Ch. 2696..2700: My Wife Is A Hacker Chapter 2696-2700
MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2696-Patricia immediately understood that what Nicole had said was true. “Alright. I will follow you closely until this is over.”
Patricia promised herself that there was no room for any errors when it came to Nicole’s safety and protection.
“Okay, you can go now,” Nicole said.
“Yes, Ms. Riddle,” Patricia replied as she nodded and left the office.
Nicole leaned back against her seat as her gaze darkened. *1 will not let her get away with this so easily.’ The afternoon sun shone high and bright, and before long, Nicole and Lulu returned to the office from their lunch break.
“Nicole,” a familiar voice sounded from behind.
Nicole halted in her tracks and whirled around to discover that the source of the voice that had called out for her was none other than Lawrence himself.
“When did you return?” Nicole asked with a look of surprise on her face.
“I just landed a while ago and thought of paying you a visit,’ Lawrence replied as he handed two boxes over to Nicole.” Here you go. Some souvenirs for the twins, courtesy of yours truly.”
Nicole reached out and accepted the gifts. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you, Lawrence. Do you want to have a cup of coffee before you go?”
“Sure, why not?” Lawrence replied as he followed Nicole into her office.
“What’s up with the sudden return? Did you manage to sort whatever you were there?” asked Nicole, her tone was polite yet awkward.
“Yeah, it’s to some extent sorted out that’s why I came back, ” replied Lawrence with a calm demeanor.
Lulu suddenly entered the room, holding two cups of coffee in her hands. She shot Nicole a look that asked her if Nicole would need someone to accompany her in the room, “Here is your coffee, please enjoy.”
Nicole shot Lulu a reassuring smile and signaled her not to worry.
Lulu immediately understood and left the office.
Nicole turned to look at Lawrence, “I’m glad you’ve sorted out the things there, I guess you won’t be leaving here for the time being, right?”
The elephant in the room was rather difficult to ignore, as the awkwardness between the both of them was very palpable; both of them were actively trying to keep the conversation alive.
Naturally, Lawrence was able to sense the awkwardness between the two of them. However, he was clear that things between them would never be the same anymore. If anything, their friendship would only continue to experience a downward spiral.
Lawrence gritted his teeth before drawing a deep breath.” To be honest, we don’t have to do this.”
“I think it’s alright,” Nicole said before flashing him a bitter smile.
The strain in their relationship had reached a point where neither of them were able to hold a proper conversation anymore. In fact, it was not easy for the both of them to be sitting in the same room together.
“To be very honest with you, I never should’ve held you back when you wanted to return. Perhaps we would still be on Crescent Island and things would not have been this way now,” Lawrence said, his voice heavy with sorrow and disappointment.
Lawrence was sure that they were fated to meet just so that they could be a part of each other’s lives at one point.
“You should know that it’s not going to make any difference to how things are now,” Nicole pointed out.
‘He should know that even if I had stayed in Crescent Island and never returned to the family I have here, I would still not let anything develop between the both of us. Besides, none of my memories would return if I had stayed there,’ Nicole thought.
“You must know that I’ve never really wanted to put you in danger, Nicole,”
Lawrence pleaded.
There were plenty of things that had happened, and yet he had simply chosen to maintain his silence, even with the knowledge that Nicole would come to discover the truth in the end.
“I know you didn’t have the intention of putting me in danger. However, there are certain things in this world that you can’t and shouldn’t keep in the dark. But you did exactly that, and our friendship paid the price,” Nicole said as she looked Lawrence dead in the eyes.
MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2697-It was then that Nicole and Lawrence knew that this might be the last time the two of them could sit together and converse with one another.
Deciding to mention the days when they were on Crescent Island together before returning to San Joto, Lawrence looked up at Nicole and said, “Regarding the Fire Crest, I owe you a sincere apology.”
Lawrence had always wondered what would have happened if he had told her the truth of the object he wanted her to acquire. ‘Would things have turned out differently than they are now?’ Lawrence had deep regrets in his heart, filled with ‘what if s’ as he knew that the Fire Crest was the chief reason as to why they had fallen out of favor with one another.
“It doesn’t matter really. To be fair, I don’t think you are in the wrong.” Nicole smiled.
Nicole, on the other hand, thought it was normal.
Lawrence’s reason for keeping the truth of the Fire Crest from her was not entirely unexpected, given the fact that he knew she was its bearer.
Lawrence then stared at Nicole with a deep sense of longing in his eyes. “It seems that you really have truly recovered all of your memories. You’re back to who you were once again.”
“Yeah, I’m quite surprised myself too,” Nicole replied before giving him a weak smile.
She herself had not foreseen that she would be able to regain her memories after she had restored her status as the rightful owner of the Fire Crest.
On top of that, not many knew that she had lost her memory or the fact that she was actively trying to recover from it.
‘Lawrence might’ve figured out what had happened based on our conversation earlier. He was just trying to test me,’ she thought.
“Regardless of how it happened, I must still congratulate you for regaining your memories.” Lawrence smiled as if he was genuinely happy for her.
“I’m still the same as I was,” she calmly replied.
Nicole was genuinely indifferent to the idea that she had recovered from her memory loss, something which Lawrence knew too.
Lawrence mustered a weak smirk as he attempted to overcome the resentment in his heart. “Have you sorted things out for the twins?”
“Yeah, all sorted,” Nicole replied.
She did not have any intention of explaining the details to Lawrence, to which he understood and nodded along.
“That’s good to hear.” Lawrence nodded.
He sensed that Nicole was trying to draw a clear line between the both of them. Therefore, he did not press on any further, knowing it would get him nowhere.
After a while, Lawrence bid his goodbyes and left, with Lulu entering the office right after he had made his exit.
“Why did he come here? Why’s he back? Did things not go well in Crescent Island?” Lulu asked with a look of confusion on her face.
‘If things went well back in Crescent Island, he wouldn’t have been back here so soon,’ Lulu surmised.
Nicole raised an eyebrow as she stared at Lulu before nodding along. “Point taken.” Nicole agreed with Lulu. ‘It’s quite strange now that Lulu has brought it up. If his pursuit of the Water Crest really went well, everyone would’ve received some kind of news about it. It’s impossible that he’d give up so easily unless…he has found another way to crack it?’ Nicole lowered her eyes as a flurry of thoughts raced across her mind, and as she stared at her watch, her eyes narrowed. ‘He left for the Water Crest, and he probably might’ve returned because of it. But what exactly is his next move?
What is it that brings him back here?’ “Christ! Don’t get too worried about it. Since things aren’t going his way, him coming back here doesn’t mean it will either,” Lulu comforted as she eyed the somber look on Nicole’s face.
MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2698-Nicole looked up at Lulu before flashing her a wicked smirk. She did not want Lulu to be concerned about the Water Crest, let alone know that Lawrence was searching for it.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. By the way, there is something you should know. The more silent Harvey is, the more things he has up his sleeve. You have to be alert at all times,” Nicole reminded.
“Yes! I will keep my eyes glued onto him,” Lulu said.
Lulu knew that Nicole had a million other things to deal with and among them, Harvey was nothing but a nuisance. She did not want Nicole to waste her time dealing with him and putting up with his crap.
Nicole smiled as she stood up and walked to her desk, and that was when Lulu knew that it was her cue to leave Nicole’s office.
Meanwhile, Lawrence had just gotten into his car after walking out of the headquarters of Riddle Corporation.
“Mr. Royce, how are things with Nicole? Can she be of any help to you?” Ian asked.
Lawrence shook his head. “She won’t be able to help me on this, so I didn’t even manage to bring it up.”
Lawrence knew that even if he were to bring this up to Nicole, she would not be able to help him out.
“What should we do now? If she can’t help us, who will be able to?” Ian asked.
Other than Nicole herself, both Lawrence and Ian could not think of any other individual on this planet who could help them unlock the Water Crest.
“Let’s think of something.” Lawrence sighed.
He had come this far, so he could not give up now, at least not yet.
“There is…,’ Ian paused as he looked at Lawrence with anxiety brimming in his eyes.
“Mr. Royce, I must inform you that someone was there to stop me from kidnapping the twins,” Ian stammered.
“What do you mean?” Lawrence asked as his eyes narrowed. ‘Who would dare to get in my way?’ “I couldn’t find any useful information about that person. Every time I tried, I would end up in a dead end. It was as if someone had deliberately altered all the info about him,” Ian explained.
Lawrence immediately had a hunch that it was all Nicole’s doing. “Forget about it. Don’t look further into this anymore.”
Then, it struck him that this was probably why Nicole had drawn the line today when he asked her about the twins. At that moment, everything began to make sense to him.
‘There’s no use trying to look into this anymore. We’re aware that Jared Johnston might be the one behind all of this. It’s all good as long as the twins are safe and sound. Looking too deep into this will not benefit me in any sort of way,’ Lawrence thought.
“Just drive,” Lawrence ordered.
Then, Lawrence sighed as he leaned back against his seat. He looked out the car window, spaced out as he knew that his friendship with Nicole was becoming strained.
‘I have to do something about it…,’ he thought.
Once the sun began setting on the horizon, Nicole got off work and gazed off at the crimson star in the distance with a smile on her face.
Upon noticing that Jared had already arrived, she rushed up to him and brought herself into Jared’s arms.
“Have you waited for a long time?”
“No,” Jared replied as he led Nicole to the car.
“Let’s go home after we have picked the twins up. Mom has informed us that Stanley has been discharged from the hospital, and that everyone’s going to be there,” Nicole said after sitting down.
Nicole could already imagine how lively the house would be with everyone present at home for the family gathering.
Jared nodded and ordered Max to drive. After they had picked the twins up from preschool, the family of four headed to the Riddle residence together.
MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2699-As soon as they arrived at the Riddle residence, Nicole found that her expectations were met. The house was indeed very lively.
Sally Kane had also shown up with a bloated belly and to Nicole’s surprise, Cherry Jean was also present.
“Everyone’s here now so let’s head over to the dining room. We’ll begin our dinner shortly,” Gloria announced.
Everyone nodded, made a beeline for the dining room, and took their seats next to each other. In no time, the dining room was filled with chatter and laughter again.
Gloria and Daniel sat on the opposite ends of the long dining table across one another while the rest sat facing each other.
As for Lulu, she took a seat next to Nicole and whispered,” What’s up with her voice? Is Stanley really going out with her?”
As obvious as it was to everyone, it was a family dinner. Therefore, it was surprise that Stanley had brought Cherry Jean over for dinner.
‘Is this a way of telling everyone that they’re now official?’ Nicole wondered.
“I’m not so sure about it either.” Nicole frowned. ‘Is it possible that something has developed between the two of them while he was hospitalized? I knew that she went to visit him but I’m not quite sure of the details.’ Everyone around the room exchanged looks with one another, confused.
Meanwhile, Tia was also present at the dinner table. She was silent with her head lowered the entire time. She had a certain look to her face which made it hard for everyone to read her.
“Now, since everyone is back, let’s have a toast to Samuel and Spencer who just came back from their honeymoon, and to Stanley who has just gotten discharged from the hospital. Let’s celebrate this moment together,” Daniel cheered in an attempt to “Stanley being safe and sound is already the best news the family can receive,’ Steve added as he picked his wine glass up and raised it.
“Let’s toast to Stanley’s discharge from the hospital!”
Then, everyone picked their glasses up and clinked them.
“Stanley, care to share a word or two?” Samuel suggested, and winked at Stanley before gesturing at Cherry.
Stanley immediately understood what Samuel was trying to do. “Her name is Cherry.”
“I know that her name is Cherry, but is that all?” Samuel teased, trying to pry for more information that would indicate that she was Stanley’s new flame.
Stanley darted a glance at Tia, and it was then he noticed that Tia had not looked up at all.
After gritting his teeth for a second, Stanley replied, “She’s my girlfriend.”
“See, that’s more like it,’ Samuel said with a smile.
Samuel then turned to look at Gloria. “Mom, it seems that your blind dates are working out well.”
“I guess so. We shall see if this brother of yours is able to settle down. Only then will I be able to rest easy,’ Gloria replied as she looked at Tia.
“Tia is next on my list,” she added.
As expected, Tia perked up at the mention of her name.
She looked at Gloria with awkwardness written all over her face and shook her head vigorously. “Ma’am, I’m not in a hurry to get married at all.”
“What did you call me?”
“Daniel, Gloria,” Tia answered, though she was still uncomfortable calling them by their first names.
“Don’t ever say that you’re not in a rush. Everyone in this household cares about you and you’re the only one left without a partner, so naturally, the spotlight is on you now,” Gloria informed before giving her a kind smile.
‘If Stanley chooses to be with Cherry, I will have no objections to it. However, I’ll have to be more attentive to the minor details in Tia’s case,’ Gloria thought to herself.
On the other hand, Tia was biting her lip and thinking to herself, ‘It feels like…I’m a part of this family…’ Tia’s heart skipped a beat, as she saw how she was getting special treatment from the Riddle family. However, she was still grappling with feelings of inferiority, seeing how she was not a match for Stanley.
‘I guess all I have to do is give him my blessings now that he has someone he genuinely likes,’ Tia thought.
For once, she felt that she belonged somewhere, as the Riddle family was treating her like she was one of their own.
MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2700-“Gloria, there’s really no need to,” Tia, who was helpless, pleaded.
Everyone in the Riddle family really cared about Tia and was doing this for her sake. On top of that, Tia had been with the family for a really long time and had taken care of Mrs.
Wallace Sr. for nearly a decade now. Something about leaving her to be single for the rest of her life just did not sit well with them.
Stanley narrowed his eyes at Tia as a heart wrenching feeling gripped his heart.
“I know you have feelings toward her,” Cherry whispered to Stanley.
Everyone in the room could sense that Stanley had reserved a soft spot for Tia in spite of the fact that he had announced Cherry as his official girlfriend now.
At a loss for words now, Stanley turned to Cherry and frowned.
‘Why do I feel like I have done something wrong?’ Stanley wondered.
Cherry saw right through him and patted his arm to comfort him. “Hey, hey. Pipe down, would you? You don’t want to let all of your previous efforts go to waste now, do you?”
“Mom, I think it’s better to wait for a moment before you set Tia up on blind dates. Perhaps you should let nature take its course first.” Lulu suggested with a smile on her face, trying to persuade Gloria out of it.
“Well…that’s true. It’s just that Tia’s always at home every day. I guess she can go out and mingle around every now and then to make more friends,” Gloria thought out loud.
“This can easily be solved. Since everyone is already familiar with her at the wedding, we can have her attend our company dinners!” June chimed in.
“That sounds like a great idea!’ Gloria agreed as she looked at Lulu and June.
“It’s great that you girls are in the same generation. You can hang out often together too!”
“Yeah, that way, Tia will have more opportunities to meet more friends,” Mrs.
Wallace Sr. agreed, speaking up for the very first time.
Tia was still a young woman, and being confined at home all day was not something anyone her age should be doing. Everyone in the Riddle family agreed that it would be better for Tia to go out more often.
Tia, however, was adamant. She had initially wanted to protest, but it was too late. Everyone in the Riddle family had made up their minds about it and was already enthusiastically discussing a schedule to have Tia go out and socialize.
“Thank you, Lulu and June,” Tia said in embarrassment.
Lulu and June giggled and waved it off. “Oh, hush. It’s nothing!”
And just before dinner was served, the dining room was nothing short of lively again.
As everyone was eating happily, Sally suddenly announced,” Hey, everyone.
Could you please excuse me? I’m done eating for the day.”
Everyone around the room immediately became concerned and began asking questions.
“Are you okay?”
“Is the food not to your liking?”
In response, Sally shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I don’t usually eat a lot and I’ve eaten more than I usually do…”
“Yeah, I can vouch for that. She’s got a small appetite,” Steve explained.
With that, the room immediately was filled with ‘Oh’s’ and sighs of relief.
“I’ll go ahead and accompany the twins,” Sally said as she excused herself and made her way to the living room.
As she entered the living hall, she saw that the twins were completely immersed in the TV show they were watching.
Meanwhile, at the dining room, Gloria went on to shoot Steve a stern look.
“Don’t get too busy with work and please remember to take care of Sally. You hear me?”
“Yeah, I know, Mom. Don’t worry about it. I know what I’m doing. I’m being assigned less work these days. I’ve got to thank Sean and Jane for that. They’re working twice as hard because of that now,” Steve replied.
It was expected, as cutting back on Steve’s workload meant that Sean and Jane would have theirs doubled. They would have to do what he could not.