an oversimplification. He also grasped that Jared's reference to "adults" wasn't limited to Gloria and Daniel, but included the security personnel stationed near their kindergarten, tasked with their protection.Nolan was deeply concerned, suspecting something significant had occurred.
"Maybe we should check into a hotel first. Nicole might try to reach us," Doretta said through clenched teeth.She was sure Nicole had a plan; otherwise, Nicole wouldn't have willingly gone with Lawrence. Not only did Nicole stop her from revealing herself, but she also told her to send a message directing them to come here—there had to be a reason behind Nicole's actions.After thinking for a moment, Jared agreed, "Let's go to the hotel for now."For now, all they could do was wait. Plus, Jared had some things to take care of.Soon, they reached the hotel and got settled. They needed to wait for more news, but they couldn't just sit around; they needed a plan of action.****Meanwhile, Lawrence had made sure Nicole was comfortable, but he didn't take her to his main base. Instead, he chose a small fishing village nearby.The village reminded Nicole of Crescent Island, where they had once lived, but here, it wasn't an isolated island. It was still hard to communicate with the ou
Lawrence knew Nicole would be upset, so he didn't insist she stay. "Alright then, you rest," he said, getting up to leave.He understood she needed time, especially since he could easily control her. He was confident she would give in once Nolan and Lana arrived.As Lawrence walked away, Nicole's expression turned cold. 'Lawrence, you shouldn't have brought Nolan and Lana into this.'Pretending to sleep until the noises outside stopped, Nicole peeked out and saw the guards. They were still there, but they had nodded off, giving her an opportunity.After securing the door, Nicole retrieved her hidden watch and sent a message.****Meanwhile, Doretta knocked on Jared's door. "Nicole sent a message.""Come in," Jared's voice came from inside the room, prompting Doretta to enter, followed by Charlie.Jared stood by the window, gazing outside into the night.Turning at the sound of their entrance, Jared asked Doretta, "Where is she?""Nicole sent her location but said not to rescu
Doretta shook her head. "No, but I believe Nicole is looking for an opportunity, or waiting for the right moment to coordinate with us from inside.""Understood," Charlie nodded, thinking that Nicole might only have a preliminary plan, and the specifics would need to be adjusted based on the situation."Have you arranged everything on your end?" Doretta casually asked Charlie."Yes, I've assigned our most reliable people," Charlie replied.After giving Charlie a serious look, Doretta cautioned, "Be careful when carrying out the mission. Lawrence may seem like a gentleman, but he's actually ruthless."She thought about how skillfully Lawrence had dealt with Everett without raising any suspicion, highlighting his capabilities. Moreover, being on his turf in Mecrounia made him even more dangerous and difficult to deal with.Charlie gave Doretta a thoughtful look. "You be careful too.""Mm," Doretta responded before leaving.As Charlie watched Doretta walking away, his expression b
Seth's eyes narrowed slightly as he inspected the ID; it was fake, confirming his suspicion about the visitors. He returned the ID without revealing his realization and subtly signaled toward a hidden spot with his other hand.They had a team positioned here specifically to ensure Nolan and Lana's safety, determined not to let any potential threat into the kindergarten.A responding whistle came from the hidden spot upon receiving Seth's signal."Now, can I go in?" the visitor asked, visibly growing impatient. The teacher's been gone a while. He knew that if they don't do something soon, they would blow their cover.Anne came back, yelling, "Don't open the gate! The Wi-Fi is working, and there's something off about these people."The visitor frowned. He had hoped to sneak in without causing a scene, but now he saw no other option but to use force.He banged on the gate, frustrated, and told his group, "We'll break in. We have to catch them."With that, four more people got out o
Charlie had wanted to say something, but he stayed silent. He watched as Jared walked away and disappeared from view."What's Mr. Johnston up to?" Doretta asked, puzzled."I'm not sure," Charlie replied with a shake of his head. Deep down, he felt like it had to do with Nicole. It made sense since Jared was really worried about her. Inside, he thought, 'I hope this ends soon. Then we won't have to worry all the time.'Doretta sighed. "Okay, I'll report the updates to Zane too. He's really worried about Nicole.""Did you set everything up for the deployment?" Charlie asked without thinking."It's all set, just waiting for Nicole's signal," Doretta replied."That's good," Charlie seemed somewhat relieved. However, he knew they couldn't relax and had to stay alert for any changes in the situation.****Jared quietly left the hotel and headed to where Nicole was staying. He managed to bypass the guards and entered the room where Nicole was confined."How did you get here!" Nicole