Ch. 1851..1860

Chapter 1851

The people in the hall were all whispering.

They all witnessed how enthusiastic and clingy this woman was to Ian earlier.

However, no one dared to be nosy, except for Yvette.

Yvette deliberately laughed and said, “Wait, weren’t you trying to cling onto Ian earlier?”

The girl’s face was stiff and glum. She was frightened by Riley’s cold and stern gaze and cowered for a moment.

“Get out here!” Riley yelled.

The girl had no choice but to get up obediently.

She had no right to refuse.

Riley had just taken two steps outside when he suddenly thought of something. He then walked up to Nicole and thanked her seriously.

“If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve been cheated to death by this woman. Thanks!”

Nicole raised her eyebrows. “You’re welcome.” Her initial purpose was not for Riley, but for Ian.

When the delicate girl saw this scene, her eyes which

were filled with hot tears looked a little shocked. She suddenly ran over and yelled at Nicole.

“You’re the one who told him! You betrayed me! You liar!”

She was about to rush up and attack Nicole, but Nicole subconsciously took a step back.

Ian, who was next to Nicole, could not help but step forward to grab the girl’s arm and pushed her away.

The girl did not stand still and fell to the ground. She felt humiliated when she saw Ian pushing her away and began to cry.

“You guys are too much! You’re all bullies! I’m going to expose you all!”

Ian beckoned for the two bodyguards to come in. ‘throw her out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Initially, Ian wanted Riley to solve the problem by himself, but Riley was not only brainless. He was also useless.

The bodyguards carried the girl by each arm and headed out without another word.

It was useless no matter how much she struggled or cried.

The large banquet hall finally quieted down.

Ian glanced at Riley. “Why are you still standing here? Get out.”

Riley felt guilty and touched his nose. He then turned around and left.

He had to get rid of that woman first.

The director breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled at the others.

‘this is a misunderstanding. She’s just a crazy person. It’s Mr. Carter’s birthday today, so it’s best not to spread this matter and cause unnecessary trouble.”

After all, the cast and crew who attended this banquet were accounted for.

Once news of this leaked out, it would not be difficult to find out who did it.

Who would want to offend the director and Ian?

Everyone immediately dispersed as if nothing had happened.

Compared to what happened just now, the small quarrel between Kirsi and Lorelai at the beginning was nothing.

Lorelai sheepishly turned off her phone. She instantly stopped herself from wanting to post this online.

The director’s warning was clear as day, and she was not that stupid.

Ian loosened his collar and walked up to Nicole. “Are you alright?”

Nicole nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Did you get him to come? How’d you know...” Ian spoke mid-sentence. He did not even want to

mention that woman.

Nicole laughed. “It was a chance encounter. That woman didn’t know that I lost my memory, so she told me everything. This time, I decided to ask Riley to come over.”

Ian breathed a sigh of relief and laughed leisurely. He pointed at Nicole.

“This made me so upset all night! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Nicole smiled and spoke.

“She asked me not to tell Riley, and I didn’t know that she’d come back to you.”

Who knew that this woman was so thick-skinned? Yvette smiled meaningfully.

“Carter, you’d better polish your eyes. If a few more of these women come to you like this, you’ll sooner or later lose your family fortune!”

Julie was not that interested. “Yeah, it’s all thanks to Nicole this time. Otherwise, that woman will pester you to death!”

Ian felt guilty and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not familiar with her. At first, I hired her for $2000 just to act as my girlfriend just to cope with the blind dates. Who knew that she was so immersed in the role?"

Several people looked at each other and speechlessly exchanged a glance.

Chapter 1852

Kirsi coughed at the side.

“Mr. Carter, you should find a professional to act. Next time, you can look for me. Although my appearance fee is expensive, I provide good after-sales service.“

Everyone was amused by Kirsi’s words and laughed out loud. The tense atmosphere earlier disappeared.

Ian agreed. “Great! I’ll definitely hire you next time no matter how expensive it is!“

Everyone joked and laughed until the end of the party. After all, it was Ian’s birthday.

The crew also arranged a final cake cutting session.

Although everyone was not that interested, they could not refuse since it was out of good intentions.

The lights were turned off, and the surroundings dimmed. Only the dim wall lights set the mood.

Everyone began to sing the birthday song, and Ian’s eyes were tinged with delight.

After they finished singing, the director shouted from the side. “Make a wish!“

Ian smiled, closed his eyes to hide the faint joy in his eyes, and seriously made a wish.

Nicole and Julie also glanced at each other. Both of them were a little emotional.

They all grew up together. In the blink of an eye, they were all grown adults.

Who would have thought?

Now, they are still together to witness each other’s important milestones in life.

Ian put down his hands, loosened his collar, and smiled. “I’m done!”

After he said that,    someone came up next to him and pressed his head into the cake from behind. The lights lit up in an instant.

Everyone stared in shock.

Even if it was hilarious, who would dare to do this to Mr. Carter?

In the next second, Ian’s head sank into the cream. The banquet hall turned silent.

Afterward, Yvette’s bright laughter rang out. “Happy birthday!”

In the next second, everyone laughed.

Ian lifted his head speechlessly. He felt embarrassed.

Only Yvette, Julie, and Nicole would dare to joke with Ian like this.

Ian laughed lightly. When Yvette was laughing smugly, he suddenly picked up the cream and smeared it on her face.

Yvette was anxious, angry, and at a loss. The two laughed happily. Everyone followed suit and made a toast.

Nicole and Julie laughed and took a few steps back, not wanting to be the center of this food fight.

At some point, Kirsi stood next to them.

She asked in a puzzled tone, “Has Mr. Carter always been like this?”

Julie smiled in response. “He’s always been like this. He’s even naughtier before. He’s always the one who got the few of us into trouble.”

Kirsi tilted her head in thought. No one knew what she was thinking about.

The Ian Carter in front of her and her impression of the unsmiling Ian Carter did not seem like the same person.

The banquet ended, and everyone went back to their own homes.

Clayton came to pick Nicole up.

Ian washed his face several times, but it was still not clean.

Yvette and Ian were both staring at each other, unwilling to compromise. They were in a stalemate until the end.

Lance was delayed because of traffic. When he came to pick Yvette up, he saw these two people glaring at each other. He then speechlessly dragged Yvette away.

Ian was just about to take his keys and leave when he heard the sound of high heels coming from the side, followed by a familiar voice. “Mr. Carter, happy birthday!”

It was Kirsi.

He narrowed his eyes. “Thank you. You haven’t left yet?”

Kirsi shook her phone. “You’re welcome. Why don’t you send me back? My manager had a family emergency and went back home.”

Ian was hesitant to send a stranger home in the middle of the night.

However, Kirsi was not really a stranger.

Kirsi laughed. “Are you afraid that you’ll be at a disadvantage? Mr. Carter, everyone says that you’re flirtatious and affectionate. Why are you like a scared little rabbit when it comes to me?”

Ian was stunned. His charming eyes were curved. “If you’re not scared, what should I be afraid of? Let’s go. My driver’s outside.”

“Driver?”

Kirsi looked at the car keys in Ian’s hand and thought, Wasn’t he going to drive himself?’

Chapter 1853

Ian laughed and put the car keys in his pocket. “I drank earlier, so I can’t drive.”

Kirsi also laughed.

The two got into the car, and the driver in front froze for a moment.

“Mr. Carter, where should we go?”

Ian did not answer and looked at Kirsi.

Kirsi closed her eyes and told the driver her address. The driver then started the car.

It was not far since it was still on the set.

Ian asked, “Isn’t the film over? What are you going back to shoot?”

Kirsi opened her eyes slightly. Her eyes were watery and hazy, just like someone else’s eyes. At that moment, Ian stiffened slightly.

“I have another film that starts shooting tomorrow. It’s nearby.”

“You’re so busy?”

“Continuously being on the set is a good thing. It just proves that I’m still popular.”

Kirsi smiled. Her eyes were twinkling with some shrewdness.

In their line of work, receiving films continuously was a type of recognition.

Dying from exhaustion was better than being idle. Ian laughed and did not comment on it.

However, her watery eyes from that glimpse earlier lingered in his mind. He could not seem to forget them.

The set was just ten minutes away. After they arrived, Kirsi got off, and Ian stayed in the car.

Kirsi turned around and leaned down to look at Ian. ‘Thank you, Mr. Carter.”

Ian smiled. He was immersed in the darkness from the dim light, so she could not see his face clearly.

“You‘re welcome.”

After the car door closed, the car fell silent. The driver glanced through the rearview mirror. “Mr. Carter, should we head home?”

Ian rubbed his eyes and thought, ‘I really drank too much today. Otherwise, how could I look at Kirsi’s eyes and think that they’re similar to Nicole’s eyes? The two of them are completely different!’

Ian let out a faint “mm”, closed his eyes, and fell into silence again.

In the car, Nicole chattered about what happened today to Clayton.

Clayton listened with a smile. When he heard Kirsi’s

name, his eyebrows wrinkled slightly. There seemed to be something wrong.

Nicole did not miss that reaction. She looked at him and paused. ‘You know her?”

Usually, Clayton could not even recognize celebrities and always called them by the wrong name.

How could he react to Kirsi’s name then? That was why Nicole felt even more strange.

Clayton laughed, recovered his composure, and immediately explained.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I just find it a little odd.” “What’s odd?”

Nicole turned her head to the side. She sent the photos she took earlier to their group chat.

Ian was also in the group chat, and his birthday was worth the remembrance.

Clayton hesitated to speak, and Nicole was getting a bit impatient.

“Tell me! How do you know her?”

“I’m not sure if I should say it since it’s someone else’s privacy.”

Clayton was a little hesitant.

Nicole raised her eyebrows and laughed coldly.

“Fine, then you don’t need to say anything. Send me back to the Stanton Mansion, and you can go back home yourself. I want to play with Chatty and I don’t want to be disturbed.”

Clayton’s face changed slightly, and he immediately compromised.

“I’m Chatty’s dad, so I can play with her too...”

His darling daughter, who had just started to speak incoherently, had not yet learned to call him “Daddy”, so how could Clayton be absent from her growth?

Nicole simply stabbed a knife into his heart. What did someone else’s privacy matter anyway?

Clayton immediately changed his tune. “Actually, it’s nothing. Just now, you said that Kirsi is Lumi Makinen’s sister, and Lumi is married to Samuel Lindstrom?”

Nicole smiled and nodded her head.

After a few seconds, Clayton spoke with a dark gaze.

“But I saw Kirsi Makinen kissing Samuel Lindstrom before.”

In an instant, Nicole’s face stiffened slightly. She looked up at Clayton in shock.

Clayton would never joke about such things. So:.

Chapter 1854

Shock was written all over Nicole’s face. “Were you mistaken?”

Clayton’s face was calm as he shook his head.

“No. Kirsi was Samuel’s female companion in one of the banquets I attended before. He introduced her then, so I have an impression of her.”

For a moment, the good impression that Nicole had of Kirsi collapsed.

Although it was common that certain relationships in the entertainment industry were bizarre, the people around Nicole were still considered normal.

Kirsi’s performance tonight was quite respectable. Moreover, she was also from an affluent family, so Nicole felt more relatable to her.

However, at this moment, all the good feelings she had were gone.

Clayton saw Nicole’s complicated expression and pursed his lips.

“Do you want milk tea?” Nicole shook her head. “How could this happen?”

Clayton smiled. “Forget it. Don’t think about it. Why should you care so much about other people’s affairs? It’s just good to know.”

Nicole nodded and sighed.

“I wonder if that stupid Lumi is still kept in the dark. She can’t just keep thinking about investment and lose her husband.”

Clayton smiled and glanced at her. “If that’s true, then isn’t it better for her to lose him?”

Nicole was a little closer to Lumi in comparison. After all, Lumi’s stupidity was known to everyone.

Kirsi, who Nicole interacted with tonight, was certainly much more astute than Lumi.

Back at the Stanton Mansion.

Chatty, who was held by Floyd, was having a great time with Lil Michael.

Lil Michael was holding a physics book and teaching Chatty.

Chatty sat there obediently. From time to time, she clapped her hands, and she smiled brightly when she took the milk bottle that Michael gave her.

Clayton saw this scene and felt that his precious daughter had it too tough.

She could not even speak yet, but she was already starting to learn physics?

However, Nicole and Floyd just felt that Chatty was very smart.

Clayton could not help but speak out.

“Does she even understand?”

Lil Michael stroked Chatty’s head and said confidently, “ She understands. She’s a little genius!”

Clayton was speechless.

Even he as a father was not so confident, but Michael just said it so frankly?

Floyd chimed in.

“That’s right! She understands. This child is very smart. Our family finally has another prodigy! This gene may be ancestral!”

Nicole nodded proudly. “Yeah! She’ll be as smart as her second uncle!”

Clayton looked at this family’s inexplicable confidence and smiled without saying anything.

He just looked at his daughter and felt a little heartbroken.

Initially, Clayton only expected his daughter to grow up without worries.

Now, there seemed to be some added pressure.

Clayton saw his daughter yawn and went over to pick her up. He kissed her forehead and said, “Chatty, are you sleepy? Daddy will take you back to your room, okay?”

Floyd also stood up.

“Go ahead. I’m going to start looking for a home tutor.”

Everyone was shocked while Floyd clenched his fist and said, “A genius should be nurtured from infancy!”

Nicole sensed that her father was serious and quickly stopped him.

“No! It’s still too early. At least wait a few years!” Clayton nodded his head in agreement.

Floyd still wanted to say something, but Nicole immediately spoke.

“I heard from Grant that Aida accidentally fell when she was carrying Levi. Do you want to visit Levi?”

Floyd was shocked.

“What?! Why didn’t they tell me?” “Maybe they’re afraid that you’d worry.” Nicole spoke.

Floyd went off to call Grant with a worried face.

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and stroked Lil Michael’s face.

“Lil Michael, if you’re bored at home, you can ask the driver to take you out to play.”

Lil Michael nodded. “I’m not bored at all! I want to be with my sister!”

Clayton snorted lightly. “Don’t even think of slacking off. You haven’t finished your homework yet!”

Chapter 1855

Lil Michael sheepishly looked away and took the opportunity to slip away.

Nicole laughed and slapped Clayton’s arm, chiding him for being too harsh.

“What’s the point of scaring him?”

Clayton habitually smiled and took her hand. He squeezed the back of her hand and carried his daughter upstairs.

A few days later, the news about Riley and that delicate girl spread.

Everyone knew that Riley was duped, so Riley felt ashamed. He was not sad, just angry.

After all, he was just playing around with that woman.

Riley often had control over everything in this aspect, but now that he got tricked, he was so angry that he was annoyed at everything for several days.

Although Riley did not like that girl much, he spent a lot of money on her because she was obedient and was good at sweet-talking.

Now, Riley just felt like a fool.

He put out the word so that the woman would not be able to get any benefits from his connections.

Initially, the delicate girl could still rely on some people in the major film crews to make an appearance in films for a living.

However, she could not do that anymore. She was truly desperate.

The girl hid at home and was afraid to go out as she was scared that Riley would find her and settle accounts with her.

After a few days, it was Chatty’s first birthday.

They did not host a big party after Chatty’s first month of birth, so her first birthday had to be grand.

Floyd made it a big deal. He booked a banquet hall and invited many friends from the industry to Chatty’s party.

Clayton also designed the venue personally.

Nicole felt a little helpless with their enthusiasm. After all, Chatty only needed a bottle of milk to be happy.

However, Nicole was so happy that she could not stop smiling on that day.

As a new mother, Nicole received a lot of gifts.

She especially liked a diamond bracelet that Clayton customized from abroad, so much so that she simply could not get enough of it.

Grant was generous enough to give his little niece a trust fund so that she would not need to worry about money in the future.

Kai invited many celebrities with children to bring their little ones over to play, which added to the lively atmosphere at the venue.

Although Maverick was stuck in the research institute, his gift had already arrived.

It was a bank card.

Nicole did not even have to think about it to know that it must be his latest bonus.

Floyd gave Nicole a set of emerald jewelry and told her that it was worn by her mother, so she should also pass it on to Chatty in the future.

Nicole gladly accepted it.

If possible, Nicole would like her birthday to be this grand every year.

The lighting in the banquet hall was soothing.

Initially, Clayton carried his precious daughter to show her off to others.

Clayton was very proud of Chatty. She had beautiful and twinkling big eyes that completely inherited Nicole’s advantages. She was so cute, soft, and lovable that everyone just wanted to pinch her.

More importantly, she did not cry in Clayton’s arms. Everything was new to her, so her curious big eyes were busy looking around. From time to time, she pointed to the bright lights and made an incoherent sound.

Clayton patiently talked to his baby daughter as if he was discussing something with her.

When Yvette and the ladies arrived, Nicole went over to carry Chatty over to another group of people to admire.

Although Clayton was a little reluctant to part with his daughter, he did not follow her.

Julie and Yvette took turns playing with the baby, making Chatty giggle.

Some people came over to exchange pleasantries, so Clayton had no choice but to go over.

After they were done chatting, the guest had something to do and had to leave first.

Clayton sent the guest to the door and saw a familiar person walking over.

He paused and looked at the oncoming person with a smile. “Welcome, Mr. Crawford!”

Although others might not know who Mitchell was representing, Clayton knew exactly. Thus, Clayton did not even send Mitchell an invitation.

Chapter 1856

However, it was not difficult If Mitchell wanted to come.

Clayton smiled without lacking courtesy.

Mitchell smiled and took out one large and one small box.

“A gift for your daughter and Ms. Stanton. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Clayton’s gaze turned colder. He laughed somewhat playfully.

“Sure. Thank you, Mr. Crawford.”

Earlier, Mitchell was a little nervous as he was worried what he would do if Clayton refused.

He did not expect Clayton to accept it so simply.

Clayton took a small sip of the wine from the glass in his hand. His gaze was dull with no other emotions. “ Please send my regards to the person who gave these gifts. My family and I wish that he’ll build his own family too.” Mitchell stiffened.

Clayton had already guessed who sent the gifts.

It was not surprising that Clayton would expose it. Mitchell smiled. “Yes, I’ll definitely convey it.” However, he did not dare to convey it.

Eric did not even have a woman near him, so how would he build his own family?

Was Clayton trying to provoke Eric?

After Mitchell sent the gifts, there was no reason to stay behind.

“Goodbye, Mr. Sloan.”

‘take care. I won’t see you off.”

Clayton watched Mitchell leave before he withdrew his gaze. He looked at the two boxes on the table next to him with a cold intent in his eyes.

He beckoned to the waiter on the side. ‘throw it away.”

The waiter was shocked. The logo on top of that box indicated that the gift was not something ordinary.

Before the waiter could clarify, Clayton already turned around and went in.

Nicole carried Chatty around, listening to her friends’ praises.

Yvette said, “Chatty’s fingers are so beautiful! She can be a pianist!”

Julie chimed in. “This means that she’s born to count money and can become the richest person in the world!”

Ian said, “Her arms and legs are long. She can be an athlete and get medals!”

Yvette continued, “Her skin is so soft! I’ve never seen a baby more beautiful than our Chatty!”

Julie agreed. ‘Yeah!”

Lumi, who came late to the party, came over with a smile. “Little Chatty! I’ve never had such a grand birthday when I was growing up!”

She smiled and walked over with Samuel Lindstrom in tow.

As soon as Nicole saw Samuel, she remembered what Clayton had told her.

Nicole narrowed her eyes that flashed with a trace of displeasure.

She thought, ‘This scumbag actually dared to come here?’

However, Nicole had no reason to kick him out. Nicole smiled perfunctorily. “Why are you here?” She was speaking to Lumi.

Lumi smiled and carefully touched Chatty’s small hand.

“Samuel came here on business, so I tagged along. Aren’t you very surprised?”

Nicole let out a light laugh.

“Yeah, it’s quite surprising,” Nicole said perfunctorily. Lumi did not mind.

Samuel was just about to reach out and touch Chatty’s clothes when he was blocked by Nicole.

“You can’t touch her. She’ll cry!” Samuel was speechless.

When Lumi touched her earlier, the child was quite happy, right?

Samuel raised his eyebrows. “Alright. Happy birthday!” He was smiling as he spoke to Chatty.

Clayton came over with a glass of wine. “Welcome, Mr. Lindstrom...”

Samuel immediately turned back to exchange pleasantries with Clayton. Nicole was relieved only after the two men walked far away.

Others did not notice Nicole’s reaction. However, Julie was very attentive and noticed something wrong, but she did not ask about it.

Not far away.

After Samuel chatted with the others, he followed Clayton’s gaze that was looking at Nicole and Chatty in Nicole’s arms.

Samuel realized something. “Ms. Stanton doesn’t seem to like me much. Why is that?”

It would make sense if Nicole hated Samuel because of Lumi.

However, Nicole clearly had the same attitude toward Lumi as before, which meant that Nicole simply hated Samuel.

Chapter 1857

Clayton, who knew the reason, had a puzzled look on his face. “Oh? I think it’s quite normal.”

“But she won’t let me touch your daughter!”

Clayton looked at Samuel. “I won’t let you touch her either.”

Samuel was speechless and thought, ‘Oh, then I guess I was overthinking it!”

Nicole carried Chatty, glanced at Lumi, and casually asked, “We met your sister the other day at Ian’s birthday party!”

Lumi lowered her head to play with Chatty.

When she heard this, she responded insouciantly.

“I heard! She also has it quite hard on the set. I’ll go back and see her!”

The corner of Nicole’s mouth twitched.

"You guys are pretty close, huh? I heard that you’re not

Lumi stood up straight and looked at Nicole speechlessly. She reprimanded Nicole in a soft voice, “ How can you talk about someone else’s privacy so openly? In front of me, at that!”

Nicole pursed her lips and sheepishly shut her mouth.

However, she just wanted to remind Lumi to be wary of Kirsi.

Julie was not far away and heard it all.

She was a little puzzled by Nicole’s curiosity. Nicole was not like this before.

She muttered in a low voice, “I’m just curious. At least I didn’t say it behind your back.”

Luckily, Lumi was a simple-minded person. She did not hold a grudge or think much about it.

Lumi sighed.

“Well, it doesn’t matter since you already know. Anyway, to me, she’s my sister. So what if we don’t share a mother? We have the same father after all!”

Julie laughed. “When other families encounter such things, most of them are incompatible with each other. Your family is truly a miracle!”

Lumi smiled with curved eyes. The corners of her mouth curled up with a bit of pride. “We’ve had a good relationship since we were young. I wasn‘t good at studying back then, and Kirsi helped me a lot. She even helped me to take the blame and bully other classmates. She also saved my life. Where can I find such a good sister?”

Julie said, “So that’s how it is. I guess someone is just being petty.”

Lumi looked at Nicole. “Did you hear that?”

Nicole smiled and admitted her mistake. “It’s my fault.

I won’t mention it again.”

As they were talking, they did not notice that the moment a waitress suddenly looked glum when she saw Nicole from not far away.

The waitress suddenly put down what she was holding and rushed up to Nicole’s group with a wine bottle.

The people passing by tripped over her. “Who are you?”

For a moment, chaos broke out.

The person dressed as a waiter did not stop at all. When she was about to touch Nicole, she raised the wine bottle in her hand up high.

Julie was on the other side of Nicole. She was shocked and wanted to run over, but it was simply too late.

Lumi, who was standing in front of Nicole and talking, was oblivious to the danger behind her.

Nicole hugged Chatty and saw a familiar face when she looked up.

She thought, ‘Isn’t she that girl?’ “Nicole, get out of the way!”

Clayton heard the commotion and sensed that

something was wrong, so he subconsciously ran in Nicole’s direction, but it seemed that he was too late.

If Nicole was empty-handed, she could have grabbed the person’s wrist or quickly dodge the attack.

However, Nicole was holding Chatty in her arms. If she dodged, the wine bottle that should have landed on her head would hit her daughter instead.

Nicole was so frightened that she could not move. She just stood there stiffly.

At the moment of danger, Nicole suddenly turned around and hugged Chatty tightly in her embrace, not exposing an inch of her daughter.

It was also at that moment when the wine bottle shattered.

Nicole felt like the whole world went silent...

Suddenly, Nicole stood there, seemingly unable to hear any sounds. Everything in the outside world swept past her. Lights flashed past her eyes, and the unbearable sorrow at the bottom of her heart surged up.

The feelings at the bottom of her heart came even faster than the memories.

Nicole did not know why she suddenly felt so sad, but after that moment of sadness, she felt relieved.

The wine bottle shattered on the ground, and the noise around Nicole suddenly flooded her eardrums with clarity.

Nicole stood there with a pale face while maintaining her stance.

The sharp pain on her forehead gradually spread to every nerve in her body.

The pain was excruciating.

Nicole could not seem to stand any longer.

In the next second, she fell into a warm embrace. “Nicole...”

That familiar voice was anxious and frightened.

In that instant, her heart suddenly settled down.

The sadness and suffocation she felt just now seemed like an illusion. Although she experienced those events, she could ignore them.

Nicole did do that. She managed to start over again.

In the days when she forgot Eric Ferguson, she was so happy and carefree.

If Eric had never appeared in her life, she would have been so happy and blessed.

Fortunately, she had forgotten about him.

She also felt what it was like to fall in love with someone else.

To Nicole, Clayton was like the air that seeped into every aspect of her life, slowly giving her a new life.

What a blessing!

The light in front of Nicole‘s eyes gradually blurred.

She heard someone calling her name, but she did not have the strength to open her eyes.

Everything turned dark in front of Nicole.

There was sudden chaos in the bright and grand banquet hall.

No one expected this kind of thing to happen so suddenly.

Clayton’s originally gentle and modest face was hysterical and worried.

Earlier, Julie was quick to take over Chatty from Nicole’s arms.

That was because in that close call earlier, Clayton only cared to hold Nicole.

Soon, someone caught the culprit. It was that delicate girl.

That girl also did not expect this. She just wanted to scare Nicole so that she could feel a little better.

However, she did not expect her aim to be so accurate that the bottle landed right on Nicole’s head.

She was overwhelmed by anger and forgot about Nicole’s identity.

Everyone of status in this hall was only here because of the Stantons.

That girl started to panic.

The bodyguard next to her had already restrained her arms at her back and pressed her down on the ground with her face down.

His actions were vicious without a bit of mercy.

This was a hundred times more terrifying than Riley’s attitude towards her.

That girl never thought that things would be so out of hand.

For a moment, she panicked and cried.

Clayton’s eyes were cold as he glared at her with a deadly stare. His red and bloodshot eyes looked like they could kill.

“Keep an eye on her and don’t let her leave!" ‘Yes, sir.”

Clayton ran outside with Nicole in his arms. “Mr. Sloan, the doctor’s right upstairs...” Some of the guests were doctors.

Immediately, they made way for Clayton and prepared a room.

Clayton paused in his footsteps and went upstairs.

Floyd did not catch up to them. When he noticed that Chatty was not with Clayton, he looked around with a pale face.

He was only relieved when he saw Julie running over with the child in her arms.

‘Thank goodness. quickly, take Chatty upstairs.” It was too messy down there.

Julie nodded.

Kai and Grant stayed behind to take care of the aftermath and pacify the others.

The party could not go on any longer.

Thus, they arranged for cars to take the guests home in an orderly manner. They also prepared small gifts to hand out at the door to express their apologies.

Everyone was very understanding. That scene just now was so heart-wrenching.

The result would have been even more unthinkable if that bottle had been thrown at the baby.

 

Chapter 1859

The party could no longer continue. While most guests left, some stayed behind.

Ian Carter did not follow Clayton upstairs. He just stood in the place where Nicole was attacked earlier. He looked down at the delicate girl that was crying on the ground with a gloomy and cold face.

It was a different situation from the past when this girl was just pestering him. Back then, he only felt annoyed, but now, Ian had an impulse to beat her up.

The delicate girl whimpered. The makeup on her face was all messed up. Only now did she feel how serious her offense was.

The Stanton family was much more powerful than Riley. If she did not even dare to offend Riley, how did she get the courage to find trouble with Nicole?

At that moment, she did not even know how she would end up.

Ian stood in front of the girl indifferently. His gaze was oozing with cold intent.

“You really are crazy...” He said.

The delicate girl abruptly stopped crying. When she saw Ian standing there, she looked at him like he was her savior.

“Mr. Carter! Please help me! Please help me beg for mercy! Please let me go!”

Ian sneered. “Let you go? Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I know I was wrong. I was too impulsive. I shouldn’t have done it... Mr. Carter, I really know my mistake!”

The girl cried as she spoke. She did not know her mistake.

She just knew that she was afraid.

Ian’s tone was cold and harsh. “No one can save you anymore.”

The deadly silence was truly despairing.

The delicate girl tilted her head and looked at him expectantly.

“Mr. Carter, you have a good relationship with Ms. Stanton, so you can help me plead for mercy. I was just too impulsive and didn’t mean to hit her. As long as they let me go, I definitely won’t come back to find her or pester you again.”

Ian’s gaze was dull as he laughed lightly.

“What right do you have to state terms? It’s so easy to make you disappear. We just don’t want to get our hands dirty.”

After saying that, Ian never looked at her again. He just turned around and left.

The delicate girl cried even more miserably.

It did not take long for someone to come over and tape her mouth shut so that she could not even cry.

Grant was waiting for the doctor inside to finish examining Nicole before he went down to deal with that woman.

Nicole was unconscious. She did not bleed much, but the laceration on her head looked very serious.

The doctor finished a brief examination before he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Her situation is stable for now. She just fainted, but it’s best to go to the hospital to get a CT scan to see how serious the concussion is.”

Floyd nodded repeatedly. “Great. Thank you, Leo.”

“You’re welcome. I watched Nicole grow up, so I’m also relieved that she’s okay.”

The doctor smiled and called the hospital, asking them to prepare the ward and equipment in advance.

Floyd thanked him again and asked Kai to walk the doctor out.

Clayton’s eyes were red as he sat there. His eyes were staring at the unconscious Nicole unblinkingly.

His heart ached to the core as he thought, ‘It’s been such a short time since she was in the hospital. Why is she always injured?’

Floyd went over and patted Clayton’s shoulder.

He sighed and said, “All that matters is that she’s okay. Now that the bleeding has stopped, we should bring her to the hospital.”

Clayton’s eyes were red and bloodshot, and his voice was dull. “Okay.”

Floyd paused. “Who’s the attacker? Do you know her?”

Clayton shook his head. A trace of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. “No matter the reason, I won’t let that woman get away with it.”

Anyone who dared to make a move against Nicole would have to pay it back a hundredfold!

Floyd was stern as he said, “Of course, we can’t let that woman go! Otherwise, others will think that our family is easy to bully. How could I not do anything when my daughter was attacked?!”

After Floyd said that, Clayton stood up. “Dad, please stay here and watch Nicole. I’ll go downstairs.”

Floyd knew that Clayton was going downstairs to look for the woman who attacked Nicole, so he did not ask about it and nodded.

The Stanton family could afford the consequences no matter what Clayton decided to do.

Nicole was immersed in happiness just a while ago, so those who ruined her happiness would have to pay the price.

Kai came back after sending off the guests. He did not go upstairs but stood there with Grant, staring at the crazy woman on the ground.

The hotel manager was scared out of his wits. He had been outside attending to something else. Who knew such an accident would happen in the hall?

The hotel manager was called Mr. Litt.

Mr. Litt’s face was pale as he explained on the side, “Mr. Stanton, it’s our mistake. We didn’t let her in on purpose. We just hired some temporary staff when we were setting up the venue because we were short- handed... I didn’t know that they’d recruit such a crazy person who even hurt Ms. Stanton. We’re truly sorry...”

Grant’s face was glum, and he did not say anything. Instead, Kai could not help but laugh.

“Do you think being sorry will suffice? It’s not like you haven’t held a party like this before. How could a temporary waiter be allowed to come in here? Our guests are all carefully selected, yet you don’t even have a standard for hiring waiters?”

In a place like this, they should only allow reliable and trusted waiters who have worked for more than three years and were specially trained to serve such high- profile guests.

However, this woman in front of them was only recruited three days ago.

She even had a grudge against Nicole.

Mr. Litt wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and apologized repeatedly.

“I really didn’t know that the recruiter would make such a low-level mistake. We value our cooperation with Stanton Corporation so much that we will never make such a mistake. There must be some misunderstanding. Mr. Stanton, we’ll pay for Ms.

Stanton’s medical expenses to express our apologies. Do you think this is okay?”

Kai sneered. “Are we short of that money for Nicole‘s medical expenses? If others hear this, they’ll think that our family is going bankrupt!”

Mr. Litt’s face turned pale. He fully understood why Kai was being so bossy.

The one who got injured was Nicole.

If anything happened to Nicole, who could afford to take that kind of responsibility?

Mr. Litt looked at the woman on the ground and clenched his teeth.

“I’ll immediately check this woman’s background and hold her accountable. I’ll also hold the recruiter accountable.”

If this was not dealt with properly, the Stanton family would not just let it slide.

Kai did not make a sound.

Clayton’s footsteps approached with a bitterly cold sense of oppression.

Mr. Litt hurriedly retreated to the side. “Mr. Sloan, is Ms. Stanton alright?”

Clayton glanced at him and did not answer.

He walked straight up to that delicate girl and could not remember if he had seen her before, but the girl looked somewhat familiar.

Since Clayton could not remember, it meant that this person was not worth remembering.

He also did not want to bother.

The delicate girl cried until she almost fainted. She

was truly scared to death when she saw the three men in front of her.

Grant glanced at Clayton. His voice was extremely cold.

“What should we do with her?”

Clayton lifted his head. “Remove the tape.”

The bodyguard at the side immediately tore off the tape on the girl’s mouth.

The delicate girl felt such a burning pain that she winced.

“Mr. Sloan, please spare me! I won’t dare to do this again! I just acted on a moment of impulse!”

Clayton looked at her with a chilly gaze and walked over. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists so hard as he restrained his emotions.

He tugged on the collar of his shirt and loosened his tie. His gaze was cold and harsh.

“You have a grudge against her?”