Ch. 2041..2045: My Wife Is A Hacker Chapter 2041-2045

Chapter 2041

'What Jared said makes sense,' Nicole thought to herself as she accepted the reality of the situation and followed Jared into the restaurant.

The restaurant's ambience instantly relaxed Nicole as she allowed herself to sink into the atmosphere.

As soon as Jared sat down, he heard someone calling out to him in a tone of surprise.

"Mr. Johnston!"

Soon, an attractive looking woman stood before them. Jared shot her a glance before taking a look at the menu and handing it to Nicole.

"Order whatever you feel like eating. The dishes here should fit your palate," Jared said.

Nicole flipped through the menu, though she could not keep her mind from wandering off to the thought of the woman she had just met. 'Who is the girl? It seems that they are pretty close to each other, but she isn't in his list of contacts. There's no reason as to why that is, unless she's not important.'

"Mr. Johnston, who is this?" the woman asked, noticing that Jared seemed to be really concerned about the woman sitting in front of him.

'I've been around Jared quite frequently for the past five years, but never have I seen another woman like her around him, let alone one whom he would display so much affection to. This is interesting,' the woman thought.

"My wife," Jared coldly replied.

"You're married? How was I not aware of that?" she asked, her startled voice becoming louder.

In response, Jared frowned, and a hint of irritation crossed his eyes. "Just do your job properly. There's no need for you to poke your nose into my personal affairs."

The woman quickly snapped out of it, and with her face as pale as a sheet, she apologized, "I'm sorry, I was just a little perplexed earlier. I shall excuse myself now."

After she had spoken, the woman quickly turned around and left, not wanting to stay in the room for a second longer in fear of provoking Jared's ire.

The woman was in shock when she discovered the truth about Jared being married, hence her inability to keep herself composed, leading her to blurt the question out by accident. Jared had never permitted anyone to discuss the matters of his personal life, not even in private. It had become an unspoken rule, which had seen unanimous understanding among the employees at Johnston Group.

'I've been in this company for five years, and I've been by his side for the longest time. Yet, I have never seen him with a woman by his side or heard mentions of him being married. He didn't even have a girlfriend, so where did this 'wife' of his come from?' the woman thought to herself.

As she reached for the door, she turned back and glanced at Nicole while gritting her teeth. Then, she left.

After Nicole had finished ordering, she gave Jared a slight glance, "Admirer?"

"Administrative secretary," Jared explained.

'Iris is great at her job. Doesn't talk much and has worked for us for quite some time now, but to be my admirer…?' Jared thought to himself.

He was uncertain if it was true, but he did not put it to heart, as he was over the moon upon noting Nicole's jealousy.

A hint of playfulness was present in Jared's eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "Why? Are you jealous?"

Nicole looked away awkwardly. "Who? Me? Jealous? As if."

"Really?" Jared raised his eyebrows a little.

A playful glint was present in his eye as he looked at her.

Nicole felt shy as Jared had seen right through her.

She lowered her head and stared at the menu while muttering, "Well, your business has nothing to do with me."

"Nothing to do with you? You're my wife. Though it's possible that she's one of my admirers, aren't you supposed to tell them to knock it off?" Jared chuckled, noticing that Nicole was avoiding any attempts to discuss the topic.

"Stop. Don't go around telling people that I'm your wife when this matter has yet to be resolved," said Nicole.

'Until my memories have been fully recovered, there will be no definite way of telling what's to come,' Nicole thought.

"We have a marriage certificate, so you are my legal wife," Jared smiled. 'And this will never change.'

 

Chapter 2042

"That's just your opinion."

Nicole's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, unable to muster an appropriate response to Jared's words. She was afraid that he would continue to tease her.

Nicole had noticed the stare of the woman when her eyes were on Jared, inferring that they did not share an ordinary superior and subordinate relationship. Nicole was uncomfortable about it, and that was why she had brought it up to question. However, Nicole did not anticipate that Jared would laugh at her and accuse her of being jealous, a charge which had left her feeling embarrassed.

'Perhaps I'll be able to validate the truth of our relationship the day I recover my memories, but then again, I don't really care about these things. Until then, I can help him lessen his number of admirers,' Nicole thought.

Jared, on the other hand, was in a good mood even after dinner was over.

'Though Nicole did not directly admit that she was jealous, I can see that she still has feelings for me. So far so good. Looks like we're making progress,' Jared thought.

The two of them then returned to Riddle's residence.

"Mommy, did you go on a date with daddy?" Lana joyfully rushed over at full speed as soon as Nicole entered the living room.

Noticing that her parents were watching TV with both Nolan and Lana, Nicole asked, "Mom, Dad? Why are you guys still awake?"

"Nolan and Lana wanted to wait for you guys to come home. It's still early so we decided to watch some TV to kill time while we wait for you guys to come home," Gloria replied with a smile.

"Mommy, how was the date with daddy?" Lana raised her head.

She was the one who had insisted on waiting for her parents to come home.

Nicole patted Lana on her head and corrected her. "It's not a date. Mommy and daddy had adult things to deal with, so we had to come home a little late."

Lana, being the clever girl she was, turned to ask Jared, "Daddy, did you and mommy go on a date? Mommy doesn't want to admit it."

The corners of Nicole's lip twitched a little as she helplessly warned, "Lana?"

'This girl is getting more and more out of control,' Nicole thought.

Jared smiled and nodded as he agreed, "Yeah."

Satisfied, Lana smugly raised her chin. "I knew it."

"You don't know anything, stupid." Nolan snorted in dismay before trotting his way upstairs.

Nicole sighed when she saw Nolan reacting that way. She then gave Jared a blank look, hoping that Jared would be more considerate toward Nolan's feelings.

'There are things that can only be accepted with the passing of time. On top of that, he told the kids that we went on a real date instead of a casual dinner together,' she thought.

"He will have to accept it sooner or later." Jared frowned, feeling that he should not be hiding this from them.

'The kids have the right to know. Not to mention I am their father, and we will be living together from now on anyway,' he thought.

"Mommy, I'm not stupid. Nolan is." Lana pouted.

'Mommy should be with daddy. He is stupid for being angry,' Lana thought.

"Alright, it's almost time. Since you guys are back, you can put the kids to bed." Gloria said, signaling Nicole to go ahead and console the young boy.

She felt sorry for Nolan, but she also agreed with Jared's reasoning.

After that, Jared carried Lana in his arms and said, "Right. Off we go to bed."

Chapter 2043

Nicole watched as Jared brought Lana upstairs in his arms. She bit her lip before following them up from behind.

After everyone had left, Gloria sighed and worriedly asked, "Will Nolan be alright?"

"No," Daniel comforted. "But he'll eventually realize that it is best to have both of his parents together."

Gloria nodded a little, not expecting Nolan to have such strong feelings of rejection toward Jared.

"Let's not think about it anymore. Let's go to bed," Daniel suggested.

"Okay, let's go."

Daniel and Gloria then went upstairs to get their rest. The once lively atmosphere had suddenly become gloomy. Daniel had noticed that Gloria was upset, and that was why he had changed the subject in an attempt to calm her down.

The next day, the sun shone bright and high in the sky. The members of the Riddle family were awake and had gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Nolan seemed to be feeling much better too, which was a relief for Gloria.

After breakfast was over, both Nicole and Jared sent the twins to kindergarten.

"Bye mommy! Bye daddy!" Lana bade her parents farewell with an affectionate tone in her voice.

"Bye mommy! Bye Uncle Jared." Nolan followed suit, though he deliberately addressed Jared by the title of 'uncle', and in a louder volume than usual too.

Jared frowned at him. 'This little brat.'

Overall, Jared was quite relieved that Nolan was being respectful. However, he found his action a little worrying.

After sending the kids off to kindergarten, Jared dropped Nicole off at the Riddle Corporation. He watched her as she walked in, the smile in his eyes gradually dissolving before his poker face returned.

"Mr. Johnston, there's someone tailing Mrs. Johnston," Max reported in a low voice.

Jared's eyes narrowed, and his voice became icy as he asked, "Who is it?"

"I've checked, and though there was no concrete evidence to determine who it was, all of the clues point to Everett. I am certain that it was him who had given the orders," Max replied.

Jared was not surprised. After all, Mr. Walker had just been sacked by Nicole, severing Damien's influence at the HQ completely. It would be impossible for them to go down in shame and without a fight.

"Keep an eye out on them. Make sure they don't lay a finger on Nicole." Jared's eyes became icy, almost as though they could freeze hell over.

"No worries, Mr. Johnston. I'll get right on it," Max said.

The car revved and Jared made his way to the Johnston Group's head office.

As soon as he arrived, Iris, his administrative secretary, was already there waiting for him with all of the meeting materials prepared.

Iris knew that Jared would not lie about things like that. However she still felt curious about Nicole, who had appeared out of nowhere.

For the past five years, Iris was the only woman who had been by Jared's side. She had done her utmost to work alongside Jared in hopes of becoming his most competent subordinate so that he would notice her and allow her to stay by his side forever. In the years thus far, there was no one around who was able to displace the synergy and bond that they had both shared, but the sudden appearance of Mrs. Johnston had caused Iris to feel out of place.

"Miss Brown? Let's go," a voice suddenly uttered, derailing Iris' train of thought before she realized that Jared had walked far up ahead.

She immediately lowered her head and followed him from behind.

Max glanced at Iris and frowned. 'She's been working with us for five years and has never made such mistakes. What's wrong with her today?'

 

Chapter 2044

Jared had not paid any attention to the incident outside of the building and had walked in the meeting room fully prepared.

At the Riddle Corporation however, Nicole was leaning against her office chair, staring at the door where the secretary once stood. She bit her lip as she recalled the incident involving the secretary from the night before.

Nicole was certain that her instincts were on point, as all it had taken her was one look to discover that the secretary's intentions toward Jared were devious. 'Or…perhaps Jared already knew about it…'

Nicole was feeling disturbed as she attempted to piece all that was running through her head.

But it was then that her phone rang, interrupting her train of thought. It was Lawrence.

Seeing this, Nicole answered the call. "Leo."

"Mom, it's me," Nolan greeted over the phone.

"Nolan!" Nicole was bewildered. 'How can Nolan call me on Lawrence's phone?'

"Mom, my tummy hurts so I've asked godfather to get me. You can come pick me up at the restaurant during lunch. We'll send you the address later," Nolan quickly said, and hung up so that Nicole could not protest.

"Hello….?" Nicole shook her head as she was left with the beeping of the phone on the other end, 'This brat.'

'No wonder he was so perky last night. After his tantrum, he went to bed obediently. During the morning too, I thought he had accepted the reality of things but who could have expected that it was all an act to

get me to let my guard down. Who knew that brat had called Lawrence as soon as he arrived at kindergarten,' she concluded.

Nicole placed her phone down and sighed, before typing up a message to Lawrence, in which she asked them where they were so that she could rush over.

Nicole then received Lawrence's reply, and that was when she saw that they were actually at the amusement park. 'Didn't this brat say that he had a stomachache? Amusement parks are more effective than seeing doctors now, huh?'

Nicole left the Riddle Corporation for the amusement park after she had settled her work. She saw Nolan's cheerful and smiling face and could not help but feel a little sorry for him. After all, the recent happenings were all on her.

'I've never seen him smiling so genuinely since our return.'

"Mommy, you're here!" Nolan jumped up happily as soon as he had gotten off the pirate ship.

Nicole poked Nolan's forehead, and warned, "You are not allowed to lie to me again in the future, do you hear me? Don't you know how worried everyone was about you?"

"When mommy wasn't around, I really had a bad tummy ache," Nolan argued.

"Why didn't you go to the doctors instead of coming to the amusement park, then?" Nicole retorted.

"I took him there. He had one too many cold drinks. The doctor told him to be more careful in the future and that he should not be given too many cold drinks," Lawrence butted in with a smile.

"Cold drinks?" Nicole said with a look of puzzlement.

'How can he drink cold beverages? They're all strictly limited at home,' she wondered.

Nolan scratched his head in guilt. "I got up last night and snacked a little."

Nicole gave Nolan the side eye, suspecting that Nolan had done it on purpose. Nicole knew that Nolan was well-aware that he could not drink cold beverages. Thus he had snuck his way down in the middle of the night to indulge in copious amounts of cold, canned drinks, causing his tummy to hurt.

Nicole was a little upset that Nolan had not sought her, Jared or even her parents. Instead, he had gone to Lawrence. This gave her mixed emotions as she turned to look at Nolan.

"I'll let you go this time, but I need to know that there won't be a next time," Nicole sternly said.

Nicole was well-aware of the lengths Nolan had gone just to see Lawrence. Above all, she was concerned that he had placed his health at risk in order to achieve that. It was something Nicole would not allow to repeat.

"I know, mommy." Nolan obediently agreed upon noticing the seriousness on his mother's face and resolved not to behave so recklessly in the future again.

"Since you're all fine, let's head back to kindergarten," Nicole said as she was ready to send him back.

Though Nolan was reluctant to return to the kindergarten, he did not dare to defy his mother, as he had seen the degree of seriousness on her face. So, he lowered his head and half-heartedly followed her.

Chapter 2045

Lawrence was also unwilling to see Nolan go, but when he remembered that they had made a promise with one another. Lawrence spoke up. "Why not let him play for a while to his heart's content, I mean, since we're already here, we can go for lunch too; I've already made reservations. If he can't go, it'll just be the two of us."

Lawrence's sudden statement caused Nicole to hesitate. 'In situations like these, especially if he and I were to go out for a meal, it would be best for Nolan to be there.'

"Alright then." Nicole agreed in defeat.

"Yay!" Nolan cheered, instantly looking happier.

Nicole shook her head and issued a soft sigh before walking alongside Lawrence to bring Nolan back to the amusement park again.

"He hasn't looked this happy in such a long time." Lawrence sighed as he saw the look of joy on Nolan's face.

"Before this, all I ever wanted to do was to protect them. I didn't want to put them in danger. However, what I didn't consider was that Nolan would go behind my back to participate in the hacking competition. Things spiraled beyond my control when that happened, and ever since then, there has been no turning back. I can only accept things as they come," Nicole solemnly said.

Nicole understood Lawrence's intentions, and that his remark was not intended just for Nolan. It also stood as a reminder that living on Crescent Island was more suitable and comfortable for them. It was a place where they were able to live free from all constraints.

Before coming back to San Joto, Nicole was not aware of anything at all; she had no idea about the different lives she could have and had been, but now that she knew, there was no going back. The

responsibilities and obligations Nicole had acquired following her return were indications that she could no longer shy away from it. All her friends and family that were here had created anchors of attachment for Nicole that were almost impossible for her to ignore and disregard.

"I know that once you've made a decision, there's no going back, but I just want to remind you that you're always welcome to come to me anytime if there's anything you need, even here in San Joto, I'll lend you a hand whenever you need it," Lawrence solemnly replied in consideration of what Nicole had just stated.

"Thank you so much for your constant help and care for all those years, Leo. I hope these things won't hold you back from getting married and having children of your own. Besides, there is a lot to take in whenever one comes to San Joto, and there are definitely things to deal with, but for me, I'll be fine," Nicole said as her expression darkened.

'As for the constant changes, I best be tackling them one by one,' she thought.

Lawrence could not help but feel helpless as he reminisced the times in which he had helped her with her children on the island. 'Her attitude toward me now is so cold. Though she had thanked me for saving her life, she had done so out of courtesy as a friend. Perhaps she could've been mine if I waited out a little longer but now, the distance between us is getting wider. I guess this is what I have been afraid of. The end results that I've least hoped for.'

"Mommy, godfather. Let's go!" Nolan happily ran over to the two of them after a while of playing.

"Come on, it's almost time for lunch anyway. Nolan, you must be hungry from all the running, right?" Lawrence suggested.

Nolan nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, I'm starving."

"How could you still play if you're starving?" Nicole said, feeling helpless.

"It's rare for both mommy and godfather to bring me out to play," Nolan giggled, grinning ear to ear.

It was evident that Nolan had accepted Lawrence more as the father figure in his life.

Nicole bit her lips lightly as she understood where Nolan was coming from, but she did not respond in fear of dragging this topic longer than she desired to. 'I don't know why this brat said it out loud. He has really put me on the spot.'

Nicole fastened Nolan to the car seat, and before long, they were on their way to the restaurant. Once they arrived, they were quickly ushered to their seats as Lawrence had made reservations. Their meals were served in the same fashion too.

"Wow. This is delicious." Nolan's eyes lit up as he watched the food being served.

He was starving from all the running in the morning.

"Dig in." Lawrence smiled affectionately as he gestured at the boy to help himself.