Ch. 51..60
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 51
Nicole was unhappy when she learned that Eric Ferguson was personally in charge of this project. She did not want to deal with this man, but it was inevitable that they would meet and talk during the cooperation.
'How annoying.'
The next morning, Nicole went to J&L Corporation with her team. Gerard Lichman came to receive them and wanted to take them to the research lab.
Seeing the latest research and achievements in the lab would give the people of Stanton Corporation an authentic experience of their research progress.
Nicole and Gerard were walking while talking. Before they reached the entrance of the lab, a small thing scampered out of nowhere to them. Someone from behind let out a cry of alarm. “Careful! “
On closer look, it was a fat tiger with pointed ears and whiskers. It was small, adorable, and so lovable. The little tiger only reached Nicole's ankle and was very furry. Besides its stripes, it did not have any semblance of a fierce and majestic tiger.
Everyone was shocked when they saw this little tiger. Nicole froze and was so startled that her heart skipped a beat. She then took a step back.
However, this “tiger“ rammed into Nicole's shoes and rolled on the ground in pain. “Ouch... “ It crawled back up clumsily and rubbed its head at Nicole's feet. It then shook its head and looked up at her.
This action and appearance resembled a tiger cub that was spoiled, lazy, and curious about everything. Nicole felt the urge to kidnap it.
The “tiger“ blinked and shook its whiskers on its cheeks. It stretched out a front paw from its chubby little body to touch the spot on Nicole's right foot that it had just bumped into like it was wiping off some non-existent stains.
Nicole patted her chest and took a deep breath, then rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“What a pretty lady! “ The tiger had the voice of a three or four—year—old boy.
Her eyes widened in shock. “This tiger speaks English?! “
'No, wait... Why would there be tigers here? How can an endangered animal appear here?! '
Gerard could not help but laugh lightly. “Sorry for scaring you.“
He looked down and said in a gentle voice, “You should apologize for scaring our guests.“
The “tiger“ once again rubbed its head on Nicole's feet and sounded aggrieved as it said, “I 'm sorry... Please forgive me. I just look fierce, but I'm actually very gentle...“
It spoke so naturally that it was no different from human speech. Its movements also did not make any mechanical sound. If it had not spoken, Nicole would have thought that it was a real tiger!
Her heart melted from its cuteness.
The crowd was shocked as they watched on the side. Nicole squatted down in amazement and looked into the tiger's eyes. Although this was a model of a tiger, its eyelashes and pupils had the luster and characteristics of a real animal that could change with the light. It could certainly be mistaken as a real tiger cub, but upon closer inspection, Nicole could see a speck of infrared light in its eyeballs.
“This is our experimental team's latest specimen. They're currently researching pet companions to relieve boredom. It usually doesn't run around like this. Someone must've left the door open, so it took the opportunity to slip out.“ Gerard sighed helplessly.
“Is this also part of our project?“ Nicole asked excitedly. 'If so, what a pleasant surprise!'
Gerard hesitated and said, “No, it's still not mature enough and there are many questionable factors, so it's not suitable to be rolled out into the market yet.“
“It's so cute! I want to adopt one! “ The group gathered around.
“Me too...“
“The cost of this tiger is comparable to buying ten shopping malls in West City. We use very high-grade materials from all over the world. Even if we were to compromise on various factors, it'll be hard to achieve mass production.“
The crowd bemoaned the fact that this cute tiger turned out to be a gold mine that they could never afford.
'No wonder it didn't look anything like a machine!
Amazing!'
When Nicole heard that it would not be iass- produced, she felt a little disappointed. This robot could communicate with people and could replace pets without the hassle of feeding, discipline, sickness, and death. It could even become a great companion in life. If such a product were to be released, it would certainly shock the entire industry.
Gerard could see through Nicole's thoughts and felt regretful as well. ”Let's go.”
Nicole looked at the ”tiger ” with fondness, but the tiger suddenly laid on the ground with its belly up trying to get Nicole to play with it. ”Pretty lady, I want a hug ! ”
Seeing this, Nicole could not help but laugh. She looked at Gerard and he helplessly glanced at the little tiger before he nodded in agreement.
Nicole carefully stretched out her hand. The tiger was very nimble as it jumped into her arms. It was about the size and weight of a cat and could easily be held by both hands. It was fluffier and softer to the touch than Nicole imagined. The tiger also rubbed its head on Nicole's chest and nestled in her arms comfortably. It had a lazy face and even squinted its eyes in enjoyment. It was so cute that everyone's hearts melted.
”Little Tiger, you're so cute... ” Nicole could not resist talking to it.
”I agree... ” The little tiger looked so proud and lowered its head to snuggle on Nicole's palm.
A female colleague next to Nicole carne over. “Little Tiger, are all tigers just as cute and cuddly as you are?“
The little tiger rolled its eyes. “Please select an animal mode. Do you agree to switch to the fierce tiger mode?“
It even deliberately emphasized the word “fierce“.
The female colleague rubbed her hands and saw that Nicole and Gerard had no intention to object, so she excitedly said, “Agree! “
The little tiger turned its head and twitched its eyebrows. “Roar...“
The crowd was puzzled. “Roar... Roar...“
Everyone was speechless.
“Roar roar roar...“
The little tiger's voice was not fierce or scary, but cute as hell!
Everyone thought that it was speaking “tiger“.
“I think it's better to switch back to the original mode...“ Another person suggested.
Gerard could not help but laugh. Seeing everyone's incredulous expression, Gerard reached out and touched the little tiger's chubby neck. “Stop fooling around.“
He then looked at everyone and said, “Its IQ is very high and was just teasing you all.“
The people who were fooled by a tiger did not know how to react.
The little tiger rolled around in Nicole's arms like a pampered baby. “Everyone likes me...“
The crowd's mood changed from shock to admiration and finally envy. Everyone stared at the precious treasure in Nicole's hand and was afraid
that this costly item would fall. However, it seemed to be asleep and even snored lightly.
This tiger was truly a wonder!
Gerard led the way and brought the group into the core research area.
J&L Corporation was truly worthy of being at the top of the artificial intelligence field domestically. Their focus was implementing artificial intelligence in various areas that would aid and make a huge impact on people's quality of life. They covered all areas, from autonomous driving to nanny bots, smart homes, robot doctors, and other unexpected aspects of life.
Nicole was increasingly amazed the more she explored. It was the right decision to choose J&L Corporation as a partner.
While everyone was looking around, Gerard took Nicole to the other side of the lab and went into an oval-shaped office.
The people inside stood up and nodded in greeting. Gerard gestured for them to sit down. “Go on.“
A man came in through the side door. A staff made him stand in a designated position and said, “Start stripping... ”
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 52
The man was prepared and stripped his shirt without any fluctuation in his expression. He exposed his chest and posed according to instructions. Nicole was the only woman there and was dumbfounded when she saw this. Her cheeks flushed red and she hurriedly looked at Gerard Lichman.
“What's this...“
“We're collecting various samples of the human physique in order to create different humanoid companions according to different preferences.“
Nicole finally understood after Gerard's simple explanation.
She clenched her teeth and thought, 'What an enjoyable job...'
Gerard's assistant hurriedly came in and whispered a few words into his ear. Gerard looked serious and turned to Nicole.
“Vice President Nicole, please continue to stay and keep watch here for a while. I need to take some of these guys with me.“
As soon as he spoke, everyone immediately followed him out.
Nicole was left dumbfounded alone. She touched the “tiger“ in her arms and muttered to herself, “Do we have to continue?“
Before she had time to think, the next person came into the room. She sat there without lifting her head and stared at the LCD screen on the table. She was waiting for the person to go up and automatically appear on the screen while she tried to calm herself down.
“Start stripping...“
Nicole spoke in the same tone as the staff earlier. It was calm, routine, and perfect!
The person in front of her did not move, so she frowned and urged him.
The man still did not move, so Nicole urged him again. “What's there to be shy about? It'll be quick...“
Nicole got impatient and raised her head. At that moment, her brain buzzed. The man in front of her had deep and dark eyes with a cold glint. It was none other than Eric Ferguson.
She quickly regained composure and frowned slightly. 'Isn't Ferguson Corporation scheduled to come a few days later? Why is he here now?'
The atmosphere was momentarily stagnant. None of them spoke. Fortunately, Gerard Lichman returned in time. “Vice President Nicole, I forgot to tell you that...“
'Mr. Ferguson will be coming today...'
Gerard saw the other two people in the room and sensed the awkward atmosphere. He froze for a moment and said, “Oh, you've met...“
'I was still a step too late...'
Eric stared at Gerard. “What's this about stripping?“ Gerard came to his senses and laughed. “Oh, right! Mr. Ferguson, you have a great figure too. Why don't you take off your clothes so that we can scan your body and take a sample? Vice President Nico le, are you also interested? I wonder who will have the opportunity to pick a robot with Mr. Ferguson's figure... ”
Nicole stood up and said with a straight face. ”I 'm not interested.”
She was about to leave , but the ”tiger” in her arms suddenly jumped down and ran to Eric's feet. It rubbed its head on Eric's feet and tugged on Eric's pants with its two little paws as it whined, ”Papa... Carry me... ”
Nicole turned her head in shock. Eric's face was cold and sullen as he bent down and grabbed the ”tiger” by the neck. Its four legs were struggling in the air
and protested as if it was extremely uncomfortable. ” Don't grab me by the neck... It's so uncomfortable... ”
Eric was annoyed and held the tiger in his arms. He did not seem surprised and seemed to know the tiger's temperament very well. Eric raised his eyes to look at Nicole and wanted to say something, but Nicole just glanced at the tiger coldly and grunted before she turned around and left without looking back.
Gerard looked at Eric's increasingly glum face and could not help but laugh lightly. ”She was so into the tiger just now and I was worried that she'd ask for it, but once you touched it, she didn't even want to look at it anymore... ”
Eric glanced at him coldly. Gerard touched his nose and was sensible enough to shut up.
Once Nicole left the building, she received a call from Yvette, who was asking her to come out for lunch at a nearby mall.
Nicole was upset about earlier and needed to relax, so she informed Logan and went to meet Yvette.
The two of them went to a newly opened restaurant. Yvette had already made a reservation in advance, so they did not need to queue for a place. They ordered a feast. When they were almost done eating, Yvette looked at her phone and laughed out loud.
She handed her phone to Nicole and said, “Look at this dumb*ss Ian!"
Nicole glanced at it and saw Ian's new post. Ian had cropped out the photo of Nicole and Eric dancing and replaced Eric's face with his own. The caption: [This is more like it!]
Keith was among the people who liked the post. Unexpectedly, Eric left a comment below.
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 53
Nicole had long since blocked Eric and cut off all contact with him. She did not expect to see his name in Ian's post. 'This circle is just too small...'
Eric's comment: (Knock-off.]
It did not do much damage, but it was quite insulting. Ian angrily left a dozen comments below cursing Eric Ferguson. However, there was no other reply
from Eric. The “war“ was over.
Nicole rolled her eyes helplessly. “Ian doesn't have anything better to do, huh?“
“He's really interested in you. Everyone can see that. Why don't you give him a chance? You can take advantage of this opportunity to annoy the crap out of Eric Ferguson...“
“I won't be romantically interested in my closest and dearest friends. If I was interested in him, I'd have made a move on him long ago, so stop spouting nonsense...“
Nicole frowned thinking of how she should solve this situation with Ian.
“Then forget it. I've got my eye on a necklace. Wanna come with me to take a look?“ There was always something to talk about between girls.
Nicole nodded and needed some retail therapy. The two came out of the restaurant and made a beeline to a specialized jewelry store.
Yvette had booked this necklace long ago and when the attendant took it out, it was absolutely stunning.
”This necklace is the final work of the famous designer Pire. You ladies have a great eye. Would you like to try it? ” The girl at the counter could see at a glance that these two ladies wearing such expensive- looking clothes were not ordinary customers and introduced the store's latest products to them.
Yvette nodded and handed it to Nico le. ”Try it on.”
The two ladies were like sisters and did not mind who bought what. Although Nicole did not shop often, she had plenty of jewelry. Every holiday or birthday, her brothers' gifts to her were enough to fill out a warehouse. She would get the latest models of jewelry on the market without asking for it.
However, going to shops and trying on jewelry was certainly more enjoyable. Nicole picked up the necklace to try it on when she heard a taunting voice from behind.
”Try it on? Can she even afford it? Hey you, you shouldn't just let anybody try on your store's jewelry because her odor will cling onto the necklace and you won't be able to sell it... ”
Ingrid and her groupies were shopping and just happened to see this scene. The smell of barbeque from Nicole and Yvette's lunch earlier was stuck on their clothes, so Ingrid could not help but speak out.
She had sustained a miserable defeat the last time at Nicole's hands and was so angry that she did not have an appetite for a few days.
Yvette's face turned cold. “What does it have to do with you?“
Ingrid walked over arrogantly and said, “I want this necklace! Don't let anyone try it because I'm afraid it'll get dirty.“
She gritted her teeth and stared at Yvette, then sneered at Nicole. “How much pocket money did your sugar daddy give you? You probably don't have enough to buy it, right? It's better if you just save it."
“Please wrap it up for me,“ Nicole said to the store attendant as she put down the necklace.
She glanced at Ingrid with a cold and clear gaze that carried a hint of warning. Ingrid was startled and almost felt the fear of that day again. However, Ingrid was soon emboldened.
Ingrid thought that she was surrounded by people and the jewelry store's security guards, so Nicole would not have the guts to make a move on her here.
“I said that I'll take this necklace, “ Ingrid interjected. She would not let Nicole have her way no matter what.
The store attendant spoke hesitantly, “Sorry, but these two ladies came first...“
“What did you say? I 'm a VIP customer and should get the best treatment! I should get priority on whatever I fancy! “ Ingrid glared at Nicole smugly.
The rules of this store were that VIP customers had the right to pick first.
The store attendant glanced apologetically at Yvette and Nicole and was about to take the necklace away when Nicole gently put her hand on it. The corner of her lips hooked up slightly.
Nicole took out a special black gold card from her bag, which was an exclusive VVVIP special card recognized internally by all international luxury brand stores. It was only given to ten celebrities in the world and even a certain royal family did not have a chance to see it. It was extremely precious and rare.
With this card, one could enjoy the best treatment in whichever luxury brand store in the world.
The store attendant took a look at the card and was stunned for several seconds. “M-Miss, I'll wrap it up for you right away.“
She no longer heeded Ingrid's words and moved quickly.
Ingrid was still in shock and reluctantly questioned her. “This is a fake, right? Don't let her fool you! “
Although Ingrid had not seen or touched this card before, this card was a legend of its own in the gentry circle. The photos of this legendary card that were occasionally leaked left a deep impression on Ingrid.
The card in Nicole's hand was the said legendary card.
'How did she get it? What right did she have to own that card? How can she hold that card?'
The store manager immediately came over to drive away other customers. ”We have to ask you to leave immediately because we'll now have to serve this customer exclusively.” Nicole snickered. Yvette could not help but say, ” Hurry up and kick her out. She's such an eyesore ! ”
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 54
Ingrid Ferguson finally left the jewelry store in shame and anger. Yvette hurriedly took the card over and looked at it left and right. She said in surprise, “ How did you get this card?“
Nicole pursed her lips and said, “My third brother gave it to me on my 18th birthday. He told me to bring it wherever I go. I didn't expect it to come in handy! “
“Why didn't God give me a 'Third Brother'?“ Yvette held her forehead in envy and jealousy.
Nicole laughed and gave it to her. “If you like it so much, I'll give it to you.“
“No way! This card is valid for life. It's invalid once it's transferred, so you keep it...but you can buy me what I like...“
Nicole nodded and liked this idea.
After buying the necklace, Yvette happily dragged Nicole around for a while before they left the mall.
Nicole was in a good mood when she went back to the office. Samantha Lindt had been making small moves, but Nicole did not care about it and let her be.
She knew that whatever Samantha did could not be hidden from Grant's eyes and ears. Since Samantha was digging her own grave, Nicole had no intention of stopping her.
After work, Nicole was about to walk out with her bag on her arm when Julie Nixon called her.
Once she picked up, Julie hurriedly spoke and cut to the chase. “Emergency! There's a charity dinner tonight and my company's artist, Roman, needs a female companion. I 'm not in the country now, so can you please attend in my stead?“
Nicole looked at the time. “Alright, I have time anyway.“
“Thanks, love! I'll get him to bring you a dress. He'll be there soon.“
After she hung up, Nicole raised her eyebrows. 'How is Jules so sure that I'd attend?'
Nicole informed Logan of her last-minute schedule and went downstairs to wait for the guy. Roman was a model and was relatively reputable. If people in the company saw her, they would inevitably start gossiping again.
Thus, Nicole wanted to avoid more scandals.
In less than ten minutes, a stylish sports car appeared at the office entrance conspicuously. Nicole was speechless when she saw Roman waving at her from the car as soon as she walked out, then she hurriedly got into the car. However, Roman even took off his sunglasses and sent a flying kiss to the
crowd gathered at the entrance before driving off.
Nicole was exasperated and regretted it immediately. She wanted to get out of the car this instant!
She knew that tomorrow's headline would be about her again.
Nicole did not say a word, so Roman laughed and turned to look at her. “Ms. Nicole, we haven't met but we already know of each other. Thanks for your help.“
She flashed a perfunctory smile and did not want to say more. “I 'm not helping you. I 'm helping Julie.“
“No wonder she was so certain that you'd help. You should be very good friends, right?“
“Yes.“ Nicole did not bother to say more.
Roman saw that Nicole was not in high spirits, so he did not try to make conversation again. They arrived early at the venue of the charity dinner, so Nicole found a room to change into her dress while Roman waited at the door.
This private charity dinner was not exclusive to artists, but also a place where many celebrities and dignitaries would gather. Nicole saw many familiar faces. Once she entered the venue holding Roman's arm, she saw Quinn and Ingrid Ferguson among the people in the hall.
Nicole raised her eyebrows. Since these two were present, Eric Ferguson must also be present.
'This family is really out to haunt me!'
The focus of this banquet was the charity auction session. Nicole did not intend to participate, but Roman was in high spirits. He tried to make a bid for almost every product in the auction but did not manage to get anything.
Nicole was a bit perplexed and leaned closer to ask him in a whisper, “Are you here to raise the bid?“
'Why else would he raise the price and not place the final bid?'
Roman pursed his lips and smiled mysteriously. ” Julie asked me to increase my exposure and told me that doing so would definitely attract attention.”
Nicole was speechless.
In the blink of an eye, the last piece was soon up for auction. The picture of the item appeared on the large LCD screen. It was an antique tobacco pipe with emeralds that had a high clarity and brilliance.
Nicole squinted and thought that this object looked familiar . She seemed to have seen it in the memorial hall at the Ferguson Villa. Nico le was shocked when she recognized it. 'Is this not Old Master Ferguson's most treasured object that had been passed down as a family heirloom for generations? Old Master Ferguson protects it with his life and won' t even let others take a look at it, so how did it show up here as an auction item?'
Her brain spun quickly and her eyes swept around the room. She did not see Eric anywhere, but Quinn and Ingrid were in front looking at each other with a smug look, enjoying the attention of the crowd.
Nicole suddenly understood something. Her smile deepened and thought, 'So it's a charity trap... '
Only a few people present knew about the Ferguson family heirloom and thought that this was just an ordinary emerald tobacco pipe.
Quinn and Ingrid must have stolen it for the auction and bid for it later. By the end of it, they would gain both money and fame...
”This is the charity auction item provided by Mrs. Ferguson and Ms. Ferguson from the Ferguson Corporation. They are very generous to donate such a precious item. Now, let the bidding begin! The starting price is three million dollars..."
'Three million?'
Nicole laughed lightly. 'Old Master Ferguson's precious family heirloom was only worth $3 million?
Quinn raised her bidding paddle. “$3 million!"
“$4 million..."
Nicole lowered her eyelids and waited for a few seconds. Afterward, she raised her bidding paddle without hesitation. “$10 million!"
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 55
The scene was in an uproar as everyone's eyes were focused on Nicole.
Roman looked at Nicole in confusion. “What do you want this for?“
Nicole hooked her lips. “It looks pretty nice, don't you think?“
“I don't think so.“
'It looks like an ordinary tobacco pipe...what's so nice about it?'
Nicole noticed Quinn and Ingrid's gaze on her, so she smiled faintly and did not avoid eye contact with them.
The Ferguson mother-daughter pair were obviously startled. They knew that Nicole recognized this emerald pipe.
Back then, Quinn had asked Nicole to clean the memorial hall alone one night. Quinn deliberately took out the pipe from the safe and placed it on a high shelf as she hoped that Nicole would “ accidentally“ bump into the shelf and break the emerald pipe. If that happened, Old Master Ferguson would certainly kick Nicole out of their family.
However, Nicole was smart enough not to touch it.
If not for the surveillance camera in the memorial hall, Quinn would have broken it herself and falsely blamed it on Nicole. Unfortunately, her plan failed because Old Master Ferguson valued this pipe more than his own life!
Thus, Quinn never found the opportunity again.
This time, the Ferguson mother-daughter pair stole the emerald pipe and put it out for auction because Ingrid had lost her reputation when Nicole told the world that Ingrid had stolen the “Daydream“ necklace to gamble. After Ingrid came back to the country, she was repeatedly humiliated by Nicole, so much so that Ingrid was almost ostracized by the gentry circle.
Ingrid wanted to regain a firm foothold among the high society ladies circle and find an opportunity to become the focus of the group again. As the Young Lady of the Ferguson family, Ingrid must always be the center of attention.
This charity auction banquet was a good opportunity to help Ingrid redeem her image and maintain her persona as a “high-society lady“. This was the most suitable occasion.
Thus, Ingrid begged her mother to secretly take out her grandfather's emerald pipe as an auction item. The value of the emerald pipe was enough to put Ingrid in the spotlight.
The people who knew about their family heirloom would not dare to bid for it for fear of Old Master Ferguson. Those who did not know about it would not bid for it either, so her plan was perfect. She would take it out and bid it back herself as a show to gain back her reputation.
However, Ingrid and Quinn never thought that they would meet Nicole here...
Quinn was anxious as Nicole was clearly not holding back on her bidding price. Their limit was only $10 million because the two of them had no power in the Ferguson family. They only got a monthly allowance and did not have much in personal savings, so they obviously could not continue bidding.
Nicole's arrival was completely unexpected. Quinn had assumed that even if someone bid on the emerald pipe, it would not exceed $10 million. Even if it did exceed $10 million, no one would have the guts to fight with the Ferguson family.
However, Nicole was different.
She came for them, the Ferguson family!
“$10 million going once! “ The host's eyes lit up as he shouted.
Ingrid nervously tugged at Quinn's clothes and whispered something.
Quinn also pretended to be calm and turned back to glare at Nicole fiercely as a warning.
Nicole raised her eyebrows, smiled faintly, and looked at the item on the stage. 'I must get my hands on it!'
“$10 million going twice! “
The host looked at the audience, but there was no sound.
They did not dare to compete with Mrs. Ferguson to steal the limelight, nor did they want to waste money on an emerald pipe that they could not get their hands on.
The host's eyes swept across the hall and saw that Quinn had raised her bidding paddle.
“$11 million.“ Quinn was calm and collected.
'I thought they'd cap it at 31o million. I didn't think that Quinn wanted to continue bidding...' Nicole thought.
“ $12 million! “ Nicole followed. She wanted to test their patience.
The phone in her hand buzzed. Nicole glanced at the phone number and knew who it was even though there was no caller ID.
'Ingrid Ferguson?' Nicole gently hooked her lips and refused to answer. She even blocked Ingrid while she was at it.
“$13 mlllion,“ Quinn called out again. She was visibly sitting on pins and needles at this moment.
The host seemed to understand that this was a game for both sides, and the atmosphere in the hall began to get tense.
He raised his voice, “Okay, $13 mlllion. Miss, would you like to bid again?“
Nicole did not respond, so the host thought that she had given up. “$13 mlllion going once! “
“$13 mlllion going twice! “
Quinn and Ingrid breathed a sigh of relief.
“$15 million! “ Nicole immediately interrupted before the last call.
'How does that feel?' Nicole thought.
Quinn's eyes were so flustered. She lowered her head to speak to Ingrid.
Without hesitation, Ingrid looked like she had made a major decision. “$20 million! “
'Do they think that my limit is $20 million?' Nicole thought.
Even Roman got nervous and looked at Nicole. “Do you need help?“
Nicole smiled and raised an eyebrow. “No, this is nothing to me.“
She raised her paddle again. “$30 million! “ The crowd was in an uproar.
Nicole was no longer bothered to scare Quinn and Ingrid bit by bit. She wanted them to stop bidding.
The lights flickered and shone on Quinn and Ingrid's pale and gloomy faces.
“Okay, $30 million going once! “ “$30 million going twice! “
No one in the room made a sound. Nicole knew that she won.
“$30 million sold! Congratulations to this young lady. The proceeds will be donated to Elementary School of Hope...“
The crowd began to applaud and finally broke the suffocating and tense atmosphere. Nicole greeted everyone with a decent smile and smiled widely at the two women in front of her. 'What a great day today...'
After greeting everyone, Nicole and Roman went backstage to get the item. As expected, Quinn and Ingrid still refused to give up and were waiting for her there.
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 56
The staff on the side politely put the emerald pipe in front of Nicole, who picked it up and looked at it.
There was a small red spot at the bottom of the tobacco pipe.
'So it is the real deal...' Nicole thought. “Thank you, “ Nicole said to the staff.
She simply ignored the two women who were on the side. Quinn could not stand it anymore and coldly snorted. “Nicole, are your eyes on your feet? Don't you know how to be polite when you see your elders?“
'How did she treat me back then? She never treated me properly when I was her daughter-in -law and expects me to treat her like an elder now?'
Nicole's eyes flickered. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh, Mrs. Ferguson, you're here too. What a coincidence! “
Her words were enough to make Quinn die from exasperation.
Quinn's face turned red with anger. “You think that just because you have a backer, you don't need to respect me? Don't forget that I'm your mother-in - law!“
Before Nicole and Eric's divorce, Quinn had never considered herself as Nicole's mother-in-law.
Instead, Quinn only thought of herself as a master and treated Nicole as if she was a servant.
Whenever Nicole went back to the Ferguson Villa, Quinn would always find ways to mock Nicole's lowly ingratiation. She would make Nicole do housework and chores, and find excuses to reprimand and punish Nicole. Quinn would often bring back other young single ladies from other affluent families to hang around in front of Nicole and even gave those ladies Eric's private number so that Nico le would know what to do and back off by herself.
At that time, Nicole was a thorn in Quinn's side.
Nicole could not help but laugh lightly. ”Have you gone senile? I divorced your son long ago. You can find someone else to be your daughter-in-law... ”
”Nicole, you're so rude! How can you talk to your elders like that?” Ingrid could not help but speak up. She was greatly humiliated by Nicole on several occasions, so when she saw Nicole again, she began to fear her.
Fortunately, her mother was here, so Ingrid worked up the courage to speak.
The atmosphere felt heavy for a moment. Nicole's smile faded as she swept a cold glance at Ingrid. ”Are you trying to teach me what to do?”
Ingrid shrank to the back and dared not make another sound. She just looked at her mother helplessly.
The Ferguson mother-daughter pair originally wanted to pull Nicole off her high horse, then coax her and take the emerald pipe away, but it turned out that Nicole did not do anything as they had planned.
If not for the staff in the room, Quinn would have been more straightforward and would not have the patience to babble on with Nicole.
Quinn was a little nervous and said, “Nicole, I 'll give you $30 million. I must take the pipe! “
She had already contacted her son because she knew that she could not hide it any longer. If Nicole really took their family heirloom away, not to mention her father-in -law, even her husband would not forgive her!
Nicole paused for a moment and laughed. “If you had $30 million, you could've raised the bid earlier when it was still fair play. Now it's too late.“
“I've contacted Eric. He'll be here soon.“
Quinn knew how obsessed Nicole was with her son. Once Eric was here, she was certain that Nicole would compromise just to see him.
“Whether he comes or not doesn't change the fact that this emerald pipe is now mine.“
Nicole laughed. 'Does she still think that I'm the stupid woman from three years ago? Does she think that I'll forgive and forget everything when I hear Eric's name?'
“Nicole, $30 million is not a small amount. Can you even afford it?“
Quinn did not believe that the penniless Nicole could fork out $30 million so easily.
Back then, Nicole married into the Ferguson family without a penny to her name. Quinn was laughed at by other high -society women for having such a poor daughter-in-law, so Nicole was a disgrace to her.
Although Ingrid said that Nicole now had a lot of men backing her, why would they spend so much money on a divorced woman? Were those men dumb?
Nicole hooked her lips, took out the black card from her purse, and handed it to the staff at the side. “ Swipe it.“
There was no hesitation.
“Yes, Ms. Nicole.“ The staff member took the card with both hands.
Quinn and Ingrid stared at Nicole with their pale faces. Ingrid felt so antsy and kept clutching her phone to call someone.
'Who is she calling? Eric Ferguson?'
Nicole smiled faintly. 'It's useless regardless of who shows up!'
She could spend $30 million in a second without the slightest hesitation and could even afford to pay more than $30 million as long as she wanted to!
“It's useless for you to take this pipe. What's the point of spending so much on it? “ Quinn softened her attitude and used a roundabout way.
“I only took it out so that everyone could see it. You know that this is the old man's life. He'll die without this pipe. Do you want to see him suffer at such an old age?“ Quinn said and began to cry.
'Who are you acting for?' Nicole looked at Quinn with a cold gaze and wanted to laugh.
“Since you said so yourself that this is Old Master Ferguson's life, were you thinking of killing him by putting it on auction? You're the reason for his suffering at his old age. So... What do I have to worry about? I bought this through the proper channels with real money. Anyone here can testify to it. The old man is quite revered in the industry, so I believe that he'll understand what integrity means."
“Ms. Nicole, the transaction is complete. ” The staff carefully handed her the card.
Nicole took it and signed her name on the relevant documents. This emerald pipe officially belonged to her now.
At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open...
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 57
Seeing the oncoming person, Quinn's eyes immediately turned red as she walked over emotionally. “Eric...“
“Brother, Nicole snatched away the pipe! That's Grandpa's favorite. If he can't find it, he'll surely make a big fuss! “ Ingrid spoke in a panic.
Eric Ferguson stood in the doorway looking very tall and handsome. His body was half-hidden in the shadows as he stared at the people in the room with cold eyes.
“Shut up! How dare you steal from Grandpa?“
He spoke in a harsh tone and scolded Ingrid, who shuddered in fear and hid behind her mother, not daring to look up.
Behind Eric was the person in charge of this event, who stood there with trepidation. The organizer glanced at the staff on the side and asked, “Are the formalities done?“
“Yes, everything is settled.“ The staff replied cautiously.
Since everything was done and dusted, Nicole was not afraid of anything. After all, their precious family heirloom was in her hands, so she could call the shots.
Nicole looked at Roman, who was next to her. “Let's go. We shouldn't disturb their family reunion.“
She did not even care to greet them and turned on her heels to leave.
“Nicole, you can't take it away, “ Eric spoke in a cold tone.
Quinn hurriedly added, “Yeah, we can't let her take it away! “
With her son's presence, Quinn was no longer afraid and did not want to act in front of Nicole anymore.
Nicole raised her eyebrows, laughed, and raised the document in her hand. “Look, you don't have a say here. The emerald pipe is mine now.“
She swept a glance at Eric's glum face and was in an inexplicably good mood!
“Mrs. Ferguson, you should just save your energy and think about how you'll explain this to Old Master Ferguson. I'm sure he's very curious to know how his family heirloom appeared at a charity auction. I wonder what he'll do if he knew that this emerald pipe no longer belonged to him...“
Quinn's face was pale. She regretted hiding this from her father-in -law. She was afraid and frustrated as she could imagine the old man's thunderous fit of anger. She might even get kicked out of the Ferguson family!
“Eric...“
Eric's eyes were deep and the air around him felt cold. “Nicole, how much do you want to leave this behind?“
Nicole laughed lightly. 'He thinks I want money? Do I look like I'm short of money?'
Her eyes lightly swept across the man's cold face. She raised the emerald pipe in her hand and said, “ Leave this behind? Dream on! “
She then grunted and left the room. Roman hurriedly followed after her.
Quinn anxiously tugged on Eric's arm. “How can you let her go like this? We must take it back from her... “
“Brother, we must! Otherwise, Grandpa will kill us! “ Ingrid looked at him nervously.
Eric raised his eyes and looked at Nicole's departing back with his eyebrows slightly knitted. He looked at the two women in front of him indifferently and said in a cold voice, “I'll find a way to get it back, but you should think about how to explain this to Grandpa.“
He straightened the cuffs of his suit and turned to leave.
Perhaps the old man already knew that his beloved pipe was missing by now. Thus, Eric did not intend to hide this matter from his grandfather. They should learn to bear the consequences of their actions.
“What? “ Quinn's eyes flipped back as she fainted. Ingrid hurriedly caught her mother and called out to her several times, but Eric did not turn back. Only a staff member came forward to ask if they needed help.
With such a valuable item, the organizer politely asked Nicole whether she needed a security escort, but she politely refused. She only wanted to spite Quinn and Ingrid and did not actually care about the pipe itself.
Seeing the elevator door opening, Nico le walked in and heard Roman's reminder from the side. ”Is that Mr. Ferguson?”
Eric was walking towards them.
'He still doesn't wanna give up?' Nicole thought.
Nicole did not want to share an elevator with that man, so she decisively pressed the close button.
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 58
Nicole glanced at the man outside the elevator like he was a stranger. The man finally disappeared from her sight as the elevator door closed.
When they were in Roman's flashy sports car, he finally asked the question that had been bugging him. “Is this thing worth a lot of money? Why do the Fergusons want it so badly?“
Nicole laughed and looked at the box in her hand. “ This thing is a thousand years old. I heard it came out from a royal palace and had been the Fergusons' family heirloom for almost eight hundred years. Do you think it's worth a lot?“
Roman's driving speed obviously slowed down as he was dumbfounded and shocked. 'This is simply priceless! They auctioned off such a valuable thing? No wonder Eric Ferguson asked Nicole to state her price. If Nicole asked for nine figures, Eric probably won't even have the slightest hesitation! '
Nicole's phone suddenly rang. She looked at it and saw that it was Grant, so she happily picked up the call. “Brother, I bought a little toy...“
Grant paused on the other side of the phone and let out a stifled laugh. “I heard... It only costs so little to spite the Fergusons, huh?“
Nicole could not help but laugh when she thought about Quinn and Ingrid's impending doom. “ Anyway, it's mine now, so I won't let go of it easily.“
Grant knew his sister's temperament. She must have been so disappointed with the Fergusons that she wanted to vent it out on them whenever she had a chance. It was indeed a rare opportunity.
'Forget it... Nothing else matters as long as she's happy...'
It was very sunny the next morning. Nicole went into the office to deal with some work matters. Recently, Samantha Lindt had been glaring at Nicole like she wanted to kill her, but she did not dare to act rashly because Nicole had something over her.
Logan knocked on the door to deliver some documents. “Vice President Nicole, the company has begun to investigate Samantha Lindt receiving kickbacks in various projects.“
Hearing Logan's words, Nicole looked up at him. “My brother's ready to take action?“
“Yes. Micah Zielinski, who's backing Samantha Lindt, has already started to make his move, so President Stanton said that he'd no longer tolerate it.”
To remove Micah Zielinski, they must first investigate Samantha Lindt. Samantha probably knew about it by now and that she was powerless. No wonder she did not pester Nicole about being part of the project team with J&L Corporation.
Nicole tucked her hair behind her ear. “Then hand over what we have to add fuel to the fire.“
It was a recording of what Samantha said during the dinner with Nicole and Flint Zeller.
“Yes, ma' am. “ Logan stood there and paused for a moment. “There's one more thing. Mr. Ferguson's secretary called saying that Mr. Ferguson would like to make an appointment with you for a meal.“
Nicole sneered and leaned back in her chair with her arms clasped. Her gaze was clear and cold.
“Say that I'm busy and push it. In the future, just push off any meals with him. You don't need to ask me anymore.“
“Yes, ma'am.“
At noon, Nicole was planning to grab lunch when there was a knock at the door. Logan stood at the door holding a bouquet of flowers. “Vice President Nicole...“
Nicole looked up and frowned. “I thought I told you to just throw it away?“
“Nikki, how could you hurt me like that? I carefully selected these for you. You didn't even act surprised and even wanted to throw it out?! “
Ian Carter suddenly popped out from behind Logan, walked into Nicole's office angrily, and questioned her.
Nicole paused and glanced at Logan, who apologetically lowered his head and kept quiet.
'Forget it...this must've been Ian's idea.' Nicole was feeling a little guilty, so she could not blame Ian for feeling hurt.
“You can leave us, “ Nicole said to Logan. Logan nodded and left with a sigh of relief.
Nicole reached out and rubbed her brow, then smiled at Ian. “Carter, why'd you come over today?“
“I came to ask you out for lunch. I didn't expect you to give me such a big surprise! “ Ian said with gritted teeth as he glared at her.
Nicole smiled apologetically. “You know how much everyone will talk if I keep getting flowers! “
“I sent you flowers just to let everyone know that you have a boyfriend! “
'So that they'll know they don't stand a chance! ' Ian thought.
Ian was unabashed as he said that. Nicole felt a little helpless and said, “Ian, don't waste your time on me.“
“I want to. Whether it's a waste of time is up to me.“
Ian was not truly angry with her. He smiled devilishly and said, “Since you're at fault, you gotta buy me lunch! “
Nicole raised her eyebrows, took her purse, and walked out of her office. “Fine. You decide on the place.“
When they arrived at the restaurant, they once again bumped into the people they did not want to see.
Keith Ludwig snorted. “Nicole, didn't you say that you have an important project? So... You pushed off Eric for a date with Second Young Master Carter?
Grant Stanton, Roman, Ian Carter... You sure change men like you change clothes! I guess you do have your hands full, huh?“
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 59
Eric Ferguson did not make a sound on the side, but his eyes had a chill in them.
Nicole laughed lightly and took Ian's arm. She raised an eyebrow and said, “What does it matter to you how many men I change or how many people I date? Mr. Ludwig, do you wanna date me too?“
Keith was dissed and felt infuriated. 'Why do I always get bullied by Nicole?! '
“You? You're not my type! “
“To be honest, the last time I saw your body, it's not that great. You'd better date women with no taste. I'm very strict about my requirements on men's physique.“
'How dare you say my body's not great! ' Keith's face turned red and white as he shook with anger, but he did not dare to say another word. His nudes were in her hands, so it left him with no choice but to retreat.
He also heard what Nicole implied. 'Is this woman threatening me?'
Ian laughed at the side. “Her standards have always been very high. Mr. Ludwig, if we continue talking, it'll affect my boo's appetite! “
One glance at Eric was enough to affect Nicole's mood!
Nicole coldly glanced at Keith, ignored the man beside him, then walked inside.
Keith was so infuriated that he almost jumped up behind them. “This woman is too much! How dare she insult me for having a bad figure? Is my body not great?“
Eric's face was surprisingly cold. He snorted lightly. “ You think it's good?“
He was very annoyed that nothing was going his way lately. He did not get an appointment with Nicole and that matter with the emerald pipe was still unresolved. When he recalled the scene where Nicole had seen Keith running naked, the dreary feeling lingered in his heart. He felt inexplicably frustrated.
Keith was once again defeated. He did not know why Eric was throwing shade at him and blamed it all on Nicole.
When he went to Eric's office to look for him, he coincidentally ran into Eric's secretary, Mitchell, who was contacting Nicole's secretary, but unexpectedly, he was rejected!
The two of them then came out for lunch and saw Nicole on a date with Ian Carter, so how could Eric be in a good mood?
Suddenly remembering something, Keith hurriedly asked, “I heard that your family heirloom was auctioned off by your mother and sister?“
At the mention of this, Eric's face became even colder and he did not speak.
“Who bought it? Why don't you just spend more money to buy it back?“
Eric glanced coldly at Keith. “Nicole bought it.“
Keith did not know what to say and only let out a faint “oh". 'That would be difficult...'
Perhaps after seeing those two men that Nicole despised, she did not have much of an appetite and felt uninterested in the meal.
They had some wine, so Nicole planned on going home to rest after lunch. The wine Ian recommended was sweet in the mouth yet it burned her throat. It also had a high alcohol percentage because she felt tipsy after just one glass.
Nicole would have suspected that Ian had spiked the wine if it were not for him being tipsier than she was at the moment.
She held her forehead, called Logan, and told him to get someone to pick her up. She then intended to go to the bathroom to wash her face and sober up a bit.
Nicole did not walk very steadily, but she still managed to make her way to the bathroom and wash her face. After she sobered up, she regretted coming out with Ian.
She remembered the route back to the private room, but when she turned a corner, she bumped into someone.
“Sorry...“
As soon as she raised her eyes, Nicole saw Eric's cold face with his eyebrows tightly knitted together. She instantly sobered up and immediately took a step back to keep her distance.
“Mr. Ferguson?“
Eric noticed her movement and his eyes sank slightly. “What a coincidence, Nicole.“
Nicole raised her eyebrows. “It's not. I was about to leave.“
She was stopped by him before she could walk past him.
“Let's talk.“
“Talk about what?“ Nicole looked at him puzzled. “You know what, “ Eric spoke and locked his eyes onto her.
Nicole laughed and no longer felt tipsy. “I don't think there's anything to talk about between us. For work matters, please contact my assistant.“
Her phone rang at that time. It was probably the driver. Just as Nicole was about to leave, Eric said, “ You can state any condition you like, but I must take the pipe.“
'So he's here for the emerald pipe. Old Master Ferguson must've found out since it's been a day. I guess Quinn and Ingrid must be pretty miserable now“ Mr. Ferguson, do you still not understand? Since yesterday, I ignored you guys no matter what conditions you offered. It means rejection.“ Nicole smiled brightly.
The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 60
After Nicole said her piece, she went back to the private room to call Ian and leave.
Before she got into the car, it suddenly occurred to her that she had left her bag in the private room.
She wanted to go back to get it, but Ian stopped her. “ I'll get it. You can wait in the car.“
Ian left without another word. Nicole thought about it and followed him, but did not expect to run into Eric and Keith, who were both just leaving.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Nicole did not go forward and waited on the other side of the fountain at the entrance.
Keith said, “I heard that Wendy's coming back soon?“
Eric gave a deep “mm“.
Keith smiled and said, “I haven't seen her in so long. I kinda miss her. Although she was at fault, your punishment was a little too heavy. She's one of us, so you should just forgive her...“
The two men walked and talked, then got into the car and left.
The afternoon sky was gloomy, and the air was chilly.
Nicole retracted her gaze. She was a little lost in thought as she looked in the direction of that car. Her chest felt stuffy and painful.
'Wendy Quade is one of them, but no matter how hard I try, I'm only an outsider to Eric Ferguson.'
Wendy Quade's name was like a curse that haunted her for three years. Nicole thought that she was finally free of it and never thought that hearing this name again would still bring out this suffocating feeling.
'I'm so useless!' Nicole thought.
Nicole knew that Wendy Quade had gone abroad after that party. Since Wendy was out of her sight, she did not want to pursue it.
'Getting Wendy Quade to leave the country is a punishment to them? Her return to the country is just a matter of a word of forgiveness from Eric Ferguson?'
Nicole suddenly felt that it was laughable. 'What about the three years of her sucking my blood dry? I might be able to forgive others, but not her! So she's coming back? I'll welcome her with a big gift then...'
Ian walked over to Nicole with her purse in hand and saw her pale and glum face. “What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?“
Hearing his words, Nicole came back to her senses and smiled. “No, I 'm going back. My driver is here.“
“I'll send you back.“ Ian pushed Nicole into the car and sat beside her without giving her a chance to refuse.
Nicole nodded, smiled, and did not mind it.
Ian wanted to say something, but he held back after giving Nicole a deep look.
When they arrived at Nicole's apartment building, Nicole asked the driver to send Ian back and went straight upstairs.
In less than ten minutes, the doorbell rang, so Nicole went over to open the door.
When she opened the door, a bouquet of beautiful red roses appeared in front of her eyes, accompanied by Ian's charming face behind. Nicole looked at him helplessly. “Carter...I'm really tired today.“
Her intention to send him on his way could not be more obvious.
Ian raised his eyebrows. “I know. This bouquet isn't for my future girlfriend. It's for our Lil N who's upset today.“
Nicole paused and looked up at him. Ian seemed a little less rambunctious at this moment.
“Since I'm already here, you're not gonna invite me in?“
She had faith in Ian's character, so she made way for him.
Ian walked in and said, “Nicole, even if you have one less Eric Ferguson by your side, you still have many people around you. Don't be upset because of him. He's not worthy of your attention.“
'Yeah, to others, Eric is not worthy of me, but to Eric, I'm not worthy of him...'
Nicole poured Ian a glass of water and leaned back on the sofa lazily. “You saw through it? I'm so pathetic, huh?“
News of Wendy Quade's return made Nicole angry. Her so-called insouciance suddenly did not seem so frank anymore.
“Yeah, a little." Ian smiled. His eyes were extraordinarily alluring.
“Get lost!" Nicole snorted lightly. Her heart inexplicably felt a lot better.
Ian laughed a little. He suddenly stood up, went over to Nicole, and insistently pulled her into his arms. When Nicole was about to struggle, he suddenly let go.
With a serious smile in his eyes, Ian leaned down and lowered his head to look at her. “He has no right to make you mad anymore. Lil N, you'll forever be my queen."
The sudden proximity between them stunned Nicole. His faint agarwood scent filled her nose cavity and made her heart jump violently.