Ch. 2191..2200

Chapter 2191 He Let Them Leave

The tall mountains on both sides were straight. It looked like an artificial carving as its workmanship was simply magical.

It was gorgeous, but falling from that height would only mean death.

Nicole's heart tightened instantly.

She looked at the sparkling dark surface of the water with a heavy heart.

Nicole could not speak, and she wanted to cry, but the person who could comfort her was not by her side.

Suddenly, someone put a jacket over her.

She paused for a moment and looked back. Eric stood there and followed her for who knew how long.

"Wear it. Don't catch a cold."

Nicole took off the jacket and handed it to him.

"No need. I'm not cold."

After she finished speaking, she walked back.

Nicole guessed that the possibility of falling from the top into the water was very small. After all, it was so far away.

Maybe she was worrying too much.

"Nicole, do you hate me that much? You don't just hate me. You hate my jacket too. If it weren't for the earthquake today, maybe you would still

think that I did this, that I wanted him to die, right?"

Nicole could hear the forbearance and coldness in Eric's tone.

She looked up at him inexplicably and said lightly, "I didn't think that. What you think is your freedom, but don't accuse me of that."

"So you’re saying that I'm despicable and petty for thinking that?"

There was no emotion in Eric's voice.

"Mr. Ferguson, I don't want to argue with you now because I don't want to waste time on meaningless things."

Nicole frowned tightly and felt a little impatient.

Eric completely fell silent.

Meaningless.

Every word he said was meaningless to her.

However, Clayton meant everything to her.

Eric had missed too many opportunities with Nicole.

What should he use to make up for these opportunities?

Nicole was devastated and anxiously wanted to search for another man, but Eric helped her anyway.

How ridiculous was that?

In the next second, Eric followed Nicole, pulled her arm, and dragged her away from a ditch in front of her.

Nicole quickly adjusted her footing and followed the rescue team without saying a word.

This time, Nicole did not wander around. She looked carefully at every shadowed area or anywhere that a person could hang on a tree.

She did not wear gloves, so her hands were full of dirt from digging. Even her skin was grazed and scratched by branches.

However, Nicole did not seem to feel any pain at all and did not make a sound.

Eric noticed that her exposed wrist was stained with blood under the swaying light.

His heart suddenly tightened.

Then, he silently asked someone to give him a pair of gloves and forced her to putthem on.

Nicole did not feel the pain, but if she refused, Eric would keep nagging at her.

She did not want to waste time arguing, so she could only wear it.

Eric followed her quietly and went over to help from time to time without putting on airs.

When it was almost midnight, someone came over and said, "Mr. Ferguson, I think it's almost time to wrap up. Everyone is exhausted and can’t hold on any longer. It's too late now, and the flashlight is far less effective than daylight. So why don't we wait until first thing tomorrow morning to continue the search?"

Eric glanced at Nicole, who looked extremely tired and pale.

Her eyes were dim, and she looked exhausted and depressed.

"But this is the best time for the rescue..."

"Ms. Stanton, this might be the harsh truth, but please don't hold onto the hope of survival. I heard that the third person we found just now has passed. He's considered lucky because although he lost his legs, his other organs are still intact, but he still didn't survive. Most internal organs would be smashed from falling from such a height. Even though he might have one last breath, he wouldn't survive for long."

Nicole’s complexion suddenly turned pale. Every word was like a knife cutting across the tip of her heart.

The pain was so intense that it seemed to take all the strength out of her body.

How could it be?

Nicole did not believe that Clayton would die.

She paused and choked up.

"No, he won't die..."

The man sighed and looked at Eric.

"Mr. Ferguson, what do you think...?"

Eric pursed his lips. "Let’s wrap up and come back at dawn to keep looking. We must find him."

"Okay. We won't disregard human life."

Nicole saw that Eric had turned around to greet the others, so she hurried forward.

"No, no! You can't leave..."

Eric pulled her arm.

"Nicole, calm down and accept reality, okay? There are so many people accompanying you tonight, so don't you think that they’d want to find him sooner as well? Three out of the four fall victims were found. It’s only a matter of time before they find Clayton. It’s just that there’s little hope of Clayton being alive. This is an accident that no one wished for, and you've tried your best..."

Nicole's tears gushed out instantly. She shrugged off Eric's hand and choked up in a hoarse voice.

"I didn’t try my best! Why can’t you just help all the way when you clearly can? Eric, you said that no one wished for this accident to happen, but didn’t you want this outcome? Ask yourself! Do you really not want this to happen? Don't tell me that you’re helping me search for Clayton just because you’re a kind soul. You're only helping me look for Clayton because you think he's dead, right? Aren't you happy that he's dead?" 1

Nicole's voice was hoarse. She was in pain, and she was pointing all her spikes at Eric.

She desperately needed an outlet to let out the sorrow and grief by turning them into anger.

She felt like she was carrying a huge boulder on her shoulders, and every step she took was extremely difficult due to the weight.

She was about to give up because she could no longer go on.

Eric looked straight at her without dodging her gaze.

"Yes, I’m delighted. Of course, I'm glad that he's dead! But I’m still helping you, anyway. Nicole, I'm only helping because of you. I don’t care if he's dead or not, and I'll try my best to find him. I'm happy that he's dead, but I'll also be pleased if he's still alive. I don't care if you believe me or not. I am

despicable and unprincipled, but I've always treated you nicely. You can’t doubt my motives and good intentions. At least I’m actually helping you!"

He finished speaking in one breath and felt the dead silence around him. He could not hear any sound.

His body was tense for a moment. Some complex and dark emotions flickered in his eyes.

For so many years, Eric watched as Nicole and Clayton lived a happy and married life. They were a loving couple in the public eye.

He kept waiting for their relationship to break down or for a marital crisis because did not believe that someone like Clayton would not have any shortcomings.

Sooner or later, Nicole would get tired of Clayton.

However, he waited, and this opportunity finally came.

It was an earthquake!

Although he was a little unreconciled, Eric was still secretly delighted.

How could he not have any selfish intentions when he spared no effort in helping out?

Chapter 2192 Adding Fuel to the Fire

Nicole's tears fell at some point, and she could not listen to a word Eric said.

All she knew was that Eric allowed the rescuers to leave and that they were not going to look for Clayton anymore.

Eric could not wait for Clayton to die!

Nicole's heart ached, and her voice was almost hysterical.

"Help me? You’re helping by pushing me into hell again, right? Isn’t this your specialty? You really didn’t improve after all these years! You just want to kill him on purpose!"

Eric approached her without saying a word.

He could feel that she was having a mental breakdown from keeping her emotions bottled up all day.

Now was not the time to reason with her.

Eric took a step forward and changed his tone.

"Okay, I'll admit to what you said, so come back with me first. I won't let these people leave and will make sure that they continue the search at dawn!"

"I don't believe you! Don’t fool me! How could I believe your nonsense!"

Of course, Nicole refused to leave.

She had to stay here because that was the only way she could be sure that they would save Clayton.

Eric frowned. Just as he was about to touch her shoulders, she pushed him away and ducked under him.

His face darkened. He quickly took a step forward, stretched out his legs, and tripped the woman who was about to run away. 1

Nicole was just avoiding his hands and did not expect him to trip her.

At that moment, she fell head-first to the ground.

Eric immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms.

Then, he forcefully dragged her into the car and instructed the driver in a cold voice, "Drive."

His patience was exhausted by compromising with her all night.

Nicole struggled to get out of the car and could not hold herself together.

"I want to get out of the car! Let me go! I don't want your help! You hypocrite!"

Eric took out a needle from somewhere and stabbed it into her arm. 1

Nicole looked back in shock.

Before she could withdraw her hand, the liquid inside had already been injected into her body.

Soon, the car finally quieted down.

Nicole fell asleep with tears streaming down her face.

The driver glanced back and did not dare to say anything.

Eric put Nicole's head on his shoulder and carefully wiped away the tears on her face with a tissue as if it was a very important thing because he did it extra meticulously.

The driver did not dare to look back and thought, 'Ms. Stanton isn't single. Shockingly, Mr. Ferguson will treat a married woman like this. So many celebrities wanted to jump him, but he wasn't moved at all. He didn’t even look at them. Turns out, he's still hung up on his ex-wife!’

When they reached the villa, Eric bent down and carried Nicole inside.

The maid had not slept yet. When she saw him entering the door, she hurried over to greet him.

"Is Ms. Stanton asleep? Is she too tired? I’ll run the bath and wake her up so that she can take a nice bath and sleep soundly later."

Eric went upstairs in large strides.

"No need. Just take a towel and wipe her down simply. By the way, is that little girl asleep?"

The maid nodded with a smile on her face.

'Yes. That girl is really cute. I've never seen such an adorable girl. She didn't make a fuss and put herself to sleep when she was tired. She just kept calling for her daddy and mommy when she first fell asleep, but she's fine now. She's fast asleep."

Eric looked solemn, but he didn't say anything. His eyes flickered as Eric put Nicole on the bed.

The maid thought she had to give them privacy and turned to leave.

However, Eric stopped her.

'Wait a minute. You should wipe her and change her clothes. It's inconvenient for me."

If Nicole found out that Eric took advantage of her while she was unconscious, she might want to kill him.

Eric was not in a hurry. He had plenty of patience.

The maid was taken aback and nodded quickly.

Eric left the room and intended to go downstairs, but he suddenly thought of something and turned back to the next room.

Opening the door, Eric saw the little girl fast asleep on the princess bed. She looked so obedient, but there were still tears on her face.

For some reason, his heart tightened, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Eric thought, 'Huh, the little girl cried secretly. What a crybaby, just like Nicole!'

He unconsciously curled the corners of his lips and tucked her in the quilt before he left.

Eric went to the wine cabinet to get a bottle of wine and took it to the study.

He had put aside his office work for the past two days and was busy with the search all night.

Mitchell could not reach Eric.

Eric saw that there were more than a dozen missed calls on his phone, so he called back. 1

Mitchell did not sound like he was sleeping because he picked up the call immediately.

"Mr. Ferguson, are you okay?"

Eric took a sip of his wine and paused. "I'm fine."

"Great! I heard there was an earthquake, and I couldn't reach you, so I was worried that something happened to you. But I was relieved when the

driver said that you were fine."

Eric pursed his lips.

“Mitchell, I met Nicole. Clayton is dead, so does that mean I have a chance now?"

He finished in one breath.

Mitchell kept silent for a full minute.

Eric could only tell Mitchell because only Mitchell understood his feelings for Nicole.

Eric's obsession and madness were almost beyond control.

However, Eric had to pretend like nothing had happened when he faced the past.

In fact, he could not let go of Nicole.

Mitchell paused and said, "Something happened to Mr. Sloan?"

Eric responded in an elated tone and chuckled softly.

"I've been wishing for him to die, and he's finally dead today. Shouldn't I be happy?"

Mitchell could hear Eric's suppressed and heavy voice.

Eric drank.

"Mr. Ferguson, Ms. Stanton probably needs your help right now."

"Of course, I accompanied her all day to search for his body. She insists on finding his body!"

Eric drank, so Mitchell did not know if he was only speaking so recklessly under the influence of alcohol.

Mitchell sighed.

"Mr. Ferguson, if you really care for her, you shouldn't rush things. Why are you pushing yourself so hard? If you're too deliberate, Ms. Stanton will misunderstand your intentions. It's good to give her assistance in her time of need, but you should also be wary about the timing. You can help her, but ... Don't do anything drastic. Just think of it as helping a friend."

Mitchell was really worried that Eric would do something he should not have done in a moment of delirium.

If he really did anything, especially while Nicole was grieving, his act of help would turn into adding fuel to the fire.

By then, all his efforts would be wasted.

Eric was silent for a few seconds before he asked Mitchell.

"I tripped her and forcefully brought her back while she wasn't paying attention."

Mitchell gasped.

However, Eric did not finish his sentence.

He continued, "She didn't behave on the road and kept making a fuss to get out of the car, so I tranquilized her!”

Mitchell was completely speechless.

He hated himself for taking Eric's call.

Was Eric helping himself?

No, Eric was only forcing himself into a corner!

Eric spoke again.

"She’ll understand why I did that when she calms down, right?"

Mitchell opened his mouth and said softly, "I... Don’t think so..."

Chapter 2193 The Stantons Are Here

Eric had too much to drink, so he did not hear Mitchell's soft response.

Eric nodded and reassured himself.

'Yeah, she will."

Mitchell did not continue to speak.

After all, Mitchell also had a girlfriend. When he first got together with his girlfriend, he stepped on all kinds of landmines. That was how he learned what annoyed women.

However, with Eric’s status, no women dared to throw a tantrum at him, so Eric did not understand women's thoughts because he had too little experience.

"By the way, you can set the budget for the donation of resources in the name of Ferguson Corporation. I have to stay with Nicole for the time being, so I can't leave at this time."

Mitchell twitched his lips.

He knew that he could not persuade Eric at this moment, so he could only oblige.

"Okay. What about $10 million? We can use our company's annual charity fund to pay for it. By the way, is Ms. Stanton staying there by herself? No one from the Stanton family is there?"

Eric rubbed the space between his brows.

'There’s tight control on traffic now, so they can’t get in today. They'll probably get here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, then take care of your health. I wish you all the best."

If the Stanton family went over, Eric would not be allowed to stay by Nicole’s side the entire time.

Only distance could make the heart grow fonder.

It was a pity that Eric did not understand this truth.

Eric hung up the phone and felt less irritable.

He opened the drawer and took out a new phone.

After finishing the wine in his glass, he went to Nicole’s room with the new phone.

The maid went over to open the door.

"Mr. Ferguson, I’ve changed Ms. Stanton's clothes. She has been in a deep sleep and hasn’t woken up yet."

Eric nodded and stepped aside.

"Go and rest. Cook some oatmeal for her in the morning. Also, do you know what kind of nutritious meals children like to eat?”

'Yes, sir."

The maid immediately responded and left.

How could she not see that her boss was interested in Ms. Stanton?

The maid did not expect that Eric was still so persistent when Nicole already had children.

Eric sure was a unique domineering president! 1

He sat on the chair next to Nicole and watched her for a long time. Even if he could not see her face clearly in the dark, he was reluctant to leave.

She was so quiet and so close to him. He had envisioned this for several years and finally found an opportunity.

Eric put the new phone on her bedside table.

The room was dead silent.

Stanton Corporation.

The members of the Stanton family panicked when they saw the wretched- looking assistants and Fischer.

Grant heard the assistants’ description and instantly looked glum.

However, this time was different from the past. This was a natural disaster, not a man-made accident.

He could not cover it up even if he wanted to.

When he went online, every article was about the earthquake.

Not long after, Floyd called.

It seemed that his father, who had always paid attention to national affairs, also found out about this news.

Grant picked up the call helplessly.

'What's going on? Isn't your sister in the earthquake zone? Did she really go there? Have you gotten in touch with her? Any news from them?"

Floyd asked anxiously.

Grant replied, "I just found out about this. The news of the earthquake came a few hours later than what happened in real life. Fischer and the others have already been sent back. I heard that Eric Ferguson was there, and he took Nicole away when she fainted."

Floyd breathed a sigh of relief and clutched his chest.

'What about my baby granddaughter and precious son-in-law?"

Grant said, "Chatty is with Nicole, but there's no news about Clayton. Dad, don't worry. I'll get my people to go over and have a look."

"Don’t send strangers over! You should go as well! Wait, I will go too!"

"Dad, I can go by myself. You shouldn't follow..."

"No, I'm really worried."

Grant was helpless and had no choice but to hang up the phone. He asked his assistant to prepare a private jet and the necessary supplies.

They could not go empty-handed at this time.

They would donate $10 million in the name of the Stanton Corporation first.

This way, they could go there openly with a dignified reason.

At critical moments, anything could be a lifeboat.

The next morning, Stanton Corporation's supplies were ready.

Grant and Floyd boarded the plane. Kai also tagged along.

When the helicopter arrived on the mountain, it was still dark, but they could see the brightly lit tents and the rescue workers who worked all night.

Floyd's face turned pale when he saw the desolate area.

Quite a few people had already lost their strength to cry and were quiet at that moment.

The rescuers continued to carry stretchers out of the rubble.

Some stretchers were covered with white cloth, so their identities and faces could not be seen clearly.

Some people who had not yet found their relatives rushed forward. When they saw that it was not their relative, they left with a long sigh of relief, but they still looked worried.

Without saying a word, Kai rolled up his sleeves and went over to help carry the supplies.

Grant called Nicole several times, but she did not answer any of them.

His face darkened.

He turned around and suddenly thought about Nicole’s assistant mentioning that Eric was also there. Did he take Nicole away?

At that thought, Grant found Eric's phone number and called him directly.

It was early in the morning.

When Eric picked it up, he was wide awake.

Eric did not have to pick up the call, but he would not shut out the Stanton family at this time.

"Hello?"

"Sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Ferguson. I'm Grant Stanton. I know you're in the earthquake zone, and I came here to thank you for saving my sister." Eric was silent for a few seconds.

His heart kept sinking.

He did not expect Grant to act so fast.

After the silence, he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "You're welcome. I'm just helping in any way I can."

"My father and younger brother are here, and they're concerned about my little sister's safety. Where should we pick her up from?"

Grant's words were concise and clear.

Eric was silent for a full minute.

He did not even have time to think about wording the refusal.

Before this, he thought that even if Grant came to him, he would still have a way to keep him out and make the Stanton family indebted to him.

However, he did not expect Floyd to come.

With Floyd around, all of Eric's methods would be seen through at a glance.

"Mr. Ferguson?"

Grant reminded him.

Eric said slowly, "Mr. Stanton, it's too late now. What about tomorrow?

When she wakes up tomorrow, I’ll get someone to send her to you. By the way, are you staying in a hotel? Most of the hotels now may be full because they’re taking in refugees. Why don't you and Chairman Stanton come and stay with me for the time being?"

Grant heard his tact and felt impatient. A touch of coldness crossed his face.

Just as Grant was about to say something, Floyd snatched over the phone and said, "Quit all that nonsense! Just tell me the address. Are you holding my daughter hostage?!"

Eric paused when he heard Floyd's voice and instantly became very polite.

"Chairman Stanton, you know that’s not what I meant."

"I don't know what you want, Eric. We appreciate that you helped Nicole, but don’t you wear out this gratitude, stop the nonsense and tell me the address. I’ll pick her up in person!" "I don't know what you want, Eric. We appreciate that you helped Nicole, but don’t you wear out this gratitude, stop the nonsense and tell me the address. I’ll pick her up in person!"

Chapter 2194 Precious Son-In-Law

Eric's complexion changed subtly. His throat moved slightly, and he pursed his lips.

"Okay, the address is..."

After he finished speaking, Floyd hung up the phone.

Grant looked at Floyd in admiration and could not help but give him a thumbs up.

Floyd's face was heavy.

'You can help Kai while I pick up your sister. Let's meet at the hotel later."

Grant nodded, then frowned.

"Dad, I remember we have a holiday villa here. Shouldn’t we go there?"

Floyd shook his head.

"Let's just go to the hotel and wait until your sister wakes up."

Grant nodded, then he went to open the car door. He told the driver, "Be careful when you're driving on the road, and call me if you need anything."

The driver nodded.

Floyd sighed and closed the door by himself.

"Okay. You should go and check out the situation."

Grant sent Floyd away before he went to look for Kai.

In the crowd, the well-dressed and handsome young man had long since lost his dapper look.

After the earthquake, it rained for a while, so the ground was muddy and wet.

Kai fell several times in a row, so his clothes were covered in mud.

The expensive brand-name clothes he wore no longer looked the same.

However, Kai did not stop even though he looked like that. He partnered with a chubby man and carried a patient with a leg injury, bringing the patient to the medical station.

Grant saw Kai's back and thought that he looked pitiful but also very brave.

At this time, no one recognized that Kai was a famous movie star.

Grant sighed. It was a rare moment that Grant felt proud of his younger brother for doing good deeds.

Thus, Grant took a picture of Kai’s wretched state and planned to frame it up for Kai on his birthday so that Kai could do more good deeds.

The sky was still dark.

At that moment, almost half of the people in that city could not sleep or eat well.

Floyd's car arrived at Eric's house, and the driver knocked on the door.

Eric personally came to open the door.

Floyd got out of the car, walked over, and looked at Eric with a faint smile.

"Mr. Ferguson, thank you for your help this time. It's truly a coincidence that you showed up here."

Eric was meticulously dressed. It looked like he had prepared himself after they hung up the phone.

He always had manners when dealing with elders that he respected.

Eric pursed his lips and said in a humble and respectful attitude, "You're welcome, Chairman Stanton. It's my pleasure to help."

Floyd nodded and walked in.

"Nicole must've caused you trouble. By the way, why isn't Clayton here? Shouldn’t he be with her at this time?"

Eric's face tightened. He glanced at Floyd.

'You don't know yet? Unfortunately, Mr. Sloan was killed in the earthquake, and his body hasn't even been found yet. Nicole insisted on going to the bottom of the mountain to search for him all night. In the end, she was a little emotionally unstable, so I brought her back and settled her down. I hope you can advise her well. By the way, your granddaughter is also here. She still doesn't know what's going on, and she's already fast asleep, so I'll get someone to wake her up."

Eric spoke in an unhurried voice, but he gave off a chill.

Floyd was mentally strong and was used to seeing all kinds of situations. He felt that Nicole finally survived all those hardships when she married the man she loved.

He had also observed and tested Clayton for a long time and found him to be a trustworthy person.

How could Clayton get killed just like that?

Floyd thought that Eric was talking nonsense and glanced at him in disbelief. His face was shocked and pale.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.

"I’ll go and see Nicole first. Where is she?"

Eric was also tactful and stopped talking. He stretched out his hand.

"Please come with me!"

Since it had already come to this point, Eric could not stop Nicole from leaving.

Everyone from the Stanton family came, which meant that they came prepared.

At this moment, Eric had to cooperate with them.

He opened the door.

The wall lamps in the room were dim, and the aromatherapy in the room could aid sleep.

Floyd smelled the familiar scent and could not help but glance at Eric.

He had to admit that Eric was quite attentive to Nicole.

It was a pity that Floyd was not in the mood to probe an outsider at the moment.

They were all businessmen, and Floyd did not believe that Eric would do anything at a loss.

It would be really strange if Eric did not try to get something in return for helping Nicole like this.

Floyd walked over to look at Nicole and sighed. Luckily, she was fine.

However, he felt terribly sorry for Nicole when he thought about Clayton.

"Chairman Stanton, why don't I help you to carry Nicole into the car?"

Floyd immediately waved his hand and patted his chest.

"I'll do it myself. You can carry Chatty into the car."

No one knew what happened to Clayton yet, so how could Floyd let an outsider touch his daughter?

Even though it was just carrying her to the car, it was still unacceptable!

Clayton was Floyd's precious son-in-law, so Floyd would not let anyone take Clayton's place.

With that said, Floyd covered Nicole with a blanket and carried her out with ease.

Eric was speechless and suddenly thought, 'Is Floyd guarding against me?'

Chatty did not move until Eric carried her. She did not wake up, put her arms around Eric's neck in a daze, and called out softly, "Daddy."

Eric's heart melted when he saw her soft and adorable face.

Eric put away his thoughts and relaxed a little when he carried Chatty.

When they reached the car, Floyd stood in front of the car and looked at Nicole, who was in a deep sleep strangely. He had a look of disbelief on his face.

'This girl! Why is she sleeping so soundly that she can't even wake up when I called out to her?"

He muttered while pounding his back.

Eric's eyes flickered slightly. He pursed his lips and gently put Chatty on the child seat. He carefully adjusted her to a comfortable position before he closed the car door.

"Chairman Stanton, please contact me any time if you need my help. I’ll stay here for the time being. By the way, the search and rescue team will resume their work in a while. I'll ask them to contact Grant so you’ll save a lot of time."

Floyd's expression was complicated as he nodded.

Since Eric was being reasonable, Floyd had no reason to slap him in the face.

"Thank you, Mr. Ferguson. I'll ask my son-in-law to come over and thank you in person once we find him."

Eric's expression froze slightly, but he still smiled and nodded.

He could hear the detachment and sense of proportion in Floyd's words.

Floyd also did not believe that Clayton was dead.

However, that was a fact. Even if they were reluctant to accept it, that was the reality.

Eric watched the car leave.

For a while, Eric stood there with his tall and slender figure, looking so lonely.

There were footsteps at the door, and the maid came out rubbing her eyes. She was startled when she saw Eric standing there.

"Mr. Ferguson, why are you here? I heard something just now..."

Eric's expression was gloomy as he replied, "You don’t need to cook in the morning."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and went in.

Eric did not sleep all night, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

As soon as Nicole and Chatty left, the whole house felt empty.

Eric could not sleep anymore.

Chapter 2195 Sense of Crisis

Floyd took Nicole back to the hotel and immediately called for a doctor.

Fortunately, Stanton Corporation was the major shareholder of this hotel, and there were also dedicated doctors in the hotel.

The doctor examined Nicole briefly. His complexion gradually improved.

However, to be on the safe side, the doctor took a blood sample to take it back for testing.

“Chairman Stanton, judging by Ms. Stanton's current state, Ms. Stanton may be in a deep sleep because she had a mental breakdown. But this kind of sleep isn't harmful, and it can allow her mind and body to rest. Let me take this blood sample back for testing first. I'll notify you as soon as I get the results."

Floyd nodded and sent him away with a solemn expression.

He was worried about his daughter and afraid of disturbing her rest, so he went to another room of the presidential suite to call Grant.

At this time, the sky was getting brighter. A light blue hue slowly tore away the darkness of the night sky.

The sun's rays began to penetrate the clouds and shine gently on the earth.

All news channels were reporting about the earthquake.

At the moment, the death toll was 16, and the scene looked extremely deserted and tragic.

Many rescue workers, medical workers, and volunteers had gone to the disaster zone.

Floyd watched the news silently and seemed to have spotted Kai.

He thought, 'Is that my ignorant son who's also a clean freak?'

Kai ran to the ambulance with a child covered in mud on his back. The child's face and body were also covered in mud.

At this moment, the boy did not seem to know what happened and looked very happy to be carried by Kai. He hugged Kai's neck and showed his white baby teeth.

This scene was broadcasted on the news for a while.

Kai's face was looking to the side, and he was covered in mud. However, his family could recognize his side profile at a glance.

That was why Floyd was particularly surprised.

Floyd thought, 'Nah... Maybe it's not Kai...'

Grant just happened to answer the phone.

“Dad, is everything going well?"

"Yes, it went well, but... What's going on there? I think I saw Kai on the news. Is he so kind as to help out? It's good enough that he didn't go there and make trouble."

Floyd asked his eldest son in doubt and thought that his eldest son was more reliable.

Grant paused before he replied, “Yeah, that's our Lil K."

Floyd exhaled slowly. Something suddenly flashed through his mind.

“By the way, I need to tell you something serious. Eric told me just now that my precious son-in-law is dead. Is that true?"

Grant was silent for a few seconds.

Floyd also sensed that something was wrong.

Grant sighed.

“Dad, Mr. Churchill confirmed that Clayton fell off from the cliff when that section of the boulder broke off. There were three other people with him at that time, and their bodies have been found. Only his body is missing..."

Floyd gasped. His face turned pale.

His body swayed, and he looked a little unstable.

Grant pursed his lips. "Dad, are you okay?"

Floyd took a deep breath, sat down slowly, lowered his voice, and became solemn.

“I'm fine."

Grant said, “Eric's people arrived just now. I also found some people to join the search, so we’ll have results soon. Dad, take care of Nicole and stay in the hotel first. I think she probably knows about this, and I hope that she can calm her emotions."

No one wished for this to happen.

They all felt that their lives were on the right track.

Clayton was a very reliable person.

Floyd even wanted Clayton and Nicole to have their second child, but before Floyd could urge them, this accident happened.

This was a fatal blow to the Stanton family, especially Nicole.

At present, they could only try their best to find Clayton first.

Whether Clayton was dead or alive, there must be an explanation.

Floyd hung up the phone and lowered his head silently.

What should his daughter do?

After a few hours, the sky turned bright.

The light shone through the glass. Floyd just remembered to close the blackout curtains in Nicole's room.

At that moment, Chatty woke up and ran over in her cartoon pajamas without crying or making a fuss.

Chatty stretched out her two white and tender little arms.

“Grandpa, hugsies..."

Floyd's heart melted as he stretched out his hand to carry her.

"Our little Chatty is awake? You didn’t disturb Mommy, right?"

Chatty pouted.

“I called out to her just now, but Mommy ignored me. She's still sleeping."

Floyd paused and was even more puzzled. ‘Why can't she wake up?’

His doubt turned into worry.

Floyd asked the doctor to speed up the blood test report as he wondered if Eric had done something bad to his daughter.

However, he kept a friendly smile on his face and carried Chatty out.

"Let's go and have breakfast!"

Although Chatty was unfamiliar with the environment, she quickly got used to it because her family was by her side.

Chatty was also not picky especially when it came to food.

Floyd just thought that Chatty was easy to sustain, much better than his picky grandson, Levi.

Two hours later, the doctor came back with the test report.

“Chairman Stanton, this is the report..."

“Just tell me what it says. I'm not in the mood to read a report. Is there something wrong with my daughter? If she's okay, why isn't she awake now?”

Floyd asked directly.

When he turned around, he grinned at his baby granddaughter who was playing with a toy train.

The doctor was speechless.

He paused, coughed, and said solemnly, "Chairman Stanton, Ms. Stanton is fine, but her blood shows a certain concentration of sedatives, which was probably injected into her system. That’s why she's still asleep. But the blood test shows that there’s a small amount of sedative left in her system, so she should wake up in a few hours."

Floyd frowned with a glum face. His eyes were indifferent and deep as he said, "Eric Ferguson didn't say a single word about this! Hah!"

It was not tough to guess. Eric probably did not expect the Stanton family to act so fast.

The night was supposed to pass quickly.

Who knew the Stanton family would discover what happened?

Although tranquilizing Nicole was a bit too much, Floyd could understand why Eric did that.

Nicole must have been devastated when she found out about Clayton.

Although Eric's move was too much, it was justifiable.

After a few hours, Nicole finally struggled to wake up and was in a groggy state.

She had a faint feeling of uneasiness in her sleep, but she could not resist the strong effect of the sedatives. It was as if a hand was pulling her into a deep sleep and preventing her from waking up.

Nicole's eyes snapped open.

She looked around and did not notice the change in the environment.

As soon as she got out of bed, she wanted to find Clayton. The piercing sadness instantly swept over her because no one was next to her.

Clayton was not there.

It was not a dream.

Nicole felt a kind of loneliness that she had never felt before. 2

Chapter 2196 Shattered

Nicole took a deep breath. She did not allow herself to be immersed in sadness and planned to look for Clayton immediately.

After walking a few steps, she realized that her clothes had been changed. She frowned slightly, but fortunately, she did not feel any discomfort other than feeling groggy.

Nicole believed that Eric would not do anything to her at this time.

As soon as she went out, she saw Floyd sitting on the floor, playing with Chatty.

She froze for a moment, and her eyes instantly felt sore.

"Dad?'

Floyd looked up.

He looked at Nicole and was pleasantly surprised but also a little distressed.

'You’re finally awake! Do you feel any discomfort?"

Nicole touched her head. "No... I just don't know how long I slept for..."

Floyd pursed his lips. He did not want to cause more trouble at this time.

"Not long. It was just a normal sleep. The doctor said that you were too tired and emotionally unstable. That's why you slept so soundly."

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dad, why did you come here? Where are we?”

"We're at a hotel. Grant, Kai, and I came over, and I brought you back from Eric's place. Don't worry. We're your backer. With US around, we won't let you stay under his roof."

Tears welled up in Nicole's eyes.

She nodded heavily and felt even more heartbroken when she thought of Clayton.

However, when she noticed that Chatty was paying attention to her, Nicole did not show her emotions and immediately wiped away her tears.

"Dad, I have something else to do. I have to go back to the earthquake site."

Floyd saw that she was distraught and sighed.

"Okay, but you have to eat something before going. Otherwise, you'll pass out, and Chatty will be worried."

Nicole looked at Chatty with a tangled look and nodded.

She waved, and Chatty ran over to her.

Chatty could keenly feel Nicole's uneasy emotions, so she carefully raised her eyes to look at her.

"Mommy, are you awake?"

Chatty could not wake Nicole up no matter how loud she screamed just now.

Later, Grandpa Floyd also said that Mommy was too tired, so she would have to sleep for a long time before waking up.

That was why Chatty held back from waking up her mother. Thus, when Nicole was awake, Chatty wanted to take good care of her.

Nicole smiled and reached out to carry her daughter.

'Yup. Chatty, did you eat breakfast?"

'Yes, Mommy. I’m a good girl!"

Chatty pressed her cheek against Nicole's and suddenly raised her head to ask, "Where's Daddy? Why isn't Daddy here?'

Nicole’s face froze in an instant and turned extremely pale.

Floyd quickly carried Chatty and coaxed her.

"Daddy is busy, so he's away for a few days. Didn't I tell you just now?"

Chatty touched her head in doubt.

"Really?"

She could not remember a thing.

Floyd nodded solemnly. 'Yes, really. Did you forget?'

Chatty got down on her feet and said guiltily, "I'll call Daddy to say sorry.”

Floyd quickly stopped her.

"Daddy is busy, so don't disturb him for the time being."

"Okay then..."

Chatty put down the phone with understanding.

The waiter outside brought in the prepared meals.

The dishes were light and refreshing, Nicole's favorites.

Nicole did not even dare to look into Chatty's eyes.

Chatty was still young and easy to fool, but if Clayton was really dead, how should Nicole explain it to her?

Nicole dared not think about it, let alone face it.

Their good days together were too short.

They had planned out their lives together.

Nicole felt like she was chewing wax. Floyd sighed when he saw her, but he did not say anything.

They could talk about it after everything was settled.

What if Clayton managed to survive?

Nicole only took a few bites before she left.

She looked like she could not sit still for another second.

Floyd did not stop her and asked the driver to take her there safely.

When Nicole got there, Grant had already led a search party.

Eric was also there.

Eric saw Nicole, who did not even glance at him, and felt mixed emotions in his heart. "Big Brother, how is it?"

Grant paused. He took out a transparent plastic bag from his pocket that contained a broken mobile phone.

"Look. This is Clayton's, right?"

Nicole was shocked like she was struck by lightning.

That mobile phone was so familiar to her. It even had shiny stickers that Chatty put on the back. Clayton pampered Chatty and was reluctant to change his phone because this was his precious daughter's masterpiece.

However, looking at that phone now, Nicole felt like crying.

The phone was stained with mud, and the screen was shattered. It was evident how hard the impact was when it fell.

Grant sighed. "Fortunately, our people found it first. Otherwise, Clayton's business secrets might be leaked. I've already told the team to search for him nearby. Nicole, I believe we'll get the news soon."

They all knew that it would be bad news.

Nicole took the phone over and held it in her hand like it was a treasure.

Her silence made the two men feel a little lost.

They thought Nicole would lose control due to her sadness or be hysterical, but she did not.

It was uncharacteristic of her.

Nicole calmly took the phone and put it in her pocket.

Then, she looked around at the search and rescue team and pursed her lips.

"Alright. I'll help search as well. Brother, I'll leave this area to you."

Grant nodded.

Eric frowned and looked at her back, deep in thought.

"Mr. Stanton, is Nicole more emotionally stable now?"

Eric thought that Nicole would settle the score with him when she found out that he tranquilized her last night, but she did not even mention it.

He felt a little uncomfortable all of a sudden.

The feeling of being ignored was frustrating!

Grant thought about it and said, "No, she doesn't seem fine. I know my sister. The calmer she is, the more we should be worried."

He sighed. Starting today, he would have to arrange for someone to be by her side to take care of her.

No one would be able to accept their loved ones suddenly leaving them.

Eric was stunned.

Nicole followed the team everywhere and did not let go of any place where Clayton could possibly be. She searched more carefully than others.

However, as time passed slowly, the situation on top of the mountain was not optimistic

Fortunately, there were no more aftershocks, and the rescue went relatively smoothly.

The number of people rescued from the hotel was limited.

As of that afternoon, the instruments could not detect any signs of life in the rubble of the hotel.

Everyone’s mood was complicated and sad.

The next step was to remove the rubble and bring out the corpses inside.

That afternoon, the latest reported figures in the news were 21 deaths and 30 wounded.

There should have been 22 deaths, but they could not find Clayton's body.

In the end, they could only look at the river flowing through the canyon with a strong conjecture.

Perhaps Clayton had fallen into the river and was washed out to the sea.

This was the only explanation for why they could not find Clayton.

Chapter 2197 Never Coming Back

Nicole stood on the edge of the cliff with an ashen face and watched as the murky yellowish water slapped against the shore down below. The canyon was frighteningly deep with mountains towering on both sides.

She gritted her teeth as she thought about the man falling into the river and disappearing in an instant.

Clayton was so cruel for not saying goodbye to her.

Grant watched from a distance and was ready to take her away at any time.

Nicole looked so pitiful.

He was really afraid that his sister would jump off in a moment of delirium.

Fortunately, she did not.

The sky gradually turned dark.

Eric wanted to leave, but he was still worried about Nicole.

Grant glanced at Eric and said calmly, "Don’t worry, Mr. Ferguson. My sister will be fine."

Eric nodded before he walked away.

Grant walked over and looked at the scene in front of him, feeling heartbroken.

"Lil N, I don't know how to comfort you. It may be a good thing that we haven't found Clayton yet. Maybe he'll come back by himself in a few days?"

When Nicole heard this, her tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Brother, he's never coming back... I've been looking for him for two days. He’s really dead..."

It was painful for her to admit that Clayton was dead.

Nicole had been in denial and was expecting a miracle, but the miracle did not happen.

Grant's heart ached for her, and he patted her on the shoulder.

"I know. But you still have a long future ahead. Dad stayed up all night because of you, and you still have Chatty. Even if Clayton doesn’t come back, you should love her twice as much on his behalf and take good care of her. You can’t let Clayton know that no one is there to pamper his precious daughter."

Nicole stood there. Her voice choked up and was almost too sad to speak.

"Brother, every second I stand here, I'm holding myself back from jumping off. But how can I convince myself and tell Chatty that Clayton won't be coming back again?"

Grant knew that Nicole was devastated. He sighed, took a deep breath, and let her cry her heart out so that she could let go of her bottled-up emotions without any worries.

She could only release all her pain here.

Time passed by the minute.

Grant carried Nicole, who fainted from crying, back to the hotel.

Nicole never showed up again during the subsequent search and rescue missions.

That was because everyone knew that Clayton could not be found.

Even if he was found, he would not look the same as before.

Nicole would rather not see that scene.

Perhaps it was for the best that there was no conclusion.

Stanton Corporation and Ferguson Corporation were the two companies that donated the most money and supplies for this earthquake.

It was on the hot topics for a while.

However, both companies tacitly declined the interview.

For a time, everyone praised the two companies on the internet.

Nicole’s and Eric's past was inevitably brought up again.

However, their fans were reasonable this time.

They knew that love could not be forced.

There was no point feeling entangled.

Not long after, the death toll from the earthquake changed from 21 to 22 dead.

This change in numbers caught everyone's attention.

That was because along with the new death toll, gossip spread that the 22nd death was Nicole's husband, Clayton Sloan.

This caused an uproar on the internet.

t's not true! It must be a rumor. Let's wait for them to dispel this rumor!

[How could you be so wicked in spreading such news? Stanton Corporation will sue you until you go bankrupt!]

It must be a rumor. I just saw them being all lovey-dovey a few days ago!

But there were many witnesses at the time of the earthquake. I heard that Goddess Nicole fainted several times while searching for Mr. Sloan.

Is this true? What a pity![Mr. Sloan didn't come out to clarify this for so long... Could it be real...?

Grant did not expect the netizens to be so enthusiastic about discussing his family's affairs.

The gossip did not die down but intensified.

Grant could not make a statement because they would not admit that the 22nd death was Clayton.

Otherwise, that would be adding salt to Nicole's wounds.

However, he could not allow this to fester.

Grant thought about it for a while, then took his phone and called the PR department and Kai.

The public relations department quickly contacted the platform. The platform began to limit the traffic and withdraw the hot topic.

Kai also diverted the netizens' attention with gossip from Falcon Entertainment's popular actor.

Soon, the news of the actor's marriage spread. There were even photos of him and his wife returning to the apartment together.

The actor always maintained a bachelor persona.

Now that he was exposed, the netizens did not let this go.

Thus, news about Clayton stopped after a while.

Kai saw that the hot topic was finally back to normal and sighed.

Dominic called Kai and was puzzled.

"Shouldn't you weigh the consequences if you want to divert the attention? Can't we just find some menial gossip and blow it up? Why do we have to sacrifice so much? It took so much effort to make him popular. He’s on track to become an A-lister..."

"Shut up! Don't annoy me. No one is more important than my sister!"

Kai hung up the phone while he cursed.

Dominic was speechless.

Nicole followed them back.

Floyd was concerned about leaving Chatty alone with Nicole, so he asked them to move back to the mansion.

During this period of time, most of the Stanton family did not return to their separate residences and lived in the mansion.

Even Julie, who was always out, stayed in the mansion every day to chat with Nicole in hopes of diverting her attention.

Nicole looked normal, but everyone could vaguely sense Nicole zoning out from time to time.

That silence seemed to be a sign that life was withering from her.

No one mentioned Clayton's funeral because they still did not find his body.

They were also afraid that Nicole would not be able to take it.

If accepting the news of Clayton's death made Nicole feel that life was meaningless, they would rather keep this sliver of hope for Nicole.

They just looked forward to the day when Nicole could let go of Clayton on her own initiative.

Chatty had been asking about her dad for several days because she did not see him. Thus, Grant thought of sending Chatty to school with Levi.

Although Chatty was not used to it at first, Levi took good care of his younger sister.

Chatty’s little follower, Fischer, also went to the same school.

Nicole stayed at home for a few days and was ready to go to work again.

Floyd saw her carrying a bag and leaving, so he quickly said, "You should take a few more days off. Your brother is overseeing the company anyway!"

Nicole smiled and said indifferently, "I need to find something to do. Otherwise, I'll start to overthink. Dad, did you hear any sounds at night?"

Floyd was puzzled. "What sound? I didn’t hear anything."

Nicole hesitated for a few seconds and stopped asking.

"I could hear some noise at night and thought that some people were arguing outside. Forget it... Maybe I misheard it."

After she finished speaking, she left the house.

Floyd had a bad feeling about it.

Although Floyd slept less as he aged, he slept soundly and only woke up earlier than usual.

Moreover, the sound insulation of the mansion was great, so there should not be any noise.

Floyd watched worriedly as Nicole left.

He wanted to stop her, but Nicole was right. Rather than letting her mind go wild at home, it was better to go out and work.

His heart clenched. He then turned around and went to Kai’s room.

Chapter 2198 Heterodoxy

Julie went to the office early in the morning and planned to spend time with Nicole in the afternoon, so she left early and came home early.

Floyd was very satisfied with everyone, but he felt like Kai was hopeless.

Kai was still sleeping.

Floyd did not barge into Kai's room and only knocked on the door to wake him up. Then, he went downstairs by himself.

Not long after, Kai came down with sleepy eyes.

"Dad, what do you want from me? Did you leave me breakfast?"

The corners of Floyd's mouth twitched. "All you can think about is food! What else can you do besides eat?"

Kai felt aggrieved.

He had been busy helping out at the earthquake zone for several days and did not have a good rest, so he planned to come home to catch up on his sleep.

However, because of Nicole, he did not go back to his own residence and was picked on in the mansion.

Kai sighed. "Dad, shouldn't you let the donkey eat if you want the donkey to work?"

The butler at the side heard this and laughed as he came over.

'Third Young Master, the Chairman asked me to leave breakfast for you. It's at the dining table."

Kai smiled. "I knew that my beloved daddy couldn't bear to starve me to death!"

Floyd rolled his eyes at him.

'Your elder brother got up early in the morning to send the kids to school before sending your sister-in-law to work. Look at you! You don’t even know that your wife left!"

Kai sighed.

"Dad, I worked so hard on filming back then just so I could earn enough money and enjoy my life! Being a corporate slave that leaves the house early and comes home late isn't my dream, so why should I be like them? I make a living on my handsome face!"

Floyd was speechless as he glared at Kai with disdain.

No one in this world but Kai could make laziness sound so grandiloquent.

The butler brought Kai the food and said with a smile, "It's fine to sleep more when you're young..."

Floyd was not in the mood to lecture Kai, so he sighed and said, "Postpone your schedule today and do something for me.""

Kai nodded while eating.

"Okay. I'll do whatever you want!"

Floyd said, 'Your sister probably hasn’t slept well these two days. She said she heard some sounds at night. What sounds could it be? I think it might be auditory hallucination..."

Kai nodded thoughtfully.

"It'll be weird if she can sleep well. How heartless can she be if she can still go about her life like nothing happened?"

The butler shot him a disapproving look and quickly left to the kitchen as he thought, Young Master Kai is really hopeless when he speaks...'

Floyd slapped Kai on the back of the head.

"How could you say that about your sister? It's fine if you're not worried about her, but you think it's okay for her to be like that?"

Kai shrugged his neck and curled his lips aggrievedly.

"I’m innocent!"

"Don't you have connections in your industry? Can you get someone a little more professional to come and exorcise our house. I suspect that Clayton died but is reluctant to part with your sister. His ghost is still haunting her,

so that's why she can't sleep well."

Kai froze and coughed violently, almost spitting out what he had just swallowed.

"Dad, haven’t you always taught US to be rational? You wanna get an exorcist?! Do you think you're filming a horror movie?"

Floyd was also a little embarrassed. He muttered, "Just do as you're told. For your sister, I'm willing to believe in anything!"

Kai sighed.

"Dad, she can't sleep well because of her mental health. I'll make an appointment with a psychiatrist for her and introduce them today. Forget about exorcism! Don’t mention it again. Otherwise, Grant will get mad if he finds out."

Floyd sat there with a cold expression and did not speak. He knew he was guilty, but he was just worried about Nicole.

He had no choice but to think about heterodoxy so that his daughter could have a better life.

Floyd also felt that he was being ridiculous when Kai reminded him.

He glanced at Kai and dodged his gaze.

'Then go right after you're done eating. Don’t delay it. Your sister is in a bad mood, and she won’t take the initiative to see a psychiatrist. You should just bring the psychiatrist to the office."

Kai nodded. "I think so too."

Floyd wiped his eyes with some distress and choked up.

'Your sister has suffered so much. You guys really need to take care of her. Clayton... My precious son-in-law... I feel sorry for him too. I'm also sad that he's gone, but your sister’s life has to go on!"

Kai nodded obediently. He knew that Nicole was stuck at that hurdle, so they paid special attention to her condition.

Poor Clayton...

Kai really could not believe that he just disappeared like that, but they had to face the facts.

He helped carry the corpses and the wounded at the site of the earthquake.

He had personally witnessed people taking their last breaths on the stretcher.

He had also seen those relatives crying until they were breathless for their dead loved ones.

Kai was dejected and uncomfortable.

However, he gradually became numb to it.

When Kai got back home, he felt revived.

He had a profound understanding of life.

Only now, Nicole was more important.

Under Floyd's silent urging, Kai quickly finished his meal.

As soon as he finished eating, Floyd sent him away.

Kai drove to the psychiatrist he knew, then brought the psychiatrist to Stanton Corporation.

Kai did not appear on the big screen for a long time, but that did not stop everyone from being obsessed with him.

He went upstairs wearing a mask and hat. Logan was about to go over and stop him when he recognized that it was Kai.

'Third Young Master?"

Kai nodded.

"Is Nicole here? I'll go straight to her office."

Logan paused. ‘The President is not in a good mood, but she's meeting some guests now."

Kai frowned.

"She can still talk business when she's in a bad mood?"

Logan replied, "She's talking to Mr. Churchill."

Kai pursed his lips. "Oh."

He knocked on the door and entered the President’s Office with the psychiatrist.

They were surprised for a moment when they saw the two people in the office.

Euan looked haggard and apprehensive as he sat on the sofa. Although he looked normal, his eyes were always dodging Nicole's gaze.

Nicole was quiet as if nothing had happened.

'Third Brother? Do you need something?"

Kai raised his eyebrows. "I want to introduce you to a friend."

The psychiatrist was a very humble middle-aged man. Although he was old, Nicole could tell that he was handsome when he was younger.

Nicole nodded. "Wait a minute."

She looked at Euan, who was sitting in front of her, and pushed forward a contract.

"Mr. Churchill, sign it. Haven’t you always wanted to develop the land there? This is a good opportunity."

She did not shy away from Kai or the psychiatrist.

However, Kai was tactful and led the psychiatrist to the balcony inside the office while they waited for Nicole to finish her meeting.

Euan's complexion was dreary.

"Ms. Stanton, forget about the project. If it wasn't for this project..."

If it was not for this project, Clayton would still be alive.

Chapter 2199 He's There

Euan looked embarrassed.

He regretted having proposed the project in the first place.

It was not because the man he admired died, but because Nicole lost her husband.

Euan could not figure out why Nicole brought up this project again.

Everyone was still wallowing in sadness and had not gotten over the tragedy, but Nicole was already planning to rebuild the area.

Nicole paused. Her tone was cold and indifferent.

"Mr. Churchill, the relevant authorities have shown great support for the reconstruction of the disaster zone. They also need a brand new project to cover up the damage."

"But Clayton was there..."

Euan saw Nicole's face turn pale, so he immediately stopped talking.

It was a slip of the tongue.

"Ms. Stanton, why bother?"

Nicole pursed her lips. "Yes, you're right. It’s because Clayton is there."

She needed to make up for the emptiness in her heart.

Nicole did not want to avoid or be overly sensitive about that area. She did not want to leave Clayton there alone.

She wanted to build a brand new, high-end resort there so that she could visit him often in the future.

Mr. Churchill paused for a while before he spoke.

"Okay, since you've said so, I have no objections to it. You're an investor in this project, so I'll take your suggestions. When the project is completed, we can go over and attend the opening ceremony together."

Nicole nodded.

Euan silently signed his name on the contract.

Nicole looked relieved, gently shook hands with him, and retracted her hand.

"I'll get my secretary to contact your people. Please start work as soon as possible."

"Okay."

After seeing Euan off, Nicole turned to look at Kai.

Kai was talking to the psychiatrist casually. They looked relaxed, which was a completely different atmosphere compared to her conversation with Euan just now.

Kai stretched out his hand and beckoned to her.

"Lil N, come here..."

Nicole was already used to Kai's habit of making himself at home at her office.

She walked over and sat on the chair next to Kai.

Kai smiled. 'This is a renowned psychiatrist who came back from abroad. The authorities are advocating psychological counseling for survivors in the disaster zone, so I specially found him for you. By the way, I've already paid him, so you have to stay here and actively cooperate with the treatment. Therapy will be beneficial for you. Grant has something to do in the evening, so you have to pick the kids up from school later!"

Nicole was stunned for a moment as she listened to Kai's arrangements on her own affairs.

Besides that, Kai even instructed her to do other errands.

Kai did not give her any free time.

"Wait, why can't you ask Dad or Mr. Anderson to pick up the kids? I have a business engagement tonight..."

Kai clicked his tongue. "Nope. That won't do. There's a parent-teacher meeting tonight. Do you want to tire out and torment Dad or Mr. Anderson if the school organized some parent-child activities?"

Nicole was speechless.

Kai fiddled with his car keys.

"Remember to arrange your time properly. I still have something to do."

'What else do you have to do? Julie said she'd come to see me this afternoon..."

Kai replied, "I made an appointment to play golf, and I gotta make a guest appearance at an event later. How could Julie set aside time for you when she doesn't even want to go on a date with me? This is outrageous! I'll settle the score with her later!”

He said as he cursed and left the office.

Nicole was speechless.

It did not feel like Kai was there to coax her but to find fault with her.

The psychiatrist in the office smiled.

"Ms. Stanton, I can tell that you have a very good relationship with your brother. Mr. Stanton has told me about your situation briefly, so I understand the gist of it. Please, take a seat..."

Nicole sighed helplessly.

"I’m sorry. I really have other things to attend to. I wasn't aware of my brother's arrangement. Why don't you just take it as we've done a session, then you can leave."

The psychiatrist shook his head and said sincerely, "I can't do that. Mr. Stanton will follow up with me later. He said that if I leave without assessing your condition, he'll report me to the association and have my license blocked. I don't want to risk my career."

Nicole was speechless as she thought, ‘Kai is too ruthless!'

The psychiatrist sighed worriedly.

'To be honest, I was really scared to be picked by Mr. Stanton, but I also felt honored."

could ruin his career at any time.

Nicole was silent for a few seconds and walked over.

"Fine. That does sound like something my third brother will do..."

Nicole believed it was not just a threat.

The psychiatrist smiled and looked at her.

"Many people who have gone through a sudden loss will need around three months to over a year to grieve. In fact, not everyone will have post- traumatic stress disorder as some people have a strong self-recovery ability while some are weaker."

Nicole nodded and looked at her watch. She clearly did not want to listen to him.

She looked perfunctory and absent-minded.

The psychiatrist smiled and looked out the window. He did not mind her attitude.

"Have you ever thought about ending it all or thought about harming yourself?"

Nicole froze and immediately shook her head.

"No."

The psychiatrist glanced at her, looking deep in thought. Then, he nodded with a smile.

'That's good. It means it's not serious."

"I don't need medication or therapy. My family is just overly anxious. I just need time to heal."

The psychiatrist nodded approvingly.

"Yes, time is the cure for everything."

He took out a transparent bottle from his bag that contained small white pills.

"But sometimes, we also need the assistance of modern medicine. Ms. Stanton, you can take one tablet a day when you have trouble sleeping.

This is a weekly dose. After a week, you can come to me again, and I'll prescribe the next course of medicine for you."

Nicole froze completely.

She stared dumbfoundedly at the glass bottle on the table.

The psychiatrist only prescribed one week’s worth of sleeping pills to avoid an overdose.

Nicole needed sleep aids.

However, she did not dare to tell anyone and could only rely on herself. No one knew that she could not sleep every night.

Even so, Nicole could only pretend that nothing was wrong with her.

When the doctor asked about her condition, Nicole had given the standard answer that was a complete lie.

However, he was able to see through her. Although he did not expose her lies, he gave her what she needed most.

The psychiatrist looked at her silently for a few seconds.

"Ms. Stanton, don't isolate yourself. It's a good thing to keep yourself busy. Reach out to me if you want to talk. For this week, you can adjust your sleep."

Nicole lowered her eyes and nodded.

The doctor smiled and stood up.

"I won't bother you then. Goodbye, Ms. Stanton."

Nicole nodded and stood upto send him out.

She did not know if it was the psychiatrist's calming temperament that gave off healing vibes.

After talking to him, Nicole felt that the heavy burden in her heart was slightly relieved.

When Logan knocked on the door and came in, Nicole subconsciously hid the glass bottle on the table in her hand.

Sure enough, Logan did not notice it.

Chapter 2200 Impartial

"President, what do you want for lunch? Shall I order takeout for you? Or do you want to go to the staff cafeteria?"

Nicole paused to think about it. Her story was quite widespread online for a while, so a lot of people knew about it.

She did not want to face everyone's prying eyes and sympathetic gazes, but she was uncomfortable eating alone.

While she was hesitating, Julie sent Nicole a message with a restaurant location.

"Come here and have lunch with me!"

Nicole smiled and put away her phone.

"No need. I have an appointment."

Logan nodded. "Okay."

He also breathed a sigh of relief.

Nicole used to spend more time alone, but after Clayton was gone, Nicole did not like being alone anymore whether she was at home, in the office, or at the Stanton Mansion.

Sometimes, Nicole would vaguely see Clayton in the office lobby, walking toward her with a gentle smile to pick her up from work, to eat with her, or to send her clothes and documents.

He left his trace in every detail of her life.

Before she knew it, Clayton had already occupied a very important place in her heart.

Now that he was taken away from her life, Nicole felt a sharp pain like a piece of her heart was cut out.

The sorrow she felt was indescribable.

Nicole could understand why everyone wanted to persuade her to move forward, but how could she?

She was used to his presence in her life, so how could she adapt now that he disappeared?

Time would erase his existence and numb her pain, but that was more cruel, right?

Why should she forget such a good person?

Nicole silently left with her phone in hand.

Due to Nicole’s poor mental health lately, Floyd asked Luca to be her driver. Thus, Luca would drive her to wherever she wanted to go.

Nicole did not care and allowed them to make arrangements for her.

Julie waved at Nicole in the restaurant. Nicole walked over and saw the three sets of tableware on the table.

"Is someone else joining US?"

Julie paused before she replied, "Before this restaurant was open, Yvette kept saying that she wanted to try it, so I laid out a set of tableware for her."

Nicole was silent for a few seconds. She sat there and said, "So many people around me have died... But we're still so young..."

Julie pursed her lips and looked at Nicole's desolate face. She felt heartbroken for Nicole.

"Nicole, I know you're depressed. When you're at home, you pretend that nothing is wrong because Dad and the whole family are around, and you don’t want them to worry. But who will be able to act as if nothing happened?"

Nicole blinked and looked at her.

"Jules, I don't know what to do."

"When you don't know what to do, just wander around aimlessly. Nicole, we need to live our lives to the fullest. When Yvette died, I couldn't figure out why a bubbly person like her was taken away from US so quickly. But just look at Lance. He's fine now. He would send greetings on behalf of Yvette during the festive season and mail their gifts. No one has forgotten about Yvette, and we won't wallow in sadness forever."

When Julie spoke, her eyes were very red as she tried her best to hold back her tears.

Nicole choked up for a moment. Her eyes also turned red.

Julie smiled and took a deep breath.

'We'll all meet again sooner or later, whether in this world or another. When we meet them again, we can tell them about our decades of experience. Clayton loved you so much, so he would want you to live a good life."

Nicole was silent for a while. Then, she nodded.

"I know. I don't dare to think about ending it all. If he found out that I left Chatty alone, he would be so distressed. He loved his daughter the most, so he would surely be worried about her."

Julie looked at her in distress.

"He loved you the most, Nicole. You must take good care of yourself."

Nicole paused and nodded heavily.

"I will."

The two of them looked at each other and smiled.

The gloom in Nicole's heart dissipated slightly.

They ate slowly, but they also chatted and laughed about some interesting topics until Grant called.

Nicole was eating happily and thought that something happened.

Grant said, "Aren’t you coming to the meeting?"

Nicole's mind went blank. "I forgot..."

She felt guilty and lowered her voice because she really forgot about this completely.

Grant gritted his teeth. "I'll give you 10 minutes to get back to the office."

Nicole replied, "I'm afraid I can't. I’m having lunch with Julie right now, and the journey back to the office will take at least 30 minutes."

Julie was too scared to say anything.

Grant hung up the phone.

Nicole felt guilty when she ended the call and chuckled.

"Grant has always been impartial when it comes to business. Haha..."

Julie said, "I guess that explains why Grant is so rich, and why he's so generous in gifting during the festive seasons!"

Nicole nodded in agreement.

After the two of them had lunch, Julie wanted to continue shopping, but Nicole had to go back to work, so they parted ways.

Back at the office, Grant glanced at Nicole and threw all kinds of work to her.

Nicole looked at the pile of work and could not believe her eyes.

Were they deliberately trying to keep her busy?

Even so, she could not take on such a heavy workload!

Nicole did not go out the whole afternoon and buried herself in work.

Grant checked on Nicole from time to time at the door and was very satisfied with her work attitude.

However, she was so efficient that even Logan could not stand it anymore.

"Mr. Stanton, why don't you go in and take a look?"

Grant glared at him.

"No way! What if she acts like a baby and pushes all her work to me again? You can watch her. Make sure to keep her busy!"

Logan was speechless.

Before it was time to get off work, Logan came over to remind Nicole.

"President, it's time to pick up Chatty and Levi from school."

"Nicole suddenly came to her senses and lifted her gaze.

She was so tired that she could not lift her head, yet she still had to pick the kids up from school.

However, it was almost time, so she ran out with her phone.

Logan reminded her from behind.

"President, don't forget to come back and work overtime..."

Nicole almost tripped and fell.

She did not even have time to be sad now.

No matter how fast Luca drove, they were still late.

When Nicole arrived and saw the lonely little figure in the classroom, her heart ached terribly.

Chatty's back was facing the door as she sat there obediently to read a book.

She was almost like a different person from when Clayton was around.

Why did Chatty look so fragile without Clayton?

Nicole looked at her daughter's back and became more determined. No matter how sad she was, she had to come out of it soon.

She could not let Chatty become an introverted child who did not talk much.

Chatty used to be so cheerful and bubbly!

Just as Nicole was in her thoughts, a teacher came out from the office on the other side of the hallway.

"Ms. Stanton? Are you here to pick up Liliana?"

Nicole nodded. "Sorry, I'm late."

She paused. "Where's Levi? I'm his aunt, so I'll pick him up together."

The teacher looked hesitant and sighed.

She seemed to have countless things to say to Nicole.