Ch. 261..270

Chapter 261 Kissed

Confused by his question, Nicole’s eyes widened incredulously. What does he mean? Could it be that he likes me?

Her frightening thoughts immediately sent a shiver down her spine. Then, her lips trembled as she asked gingerly, “What do you mean, President Gardner?”

“Nothing.” Colton smiled. “I was just curious about your preferences.”

She didn’t reply to him and he, too, didn’t press her for an answer.

When her feet started to hurt after standing around in her heels, she walked over to the big couch that was there on the balcony.

Colton quietly went along and sat beside her.

Despite the dark of the night, the entire residence was illuminated by bright lights. Unlike the people downstairs who were socializing and enjoying themselves, the duo on the balcony continued to look at each other in awkward silence.

Some time had passed when Colton suddenly stood up and looked down at Nicole. Just when she hadn’t had the time to react, he suddenly lowered his head and planted a kiss right on her lips.

The electrifying feeling on her lips swiftly made her eyes wide again.

However, all he did was give her a small peck before he smiled and left her at the balcony. She didn’t even have time to reject him.

Nicole only snapped back to reality after he was gone. He actually kissed me for absolutely no reason! F*ck…

Her heart was thundering against her chest as she began to wonder whether she had done anything that made him think she was interested in him. She had a baffled expression on her face as she brought her hand up to her lips. She didn’t think that Colton would suddenly kiss her. It’s a sneak attack!

Unbeknownst to Nicole, Joanna was beside the balcony when she witnessed the whole event transpiring. She had seen Colton bring Nicole here and thinking that something could happen, she tiptoed after them.

It surprised Joanna to witness this. What was more, it was Colton who initiated the kiss.

She started balling up her fists when she realized what Queenie said before was true. Although she was previously suspicious of her words, now she believed Queenie.

The man whom she had had a seven-year long one-sided crush on had now fallen for Nicole!

This was the first time Joanna felt a sense of crisis. Colton would show his indifference to anyone and everyone even when Queenie was his fiancée, but she could tell that Nicole had gotten special treatment from the man.

She had quickly hid herself in a corner when he came back into the building from the balcony.

It was either because the room was dark, or that he couldn’t bother spending a second of his time to look over, but Joanna successfully remained undetected.

She only came out after making sure that he had left. Looking at Nicole sitting on the couch, Joanna eventually walked over in her high heels.

Nicole raised her chin slightly when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and when she saw that it was Joanna, her head began to throb again.

She was exhausted with having to deal with what seemed like an endless stream of problems that came one after another. As she sighed to herself, she told Joanna coldly, “Say what you came to say and leave after that. Don’t disturb my peace.”

Joanna thought of the scene she witnessed earlier and her dark eyes fell on Nicole as the corners of her mouth twitched. “How shameful of you to seduce your own sister’s fiancé, Nicole!”

Nicole remained emotionless as she was being accused. Only her eyebrows lifted slightly as she glanced at Joanna. “When did you see something like that? Also, what gives you the right to bark around here about Colton?”

In the face of Nicole’s self-righteousness, Joanna suddenly felt her anger explode.

“Be quick. I don’t like it when people come and bug me,” Nicole said with disdain.

As Joanna calmed herself down, she started questioning, “Why didn’t you say that you had the jewelry from Triton Studio right from the start, and only brought it out before the banquet? Did you deliberately do it to make me look like a clown?!”

 

Chapter 262 There Is an Event

Nicole burst out in laughter when she heard Joanna’s interrogation.

She raised her eyes and looked at the overbearing woman in front of her, and she couldn’t comprehend how Joanna could be so shamelessly complacent about herself.

“Wendy said that she likes my design more, yes?” Nicole stated bluntly.

Joanna might not even have had the chance to make the dress if Queenie hadn’t approached her with that fake gemstone.

“And?” Joanna asked with her lips pursed. She didn’t answer the question.

Seeing her refusal to admit it, Nicole continued with a smile on her face. “Your design is nothing more than the ornament to the jewelry Queenie borrowed. Do you really think that Mrs. Gardner would have chosen your dress if there was no jewelry to begin with?”

Nicole had to explain clearly. It would be annoying if Joanna kept coming at her because of this.

“Wendy would have worn that fake one if I hadn’t gotten Mr. Freeman to bring the pink jewelry. The dress you designed does match the fake, though.”

Fake? Joanna’s body immediately went stiff at that. “Are you saying that the jewelry was a fake?”

From her shocked reaction, it was clear to Nicole that Queenie hadn’t told Joanna the details.

Still smiling gently, Nicole threw out, “You can go ask Mrs. Gardner and see if I am lying to you. Also, you have altered your dress so much to fit the jewelry that it is horrendous. Without the jewelry, I am sure that no one would spare it another glance even if you threw it on the ground.”

Joanna was so angry that even her lungs seemed to throb when she listened to Nicole’s ridicule. However, she couldn’t deny the truth in her words.

She knew how much of a clown she looked like standing in front of Nicole at this moment.

Gritting her teeth, Joanna hissed, “I will get to the bottom of this myself, but Miss Lisa, is this the kind of attitude you should have as a designer? You are making fun of another designer and criticizing my work!”

Nicole wasn’t at all affected by Joanna’s probing. Instead, she stated, “I am an internationally recognized designer, and I served as a judge during the global competition last year. Do you think I am qualified to criticize your work now?”

Not knowing what else she could say, Joanna quickly turned around and went back the way she came from.

Nicole had never thought that the competition between women could be so fierce when she was in F&M Apparel. She had now had the honor to experience it first-hand after returning to the country.

Nicole didn’t even have any intentions toward Colton, but everyone somehow seemed to think that she was trying to get her hands on him.

She finally let out a sigh. Alas, Colton was the reason any of this was happening. She didn’t even know what went through his head when he decided to kiss her out of nowhere.

All that she could do now was hope that time would pass by faster so that she could return to F&M Apparel after two more months.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Wendy suddenly appeared with a smile.

She elegantly lifted the sides of her dress like a real princess.

“I knew you were here, Miss Nicole! I asked Colton just now, but he told me to not disturb you.”

As though she was complaining when she talked to Nicole, Wendy spoke in a displeased tone.

Hearing that, Nicole smiled in return and shook her head. “You are not disturbing me, but why did you come up here? It is your birthday banquet. You are the reason everyone came.”

A mysterious air suddenly surrounded Wendy as she whispered to Nicole, “Let’s go downstairs, Miss Nicole. There will be an event later. Let’s join it together.”

Nicole looked exhausted and even though she didn’t want to go, she didn’t want to make Wendy unhappy by rejecting the girl. After all, it was Wendy’s birthday banquet, and the young lady had even personally invited her.

With a nod of her head, she stood up and said, “Sure.”

Wendy’s face was full of smiles the moment Nicole agreed to it, and she began to drag Nicole along with her as she made her way downstairs.

Right as they were walking down the stairs, Nicole suddenly felt her eyelid jump twice. She let out a frown at that. She had never had something good happen to her after her eyelid jumped.

Chapter 263 An Official Announcement

Wendy pulled Nicole by the hand all the way up on stage.

The Gardners had built a massive stage in the garden in front of the residence, and Anna happened to be giving a speech on stage at the moment.

Benjamin, Olivia, Colton, plus the esteemed guests and representatives from the media were all listening to Anna’s speech from below the stage.

Anna started off with polite remarks, but the more she spoke, the weirder it made Nicole feel.

“As it is Wendy’s birthday banquet today, I would like to take the opportunity to make an announcement—the Gardners are officially welcoming a grandson into our family!”

There was an uproar immediately after the news broke out. Not one person in the audience was calm, and the reporters quickly started clicking away on their cameras.

What exactly was happening?!

A grandson of the Gardner Family?!

Wendy had barely come of age. There was no way Anna would happily make such a scandal public if Wendy gave birth at such a young age.

That left them with only one other possibility, and that was that Colton had a son!

He had only broken things off with Queenie yesterday, but they were announcing that he had a son now?

This was another story that all the reporters eagerly recorded.

Nicole was standing backstage when all this happened. Her body froze and a hint of panic flashed across her eyes. Just what was Anna talking about?

She started to leave, but Wendy quickly stopped her by grabbing onto her.

“Please don’t deny it anymore, Miss Nicole. Richard has already gotten the paternity test result from the hospital. It is confirmed that Hayden is Colton’s son.”

Nicole didn’t spare a moment to think as she blurted out, “But that is impossible!”

There was no way it could be true. If the one she had spent the night with five years ago was Colton…

As Nicole thought about it, she suddenly jerked. She had heard somewhere that Queenie had become Colton’s fiancée exactly five years ago…

Could it be that the one Nicole slept with was Colton and not Joseph?!

Just the thought of that shocked her so much that blood immediately drained from her face.

Anna was holding a report in the air for the audience to see. “The Gardners will officially welcome the child into our home after Wendy’s birthday banquet,” she announced.

This announcement was far more exciting than Wendy wearing jewelry by Triton Studio.

Olivia was the first one whose face fell. As soon as she heard Anna’s words, she jumped out of her seat and turned to yell at Benjamin. “Are you going to let her make a fool of us like that? Since when did Colton have a son? Don’t tell me it is that b*stard child!”

Like Nicole, Colton was also caught off-guard by the announcement his mother suddenly made, but he was obviously displeased when he retorted Olivia for saying those words. “Aunt, Hayden is not a b*stard. It doesn’t matter whose child he is. You can’t say something like that.”

Seeing Colton go against her, Olivia sneered as her expression turned into an angry one. “Look at how rebellious you’ve become! Since when did we become so depraved? Even if the child is yours, I will never let that woman become one of the Gardners!”

Benjamin was also surprised by the news that his wife did not discuss with him prior to the announcement.

With a dark expression, Olivia stomped her way onto the stage and snatched the microphone from Anna.

Anna must have figured something out as she in turn glared at Olivia. Still, it was Wendy’s birthday banquet. They didn’t fight or argue further, and only peered at each other wordlessly.

Anna left the stage after she made her announcement, leaving the upset Olivia by herself. Olivia proceeded to sweep her eyes across the audience before she huffed, “Let’s talk inside. What the hell is going on?! You are going to embarrass our family!”

Worried that Olivia would do something to ruin the happy occasion, Anna didn’t say no to her.

Olivia then got the bodyguards to bring Nicole into the residence as well.

The reporters and invited guests were going to congratulate them at first, but they figured things would escalate for the worse after the huge argument. The Gardners even got their bodyguards to block off the path to the residence.

Wendy might be young, but she was responsible enough to quickly react by going on stage and making an announcement. “It is my birthday banquet today. Since my mother has announced it and the elderly of the family all happen to be here, the members of the family shall have a discussion. You all may ask your questions after they are done.”

Chapter 264 B*stard Child

Nicole had been dragged away by a group of burly men before she could even react. Being the smart person that she was, she could immediately guess what was going on.

As everyone came into the residence, the atmosphere in the living room instantly turned gloomy to the point where it was scary. Olivia’s face was sullen and the instant she saw Nicole coming in, she raised her voice and exclaimed, “I am not going to allow a b*stard child to become one of the Gardners!”

Nicole knew that Olivia was talking about her. After the bodyguards let her go, she reached out and rubbed the soreness in her shoulders. She was still confused by Anna’s sudden and unexpected announcement.

Anna’s expression didn’t look any better than Olivia’s, but her voice went soft when she saw Nicole walking in. “Come over here, Nicole,” she gently ushered.

Nicole hesitated for a moment before she obediently walked over.

Anna took a look at Nicole, and turned to look at Olivia briefly before she said calmly, “Nicole’s child is also Colton’s child. Nicole, we would like to give you an official position in our home if you and Colton aren’t against it.”

Nicole still hadn’t snapped out of her reverie when she heard those words that gave her another shock. She didn’t expect to hear something like that coming from Anna.

Of course, Olivia was unhappy with the offer. She proceeded to noisily stand up and roar, “What right does a promiscuous woman like her have to be one of us?!”

Even though Anna was usually a gentle person, she refused to budge in this matter.

“Olive, you are Mrs. Schumacher now. Why don’t you take care of your family before you stick your nose into ours?!”

“Don’t you take advantage of the situation, Anna. I was a Gardner, and you were a Lowre. You are the outsider here!” Olivia shrieked.

Anna Lowre was Anna’s maiden name before she got married.

Benjamin, who had been quietly thinking off to one side, was getting a headache from watching the two women going for each other’s throat. “Enough! Stop fighting.” He grunted. “It is Wendy’s birthday. Don’t make a scene today.”

Hearing that, Olivia let out a huff and sat down again. “I would have chewed you out if it wasn’t because of Wendy’s birthday banquet. I won’t let that b*stard child into our house as long as I am still alive.”

Nicole’s face had started to darken as she listened to Olivia calling her son a b*stard.

Truth was, she never even thought that her son was related to the Gardners in any way.

“Olivia, I don’t care who you are, but you have no right to call anyone a b*stard. You can’t possibly think that the children you gave birth to are the only ones who aren’t b*stards, can you?”

Nicole stood up, her face frigid.

Olivia couldn’t help but think of her two children who had passed away after hearing Nicole’s words. As pain flashed across her eyes, she squeezed her hands tightly and continued speaking in a tone more disrespectful than before.

“I have seen my fair share of women like you. I am sure you are coveting our property.”

As Colton listened on, he had figured out the reason Olivia was adamant on not accepting Hayden and Nicole. Seeing as to how his aunt relentlessly pushed Nicole, he finally spoke up. “Aunt, this is our family business. You don’t have to concern yourself with it.”

Olivia’s face dropped in an instant, as Colton sounded as though he wanted her out of the picture.

“What are you talking about, Colton? Are you really thinking of bringing a b*stard child into the family?!”

Colton’s eyes dimmed at that. “If Hayden really is my son and Nicole isn’t against it, I would like to give them my name.”

Nicole was surprised to hear that. She didn’t think Colton would be on her side.

Anna immediately looked relieved after Colton said that. She only made the announcement on stage because she could tell that her son liked Nicole.

“What a joke! Don’t you know what kind of woman she is? She sold her body for money five years ago, and she also got into an ambiguous relationship with Zachary Yates from F&M Apparel. God knows what she did to become the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel within two short years! You are now going to let a dirty woman with a dirty past be one of us? Tell me you are joking, Colton!”

Olivia was particularly agitated about this. In her opinion, both sides should come from similar backgrounds to take marriage into consideration. Nicole, on the other hand, didn’t deserve the Garner family name.

Chapter 265 You’d Better Pray It’s Fake

Nicole didn’t get angry listening to Olivia’s evaluation of her. Instead, she let out a hearty laugh.

Not one to take insults lying down, Nicole swiftly rebutted. “I became the Chief Designer at F&M Apparel based on my ability, Olivia. Don’t assume that everyone wants a piece of the Gardners. I honestly don’t give a sh*t.”

With her anger still clouding her judgement, Olivia didn’t believe Nicole at all. “Don’t play innocent with me. I have seen women like you before.”

Nicole narrowed her eyes and with a disdainful look on her face, she lowered her eyes to look at Anna. Her voice was a lot kinder when she said, “I don’t think today is a good day to have a proper discussion. Please have a talk within the family if there is anything. I will drop by again some day.”

It was pointless for Nicole to be here now anyway. The longer she stayed, the more she would argue with Olivia. She was too tired for that.

She swiftly turned around and walked out after saying that.

After she came out of Gardner Residence and was just about to leave, a deranged person jumped out of nowhere and swung their hand at her face. Luckily, Nicole’s fast reflexes brought her two steps back just in time. The palm didn’t land on her face, but the person’s nail had managed to scratch a painful bright red line on her cheek.

“You b*tch!” As thought she had gone crazy, Queenie glared at Nicole with eyes filled with rage. She had guessed that Hayden was the ‘grandson’ Anna mentioned on stage earlier.

After all, she had been keeping an eye out on Colton’s whereabouts for the last five years. It seemed that Nicole was the only woman he had had close contact with five years ago.

Queenie couldn’t believe that she had given her body to a man to attend the banquet only to hear news like this.

“What has got you so worked up?” Nicole asked her with a frown.

“Is your son the child Mrs. Gardner talked about? Can you get any more shameless than this, Nicole? You forged a fake paternity test result to deceive Mrs. Gardner with, and even disrupted the Gardner bloodline. You sl*t!”

Queenie’s eyes had turned red as she wanted to teach Nicole a lesson.

However, Nicole wasn’t one to be trifled with. Looking at the lunatic in front of her, she unhesitantly gave her a slap across her face.

Queenie, who wasn’t as agile as Nicole, took the tight slap right in the middle of her cheek.

The slap had completely made her lose control, and just as she was about to step forward to fight Nicole, the older of the two suddenly said something that made her stop in her tracks.

“Queenie, was Colton the man I spent the night with five years ago?”

Queenie’s head went blank at that moment and she came to a stop.

She didn’t know how Nicole found out, but she was never going to admit it!

“What are you getting delusional for, Nicole? The one you spent the night with was Joseph. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Hearing that, Nicole looked at Queenie thoughtfully. Truth was, she was accusing the latter of something she herself wasn’t sure of. She had thought that she could fish some information out of Queenie, but Queenie turned out to be more defensive than she thought.

“It was around the same time five years ago,” Nicole said calmly. “You somehow became Colton’s fiancée instead of Joseph’s.”

Her cold eyes then fell on Queenie’s face as she tried to read her.

However, Queenie suddenly said with a poise that Nicole had never seen from her, “That is because I saved Colton five years ago!”

Is that so? Nicole looked downward when she heard that.

This was all too messy for her to comprehend. She had only done the deed with the man five years ago, which meant that Hayden was definitely the man’s child.

If Hayden was Colton’s son, that would also mean that Colton was the one she slept with five years ago!

Nicole couldn’t just let this pass without finding out the truth. As she knew that Richard was the one who did the test, she would have to go to Julia and ask her.

Seeing Nicole leaving, Queenie quickly called out to her. “Nicole Anderson, you b*tch! Where do you think you are going?!”

Nicole turned around and threw Queenie a cold glance then. “You had better pray that the paternity test result is a fake one. You know what is going to happen otherwise.”

 

Chapter 266 I Absolutely Won’t Agree

Nicole left immediately after speaking, leaving Queenie by herself.

Queenie’s head was completely blank and she broke out in cold sweat. She had taken all the precautions she could, but she had somehow forgotten to watch out for Anna.

I didn’t even think that Anna would do another paternity test for Colton and that little b*stard!

If only Queenie had known that Nicole was pregnant with a child, she would have told Lydia to keep Nicole as blackmail and kill her after the child was born!

Queenie absolutely couldn’t sit still and do nothing about it. Her lie would be exposed if the Gardners went one step ahead of her and got confirmation that Hayden was Colton’s child. The consequence for lying to Colton for five whole years was not something she could handle!

…

Nicole made a call to Julia after she left the place.

“Nicole? What is the matter?” Julia sounded happy to receive her call. “Did the banquet end early?”

“Julia, where are you? I have something I need to talk to you about face-to-face now.” Nicole only realized how gruff her voice was when she spoke.

Julia had known Nicole way too long to not recognize the change in her friend’s voice.

Worried, she asked, “What’s wrong, Nicole? You sound like something big has happened.”

It was hard for Nicole to speak with the lump in her throat. Nodding, she grunted and muttered, “It is something major.”

With that, Julia immediately sent her location to Nicole, and the latter sped over after she took a look at the navigation.

The Gardner Residence had fallen into silence after Nicole left.

Benjamin first looked at the women who were at silent war with each other, and he shifted his gaze to Colton as he asked for his opinion. “What are your thoughts on this, Colton?”

Colton was still confused about everything. Technically, Queenie was his only woman who he supposedly had bedded after being drugged. He had never touched another woman after the incident. And now, coincidentally, Nicole’s son had reached four years of age. The time frame between both incidents seemed to overlap when he gave it a proper calculation.

“This is my business. I will take care of it,” Colton stated. Even though his heart was heavy after learning about the whole thing, he still put on a nonchalant attitude as he spoke with the elders.

‘What do you mean you will take care of it? This concerns the whole Gardner Family. Your Dad might approve of your decision, but your Grandpa never would!”

Olivia was so angry she even brought Benedict into the conversation.

At the mention of Benedict, Benjamin finally showed a change in his expression as he looked up at Olivia and warned sternly, “Dad is still recuperating. Don’t you dare disturb him!”

Olivia only left out an angry huff before she continued, “I will tell Dad if anyone lets that woman into our family. We will let him be the judge of that!”

Benjamin’s face turned sour almost immediately after hearing that.

Benedict had been diagnosed with a brain tumor a year ago. Given that the tumor was pressing on his cranial nerves and he was an aged man, even an elite medical team couldn’t heal him back to health.

The doctor had also mentioned that Benedict absolutely shouldn’t be distressed. It would be a tough battle for him to live past this year if there was something that upset him.

“Olivia, stop being unreasonable! You know Dad can’t take any shock. Are you doing this on purpose?”

Benjamin’s face was solemn as his voice dropped.

Still, Olivia continued to provoke, “The Gardners will be treated like a joke if you let that woman into the family! Even Dad wouldn’t agree to this!”

Not wanting to stay a second longer, she turned around and tramped away as she reminded, “Better think about it again. Anyhow, I will go tell Dad if any of you let her in!”

Anger was the only emotion written all over Benjamin’s face, but he didn’t lose his temper at Anne. The only thing that changed was his expression that got darker and darker as time went by.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Grandpa has never minded things like this,” Colton reassured.

Noticing the underlying message behind his son’s words, Benjamin squinted and looked at Colton. “You mean you are going to make Nicole one of the Gardners?”

Chapter 267 Impossible for a Mistake to Happen

Colton didn’t answer this question directly. Instead, he turned to look at his mother and asked, “Mom, is this paternity test legit?”

Anna nodded and said in a serious tone, “It is. I asked Richard to do the test. His clinical skills can still be trusted.”

Colton fell silent at that. He knew too well about Richard’s skills as a doctor. Richard was known as a Teen Genius who had acquired a lot of medical knowledge at a young age. He couldn’t have done anything to make a simple paternity test wrong.

If Hayden was Colton’s son, the one he had physical intimacy with five years ago was definitely Nicole. Could it be that it was Nicole and not Queenie who saved me five years ago?!

It was just a fleeting thought that, oddly enough, suddenly brought Colton a glimmer of joy when he thought about it.

“Since you have publicly announced this, Mom, I am sure the public will be keeping a close eye. I need to find out the truth from Nicole.”

Anna couldn’t help but feel satisfied with how Colton was planning to handle this. She thought that every man on earth should at least have a similar sense of responsibility.

Colton paused briefly before he continued, “Mom, no matter if Hayden is my son or not, we should respect Nicole’s opinion on this matter. You shouldn’t reveal her identity without her consent.”

Anna stopped to think after listening to her son’s words. It was only then that she realized she indeed had been inconsiderate about this matter. Even if Colton agreed to it, she should still hear from Nicole whether she was comfortable with the arrangement.

With a nod, she said, “Okay. We will see how it goes after you talk to Nicole. I acted a little too impatient this time.”

Benjamin soon noticed the guilty look on Anna’s face, and he started to comfort her, “Don’t worry about my father. The old man might be stubborn, but he is not someone who cares about social standings, or else he wouldn’t have given his permission to Sal before.”

As soon as he brought up Sal, Anna whipped her head around to look at Colton. She was relieved to see that he seemed unperturbed despite hearing the name.

Discreetly, she poked Benjamin, who only then realized he had mentioned something he shouldn’t have. He changed the subject without missing a beat.

“It is the banquet for Wendy’s 18th birthday today. Let’s stop thinking about all these terrible things for now and spend the day happily. Don’t think about anything else.”

Colton’s expression remained neutral as he nodded and hummed a reply.

…

Nicole had driven all the way to where Julia was at.

As soon as Julia opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of Nicole hurrying toward her. A glammed-up Nicole still had her evening gown on, even though it was partially covered by the jacket over her shoulders.

Julia could tell at a glance that Nicole must have come over straight from the Gardner Residence.

“What happened? Why are you so flustered?” Julia asked while opening the door for her.

“Let’s talk inside.” Nicole didn’t waste time on pleasantries as she wiggled her way into the place.

As Julia closed the door, she saw Nicole take off her shoes and crawl up to the soda.

“Come on, tell me.” She passed her friend a glass of water. “What is it that has got you so nervous?”

Nicole only told her everything that happened at the banquet after she took a sip of the water.

It was Julia’s turn to be surprised. As she listened to Nicole’s story, her eyes widened in shock as a look of disbelief appeared on her face, and her outstretched finger shook uncontrollably.

“You mean Hayden is Colton’s son?!” the woman shrieked.

Nicole looked at a surprised Julia and after taking a deep breath, she gazed at her solemnly while she asked, “Richard was the one who produced the paternity test result. You know him better than I do. What are your thoughts about his skills as a doctor?”

Julia pressed her lips together for a moment before she answered truthfully, “Nicole, Richard is a better doctor than I am. It is not hard to do a paternity test, so it is impossible for a mistake to happen. Furthermore, this is the Gardner Family we are talking about. Richard wouldn’t allow anything to go wrong.”

Nicole had roughly lined all the dots together upon hearing Julia’s words. If the strands of hair used to do the paternity test were genuinely Hayden and Colton’s, the two of them might be father and son after all.

 

Chapter 268 Unthinkable

Julia looked at Nicole’s struggling expression and she reached out to comfort her. “Nicole, don’t be sad. I have heard Richard talk about Colton. Although he is cold, he is a good guy. Don’t worry.”

Nicole remembered Olivia’s words in the Gardner Residence. Olivia was determined not to let Nicole have anything to do with Colton despite Nicole not intending to rely on the Gardner Family.

Nicole shook her head. “I’m not worried about Colton. It is the Gardner Family I’m worried about.”

She did not hide anything from Julia and told everything to her. “The Gardner Family is huge, and their businesses rank high in the world. However, there’s too much drama going on in the Gardner Family, and it is unsuitable for Hayden and I.”

Julia knew what Nicole was concerned about, so she patted her friend’s shoulder and said thoughtfully, “Don’t worry. Just take it one step at a time.”

Nicole gulped and in the end, she voiced out her worries. “If Hayden is Colton’s son, the Gardner Family will not leave Hayden alone. I can’t live without Hayden.”

Julia understood Nicole’s thoughts. For a few years, the mother and son have depended on each other and they had a deep relationship. It was impossible to separate them.

“However, you said Olivia firmly disagrees with you and Hayden entering Gardner Family. You don’t want them anyway, so the Gardner Family won’t force you for now.”

Nicole closed her eyes. Although Olivia’s words hurt, Nicole could fight back because of Olivia’s objection.

Nicole didn’t hate Colton per se, but that didn’t mean she wanted to have anything to do with him.

She didn’t need an outsider’s support to raise Hayden.

“That’s true. There’s nothing much I can do for now.” She frowned because she never thought that the man five years ago was really Colton.

Julia comforted Nicole for a while. Nicole, however, felt a headache coming on, and she came up with an excuse to leave before long. She knew Nicole was in a bad mood, so she did not stop the latter.

When Nicole returned home, Hayden was in Whitney’s arms as the two argued on the couch like children.

Whitney instantly noticed something was wrong when Nicole came back. Although there was not much expression on Nicole’s face, there was a sense of frustration that was being emitted from her.

However, Whitney did not say anything as Hayden was there. She only murmured with a smile, “Nicole, you’re early today. Has the banquet finished?”

Nicole shook her head with a forced smile. “No, the lot of them kept flattering each other and I was tired, so I came back earlier,” she muttered.

Seeing that she was back, he immediately rushed off the couch and waddled over to throw himself at her. Hugging onto her leg, he cutely said, “Mom, you’re so beautiful today. Please take a rest if you’re tired. Don’t tire yourself.”

Nicole had no idea why the tears welled up in her eyes as she heard Hayden’s thoughtful words. She reached out and held her son in her arms. When he was born, he was tiny, so tiny that one would feel he was too small when they held him.

Hayden was born prematurely. Coupled with them being poor, he was raised on a tightrope.

As she had raised him all by herself, she couldn’t imagine how she would live without her son.

She closed her eyes and hugged him. After a long time, she finally calmed down and suppressed her sad expression.

“Hayden, it’s getting late. You have to get up early tomorrow. Whitney will get you all cleaned up and ready for bed, alright? I’m really tired, so I’m going to rest now.”

Hayden nodded obediently with a smile. “Mom, you can rest now. I will behave.”

Nicole nodded. When she turned away from Hayden, she couldn’t hold on anymore and tears began to fall from her eyes. She quickened her pace and hurried to her room.

Chapter 269 Help Me Check

Hayden stared at Nicole’s back for a long time before he looked away. The smile on his face was gone, and then he turned to look at Whitney. “I will rest in my room. I think something happened to Mom. Go ask her about it and tell me later.”

Looking at his clever demeanor, Whitney couldn’t help but say, “Miss Nicole doesn’t want to tell you because she doesn’t want you to worry. Why are you so persistent in knowing what took place, you little brat?”

Hayden’s tender face instantly became dark. He put his hands in his pockets and said coolly, “No one can make Mom sad. If someone does, I will eradicate them.”

His voice and tone were utterly different from that of a four-year-old child. Even Whitney felt a chill go down her spine.

It’s terrifying when this little brat threatens people.

In the end, she nodded and said, “Fine, I understand. I’ll take you back to your room to rest. Then, I’ll ask Miss Nicole what happened.”

The mother-son duo are both the same. They hide their concern and pretend to be happy before each other, but do their best for each other in private.

Such a pity for the errand girl like me.

Whitney sent Hayden upstairs and went to Nicole’s room.

When Whitney entered the room, she found the lights were not turned on. When she got closer, she heard sobbing sounds.

Whitney hurriedly turned on the light and found Nicole sitting on the ground, holding her head in her knees while sobbing softly.

Whitney was stunned, as she had never seen Nicole being this fragile since Whitney joined F&M Apparel years ago. In the end, Whitney squatted down and hugged Nicole.

Nicole felt a warm embrace and she immediately leaned in.

She held back her tears and raised her head to look at Whitney. Her eyes were bright red.

Whitney couldn’t bear to look at Nicole, so she asked in a low voice, “Miss Nicole, what happened?”

“Mrs. Gardner did a paternity test on Colton and Hayden. They are related,” Nicole said without hiding anything.

Whitney was stunned. She knew a thing or two about what had happened before.

“Didn’t you say Hayden is Joseph’s son? Why is he Colton’s now?”

They did a test before and the result showed that Colton and Hayden were not related by blood.

Nicole shook her head. Truth was, she was clueless as well.

I had let Colton do a paternity test with Hayden earlier. However, the result was negative.

At this point, Nicole was confused.

Whitney could understand Nicole. Hayden was raised by Nicole alone. If he was taken away by the Gardner Family, it would kill Nicole.

Whitney whispered soothingly, “Miss Nicole, no matter what, Hayden is your son. No one can take him away from you.”

Nicole sniffed, sadness in her voice.

“I’m not afraid of the Gardner Family taking Hayden away. It’s just that I can’t help but cry when I think of Hayden leaving me.”

Whitney patted Nicole’s shoulder. As the chief designer of F&M Apparel, Nicole had always been confident and dazzling. She had never been so vulnerable.

“Miss Nicole, stop thinking about it. Hayden loves you, so he won’t leave you,” Whitney comforted.

Upon hearing that, Nicole pulled herself together and regained her spirit. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to Whitney, “Whitney, can you check the surveillance of that hotel from five years ago?”

Whitney looked at Nicole and nodded quickly. “Of course. Please be rest assured, Miss Nicole. I will look for it.”

Nicole nodded and calmed down.

 

Chapter 270 Discussion

Whitney didn’t expect Wendy’s 18th birthday party to be so happening. She felt distressed and hugged Nicole.

After crying for a while, Nicole stopped.

Sniffing, she wiped the tears from her eyes and choked out, “I’m alright. You should rest early.”

Whitney was still worried about Nicole. However, she nodded after Nicole forced a smile.

“Okay. Miss Nicole, you can call or knock on the door when you need me. I will always be available.”

Nicole put on a forced smile. Nodding, she murmured, “I understand. You can go now.”

When Whitney left, Nicole pulled herself together. She took a hasty bath and when she came out, she found her phone was lit.

She walked over and looked down at her phone. It was a message from Colton.

‘Nicky, let’s meet tomorrow to discuss today’s event.’

Nicole glanced down at the message and her fingers hovered over the screen. In the end, she lowered her eyes and typed out a response. ‘Okay. I will go to your house tomorrow morning.’

Colton answered, ‘Alright. Good night, rest early.’

Nicole put down her phone. For some reason, her heart was trembling, as if she was nervous about something.

The next morning, Whitney was already downstairs when Nicole came down. Sitting crossed-legged, Whitney was going through her laptop.

It was rare to see Whitney wake up this early.

With a smile on her face, she looked at Nicole and asked, “Miss Nicole, where are you going?”

Nicole was neatly dressed and was going out.

“I’m visiting Colton to discuss yesterday’s event,” she responded.

Whitney was stunned for a while but in the end, she nodded.

“Okay. You can go ahead. I’m checking the surveillance of the hotel that night. However, it was maliciously deleted. It will take a while to get it back.”

Nicole knew that no matter who she slept with, Queenie would still have something up her sleeve. After all, this was an excellent opportunity for her to gain favor.

“Okay. Please take care of Hayden for me. I’ll go now.”

Nicole did not eat breakfast and drove directly to Colton’s house.

As Nicole had stayed at Colton’s house for some time, the security guard at the gate knew her and let her in.

It was barely after 7.00AM when Nicole arrived at Colton’s house, and the sun had not even fully risen.

When she stepped forward and was about to ring the doorbell, she found the door was open. On the other side of the door stood Colton.

The man was dressed casually today. He wore a white pure cotton shirt inside and a gray knitted jacket outside, making him look laid back.

“You’re early.” Colton opened the door with a slight smile and asked casually, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“No. I’m here today to discuss—” Before Nicole could finish her words, Colton interrupted her.

“Let’s eat first. I just made breakfast. Let’s talk while eating.”

She did not know how to continue after being interrupted by Colton.

She glanced at the dining table in his house. There was indeed breakfast, and it seemed it was just freshly made as it was steaming hot.

Smelling the scent in the air, Nicole felt rather hungry.

Colton chuckled at that. He then sat on his seat, thereafter picking up a spoon and started to eat.

Nicole sat beside him and looked at the steaming mushroom soup on the table. She couldn’t help but take a few sips.

After filling her stomach, Nicole got straight to the point. “President Gardner, what do you think about the issue with Hayden?”