Ch. 561..570

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.561

Nicole wrinkled her brows and looked at Eric.

Eric walked in front of her with an aggressive coldness.

“You're going to a hotel?” His voice was low and husky.

He seemed to be trying desperately to suppress his emotions.

Eric did not want her to see the not-so-good side of himself that was his true self.

However, he could not control it. When he saw that face which looked so much like his approach Nicole, the jealousy in his heart surged and spread uncontrollably. It felt like someone gouged out his heart, making the pain unbearable.

Nicole was surely aware of what that low—grade fake was up to, but she still allowed his existence, and the two of them were even so intimate.

'She ignored the carefully peeled prawn that I gave her, yet she could accept this little tramp's offerings?!' Eric thought.

He stared at her delicate features and her clear and cold eyes. He found it hard to breathe.

Nicole did not answer his question and smirked.“ Didn't you hear everything?”

Since he misunderstood the situation, she would just let him continue to misunderstand her.

Anyway, he had no right to interfere in whatever she does now.

This way, he should be able to back off, right? His jaw tightened as he moved closer to her.

Smelling the light sweet fragrance of her body, he felt even more stimulated.

“Nicole, you'd better stay away from him.

Otherwise,  I can't guarantee what I'll do.”

He then caressed her lips without allowing her to refuse.

Eric stared at her with his dark eyes as if there was something dirty on her face.

If other men had her, he would go crazy!

Nicole wrinkled her eyebrows. Her face turned even colder because of his actions.

Eric's arrogance and craziness, which he had been deliberately hiding for a long time, finally showed.

'He can't pretend anymore?'

However, Nicole did not care about Xander.

“What you want to do is your business. What I do with him is our business.”

These words undoubtedly agitated him.

Eric's eyes turned colder. He grabbed her arm and pressed her body against the wooden beam behind her.

He stared at her intently and said in an extremely cold voice, “You and him? Really?! He's just a fake that imitates me in every way. Aren't you just treating him as my substitute?”

Eric felt his heart beating faster.

If she said yes, then it meant that Nicole still liked him.

After all, a substitute could not compare to the real deal.

His jaw was taut. He looked nervous.

Nicole said, “How can a gentle, kind, polite, handsome, and bubbly guy be your substitute?”

She faintly raised her eyes to look at him. “Eric Ferguson, can you even serve me as well as he does?”

Eric shook violently.

His pupils shrank, and the bottom of his eyes was red.

He felt like he was going crazy. 'How can I lose to a sissy?!' “Nicole, don't provoke me.”

His deep voice was very restrained.

Nicole laughed lightly and added fuel to the fire.“ I'm just being true to myself.”

As soon as she said that, Eric suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

His thin lips blocked her mouth as he forcefully kissed her.

He did not care what others would think. Eric just wanted to keep her to himself.

She belonged to him first, but he lost her. He was dying of regret.

Eric really wished that this moment could last forever.

In the next second, he felt a sharp pain in his lips. He opened his eyes and met Nicole' s clear, cold eyes, staring at him without a hint of emotion.

She did not struggle, but every inch of her face had rejection written all over.

Eric's eyes were bloodshot. He continued to kiss her despite the pain. Even if he tasted blood, he did not flinch in the slightest.

If he could, he wanted to keep being crazy, but a hint of mockery crossed her eyes.

He was stunned and moved his lips away. He scrutinized her.

Nicole's red lips parted slightly. It was vibrant like a blooming flower, and it was incredibly seductive.

Eric was fascinated with her and pinched her earlobe. His voice was low and hoarse.

“I can serve you too.”

'As long as you're willing...'

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.562

Eric felt that he could be just like that fake, serving Nicole in a subservient and humble manner as long as she could return to his side.

He did not care about his image. All he wanted was Nicole.

Nicole's sweet scent surrounded him, but her gaze was cold.

Hearing Eric' s words, Nicole calmly reached out to pat Eric's face gently.

Nicole was one deeply fascinated by his rigid, cold, and perfectly sculpted features.

She hooked her lips coldly and arrogantly.

“You can't because you won't be as good as those that I spend money on.”

Eric's eyes shook fiercely. He felt enchanted by the way she looked down on him and crushed him, which made him beg for more.

After being stunned for a moment, he laughed and cupped her cheeks. His eyes were red, not knowing whether it was from blood or tears.

“You can pay me. I can learn too.”

The tip of his nose rubbed her forehead. There was a slight tremor in his voice as he pleaded.

“I'm cheap, and I'm a quick learner.”

He threw away his dignity and allowed Nicole to trample all over him.

Nicole stared at him. Her cold smile slowly faded.

Her heart suddenly throbbed for a moment. She felt like it was clenched tightly, so much so that even breathing hurt.

She has never seen this side of Eric before. Nicole felt soft-hearted for a split second. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Between them, there was no future to speak of.

All of her expectations were exhausted before their divorce.

Nicole looked at Eric and smiled. This silence gradually shattered Eric's daydreams.

He knew that there was no chance.

Eric's hopes crumbled as despair almost engulfed him. He let go of her and hung his arms by his side.

Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. She reached out and hooked his chin with her slender fingers.

“Fine, but I have to remind you that if I'm not satisfied, you'll have to get out of my sight whenever I say so.”

Instead of ignoring him, which apparently  made him feel like he had a chance, she would just use this chance to kick him out and make him give up on her.

Although this would hurt, it was the only way to get both their lives back on separate tracks.

Eric was stunned.

Even though her tone was rude and willful, he felt elated. He felt reborn and infused with vigor and vitality.

There was still a little redness in his eyes that had not yet faded.

'Hah! I'm really so shameless to be overjoyed with this kind of condition. I'm  more excited than having negotiated a large project worth several hundred billion...'

“Mr. Ferguson, can you come over here for a moment?”

The director in the distance was shouting loudly.

The weird tension between them was instantly broken.

Eric glared at the director with a grim gaze for ruining the mood.

Nicole sneered and reached out to push him away. “Go away. Don't bother me.”

Her attitude was cold as she turned and walked towards the small wooden hut that they built at the last minute.

Kai was inside.

Eric wanted to chase after Nicole, but the director was calling out to him repeatedly. “Mr. Ferguson! Mr. Ferguson!”

Eric gritted his teeth and helplessly changed his direction.

The director and actors could not see the scene just now because the gazebo's pillar completely blocked everyone's view.

However, someone in the small wooden house next to the gazebo saw the scene clearly.

Kai looked at Nicole' s lips and narrowed his eyes.

"Tsk tsk... Why didn't you fight back when Eric Ferguson made a move on you? If you did, I'd be the first to rush to your rescue.

Since Nicole did not retaliate, Kai could not tell what Nicole was thinking, so he could only watch the situation.

However, Eric did not do anything too excessive. Even his emotions had not been very stable. Rather, Nicole had been steadily occupying the upper hand.

Nicole took a tissue from the side and wiped her lips slowly. She then picked up the unopened mineral water to gargle her mouth.

After that, she finally spoke.

“I'm having a fling with Eric Ferguson.”

Kai was stunned and widened his eyes in amazement.

She continued, “I plan to dump him in a few days.”

Kai was once again shaken. He could not remain calm.

'What is she trying to do? Treat Eric Ferguson like a plaything? Is Eric someone to be played with?'

“Lil N, I'll find you a better and younger one. Forget about Eric Ferguson.”

This would be troublesome to solve!

Nicole looked at him. ”That won’t affect anything. Only children need to make a choice. Adults can just take everything.”

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.563

Kai choked.

'Right... I guess Dad will probably be so happy if he heard what Nikki said...'

Nicole sat on the side and lowered her head to roll up her sleeves.

Since she could not get rid of Eric and he was not willing to give up, she would just need to be more extreme.

When he gets sick of her, he would stop being so obsessed, right?

Nicole did not want to repeat the same mistake by being with him, so she would put an end to this.

After a few minutes, Kai nudged Nicole's arm. “Look at them.”

Nicole looked up, squinted her eyes, and lowered her head again.

Eric and Xander happened to be standing together just a short distance away.

Next to them were a few staff members, the director, and the assistant director.

These two people with similar facial features had different temperaments. Xander had a feminine temperament and looked tacky. He was also a little shorter than Eric.

He really could not compare to Eric in terms of aura.

Eric finally got Nicole to compromise and give him a chance, so he did not want to waste another second.

However, the eyesore counterfeit kept appearing in front of Eric recklessly.

Eric just felt extremely disgusted.

He would not let this kind of person stay on the set and wanted to kick him out.

The director kept babbling next to him, but Eric was not in the mood to listen.

The director was helpless because he did not know what he misspoke. The more he spoke, Eric' s face became increasingly glum.

However, it was because of this that the director had to explain himself even more, which upset Eric even more.

The director was puzzled and worried.

Kai laughed and looked down at Nicole. “Eric Ferguson invested in this film. Do you think that he'll kick Xander out?”

Nicole turned to look at Kai. “How did you get Xander to play the second male lead?”

'Is there no one else to choose from?'

Kai raised his eyebrows. “The second male lead dies as soon as he appears on the set. He just lives in the memories of other characters and doesn't need to show his face.”

Nicole finally understood. 'So that's what it is.'

She blinked and looked in their direction, then hooked her finger.

“Hey, come here.”

Her voice was so cool and pleasant that it was hard not to attract attention.

Everyone over there froze.

The director and staff members looked around.

Eric and Xander were standing where she was pointing.

So, who exactly did she want to call?

Eric's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed slightly. The man's shirt collar was open, so his Adam's apple was clearly moving.

Xander excitedly put down the script and ran over to the wooden house where Nicole was with light steps.

At this moment, everyone looked at them with inquisitive eyes.

Before Xander got to the cabin, he turned around in disappointment after Nicole said something to him.

Nicole raised her eyes to look at Eric and hooked her fingers without saying a word.

Eric laughed without any dissatisfaction or anger. He strode toward her with a brisk pace and a rare smile on his face.

Everyone was shocked beyond words.

'What's this situation?! Nicole could make Eric Ferguson go to her with a hook of her finger, and he didn't show the slightest bit of temper! '

They doubted their eyes and thought that they were hallucinating.

The director was shocked to see how Eric's cold and sullen mood suddenly alleviated in a blink of an eye.

Eric felt that this must be the highlight of his life. It was more exciting than receiving an international award.

He went in and was stunned when Kai was next to Nicole.

The smile on his face subconsciously faded a little, but it was not very effective.

He looked at Kai and nodded in greeting, then raised an eyebrow and looked at Nicole.

“You're looking for me?”

Eric originally wanted to say, “Miss me?”

However, when the words came to his mouth, they suddenly took a turn.

He dared not act too reckless in front of Kai. Nicole's face was even calmer than expected. “You invested in this film?”

“Yes.” Nicole said, “Xander is playing the second male lead, so don't interfere.”

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.564

Eric's breathing instantly stalled. The air around him seemed to condense and permeate with a light chill.

His eyes narrowed. 'The first request she made was actually for that counterfeit?! '

He licked the corner of his mouth. His narrow eyes carried a hint of gloom.

There was some inexplicable discomfort in his throat.

“What, you can't bear to see  him gone?”

Nicole said, “Of course. He's my guy that I stuffed in here.”

'How can I let him lose such a good opportunity when I haven't squeezed out Xander' s remaining value yet?'

Eric stared intently at Nicole. The pleasure he felt earlier was swept away in an instant, as if a bucket of cold water fell from the sky and solely poured over his head.

He felt cold through the heart.

However, he could only stand there and glare at her, not daring to ask one more question.

If not, he would just be asking for trouble and making a fool of himself.

Kai coughed and felt that he was quite redundant here.

Eric was clearly not a match for Nicole, so he worried for nothing.

Kai stood up and found an excuse to leave. The two of them were left in the cabin.

They looked at each other, and no one spoke first.

Nicole looked extraordinarily calm. 'That's all he can put up with?'

She was not afraid of Eric's wrath, nor was she afraid of him leaving in disappointment.

Nicole sat there with a faint smile and exquisite eyebrows. She was unmoved.

Eric conceded defeat. He lowered his eyes and smiled, then looked at her seriously.

“What about me?”

'He's your guy. What about me?'

She promised to give him a chance too.

Nicole laughed. The words she uttered were extremely cold. “You're not my husband, so I don't feel anything for you.”

She only agreed for him to be one of her lovers.

“Also, it's best that no one else knows about our relationship.” She added with a smile.

“Am I that embarrassing?”

His eyes were red, and his fists were clenched tightly.

Nicole shook her head. “I'm just looking out for the interests of both our companies so that we can reduce unnecessary losses.”

What a far-sighted plan!

Other women wanted the whole  world  to  know when they got involved with Eric, but Nicole did not want anyone to know about it.

The fact that she was ready to end it at any time meant that she had no intention of being serious with him.

Eric's face turned dark.

“Of course, if you don't want to, let's just pretend all this never happened.”

He could back out at any time. Eric gritted his teeth. “I agree.” Did he have a choice?

He could only compromise.

Nicole smiled, stood up, and patted his shoulder, then suddenly came close to his ear and whispered, “You should learn how to serve people well from Xander...”

After that, Nicole strutted away happily in her heels. 'If he's angry, he can just end this!'

Nicole's goal was to make him so exasperated that he would give up on his own accord.

She left with Kai.

Eric stood in place. His body stiffened as a storm was brewing in his eyes.

No one noticed the undercurrents between these two big shots.

The crew was speculating whether their relationship had broken the ice. This was a real shocker.

Toto came to pick up Eric.

When he saw Eric's face, he thought  about  the gossip he heard from  the  group of actors and crew. It seemed like there was ambiguous interaction between Eric and Nicole.

'Could it be...?'

Toto coughed.  “Mr. Ferguson, I saw   Ms. Stanton just now...”

At the mention of her name, Eric' s eyelids jumped. Toto asked, “You didn't fight, did you?”

Eric's gaze was cold as he glared at Toto silently. 'Does he have a death wish? I can grant him his wish

Toto immediately changed his tone. “I mean...

Don't be impulsive. At critical moments, you must be patient. As long as Ms. Stanton is happy, we need to compromise a little. Otherwise, according to her character, she may be deliberately making you angry so that you'll give up.”

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.565

Eric's eyebrows twitched slightly. His chest felt like it had been struck by something.

He started looking at the situation from another angle. It turned out that there was another possibility.

“You're right.”

Eric spoke in a deep voice.

Toto's confidence multiplied because Eric actually agreed with him for once.

Toto said,“ So, we must show weakness. You can't refuse no matter how she tries to torture you.

Sometimes, abusive love is also a kind of love...”

Eric nodded solemnly. His expression eased a lot.

Toto said, “Once you endure this hardship, she's yours!”

Nicole and Kai left the set and went straight to Julie's house.

Julie lived alone without any relatives. The nanny saw Nicole and greeted her.

“Is Julie resting?”

“Ms. Nixon is in the study. She doesn't look very happy.”

The nanny was an old-timer, so she could tell Julie's mood with a glance.

Nicole nodded, walked over, and knocked on the door. She did not hear a response, so she opened the door.

The room was dimly lit. Julie was lying on the table with the broken jade pendant in front of her.

It felt like her memory had been taken away from her, and the pain was excruciating.

Her eyes were red, sluggish, and sad.

Nicole walked over to her, not knowing how to comfort her for a while.

She patted Julie's shoulder. Julie moved slightly and hugged her as she sobbed softly.

“Lil N... Grandma said that her soul is here, that she'll stay with me for the rest of my life. If it's broken, does that mean she's gone forever?”

Before Nicole could say anything, tears fell out of her eyes first.

“No, she will always love you.” Julie cried even harder.

She just started elementary  school when her parents died in a car accident. Her grandmother was the one who took care of her, so they were very close.

Her grandmother gave the jade pendant to Julie before she died. In less than a week, her condition deteriorated, and she passed away.

At that time, Julie was on a business trip abroad and did not rush home in time to see her grandmother one last time.

This was her ultimate regret.

After a while, Julie gradually regained her composure.

The nanny knocked on the door. “Ms. Nixon, I made some chicken soup. Would you like to have some?”

Julie nodded, and the nanny retreated.

She went to the bathroom and washed her face. When she came out, there was no trace of the emotional breakdown that she had earlier, except for her slightly red eyes.

Nicole's heart ached for her.

All along, Nicole and Yvette could rely on their families' protection, so they could just do as they pleased.

However, Julie was different. She came this far and struggled to gain such a firm footing in the industry by herself.

Even the nanny was asked to address her as “Ms. Nixon” instead of “Young Lady”.

Julie forced a faint smile.

“I don't want to see that actress again. I want to end her career.”

Nicole raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Of course, even if you don't say so, Kai and I already planned to do so.”

“Kai is willing to give her up?”

Her voice after crying was slightly hoarse.

“It's just a show. Dominic Young wanted the rookie to ride on Kai's popularity. If this rookie isn't good enough, they'll just change to another one.”

Julie opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she just let out a low chuckle.

“Right... But Kai still needs to agree to it first.”

Nicole wanted to reassure Julie when she suddenly remembered something that was buried in the past.

If she remembered correctly, Julie and Kai were dating for a while when Nicole was in college. At that time, they kept it hidden from everyone.

Nicole only found out about this when Julie announced their breakup.

At that time, Nicole did not feel like they were serious because Kai never mentioned it as if it was just a trivial matter. He even found a new girlfriend soon after.

However, in this situation, Nicole suddenly realized that Julie was very mindful of that second female lead.

Could it be because of Kai?

The phone rang and Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. “Jules, Kai is here...”

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.566

Kai came in with a black box, looking very cautious.

Julie was not in high spirits. She simply greeted Kai and instructed the nanny to make tea, then casually walked to the living room and sat down.

She was obviously not as close to Kai as she was with Nicole.

Kai did not notice Julie 's mood. He put down the black box in front of her and had a faint smile plastered on his face.

“Jules, look. This piece of jade is gg% similar to the quality of your jade pendant. It's from the same place and has the same pattern. I'll grind it and make a new one for you, okay? Or... Do you want a different shape?”

Nicole held the cup of tea and took a small sip. 'Was Kai kicked in the head by a donkey? Is the jade even the issue here? No matter how good the quality of the jade is, it can't alleviate Julie's sadness. This dumb*ss!'

Julie glanced at the jade in the box. It was not the best quality, but it was indeed similar to the jade that was broken.

It certainly took a lot of effort and money to find such a similar jade.

Julie raised her eyes and smiled at Kai.“ No need. Even if it's similar, it's still fake. I can't deceive myself.”

Kai froze for a moment and looked at Nicole.

Nicole hurriedly stood up. “I suddenly remembered that I have a conference call soon, so I'll get going first.”

How could Nicole not see through Kai's look? He wanted her to give them some time alone.

It looked like there was really something between them.

The nanny also left the living room appropriately.

Kai smiled at Julie and said, “It's a memento. As long as you have the heart, what does it matter if it's real or fake?”

Julie gave him a deep look with a cold expression. “It does matter.”

Her heart would be uncomfortable.

Kai nodded and rubbed his eyebrows. “Okay then... I'll think of another way. You should take a good

rest.”

With that, he stood up and walked out without looking back.

Eric returned to the office and instructed his men. “Go and bring someone over.”

He promised Nicole not to kick his damned counterfeit out of the cast, but he did not promise that he would not touch him.

Eric had been holding back for too long.

The night weather was cold and gloomy. It looked like it was going to rain.

When the bodyguards informed Eric that they got the guy he was looking for, Eric left the office, went to his private garage, and drove a low-profile car.

Inside the hotel.

Xander was brought to a dimly lit room.

There were too many people on set, so it was not good for Eric to do anything to Xander in public.

As soon as Xander heard that Nicole was looking for him, he took a leave of absence from the director and left the set.

The rich woman was looking for him, so he did not want to delay another moment.

Once he saw that it was at the hotel, Xander was even more excited because he thought that Nicole was interested in him.

However, he did not get to see the rich woman. Instead, five big, burly men surrounded him and stared at him unblinkingly.

Xander was frightened.

Suddenly, there was a neat shuffle of footsteps coming from outside the room.

Someone opened the door and nodded respectfully.

Xander's heart thumped as he watched Eric Ferguson walk in through the door.

He wanted to stand up, but someone pressed his shoulders and sat him down again.

Eric looked at his counterfeit with a smirk. The chill in his eyes could freeze people to death.

“Mr. Ferguson... Where is Ms. Stanton? Didn't you say that she asked to meet me?”

Xander instantly regretted mentioning this. Eric's eyes were gloomy with a dense chill as he glared at Xander viciously.

“You want to see Ms. Stanton so badly?” There was a strong warning in his voice.

Xander had a hunch that if he answered wrongly, he would not be able to walk out this door.

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.567

Xander gulped. A trace of panic and fear crossed his eyes.

“N-No... Mr. Ferguson, you've misunderstood.”

At this moment, Eric towered over Xander and looked down on him.

It showed the real gap between them.

Eric was so superior  to Xander.  It was not something that could be substituted with a face. In front of Eric, Xander was as lowly as an ant.

Xander's foolish little thoughts were simply crushed to the ground.

How was Xander qualified to be Eric' s substitute? “Misunderstood?”

Eric sneered. He threw a few pieces of paper on Xander' s face. His voice was devilish as he said, “ You spent more than $800,000 on plastic surgery just to imitate my face? I can very well disclose these hospital records to the media.”

Xander's face turned pale as he looked at Eric in horror.

“Mr. Ferguson, please don't...”

This was Xander' s biggest secret. He did not want others to know about his plastic surgery and thought that he hid it very well.

Back when a car accident disfigured his face, the plastic surgeon asked him to find a template.

Xander did not hesitate to choose Eric's face because Eric Ferguson was the country's leading financial tycoon and was more good-looking than most actors.

His career was booming. He also knew how much the public hated plastic surgery faces.

If people knew that he had deliberately made himself look like Eric Ferguson, then his career would be completely ruined.

Xander ran to kneel in front of Eric pleadingly, but he could not get close enough to touch Eric.

“Mr. Ferguson, please don't say anything. I'll do anything you want! I won't think about Ms. Stanton again. Really! It's not easy for me to get popular...”

Eric looked at him with a cold and disdainful gaze.

Xander simply could not care less. He knew that Nicole only treated him differently because he resembled Eric Ferguson.

He knew that she would eventually give up on him. Eric said, “You'll do anything?”

“Yes, anything!”

Eric sneered. “How far have you gone with Nicole?”

Eric watched Nicole and Xander's intimate interaction for the whole day. Nicole' s words also showed that  there was an extraordinary relationship between her and Xander.

He had to know the situation, or else he would go crazy.

Xander froze for a moment and immediately shook his head. “W-We don't have any development...”

Eric kicked Xander in the chest ruthlessly. His action was harsh and vicious.

He did not want to babble on, nor did he want others to talk about Nicole.

Xander' s face was pale as he covered his chest in pain. It took him a while to catch his breath. It felt like his ribs were broken.

“It's true, Mr. Ferguson. I won't dare to lie to you... Others in showbiz told me to take care of my financial backer, especially rich women. They said that I must be attentive and enthusiastic and cater to all her   needs no matter what. I was     just trying to please her so that she'll continue to support me...”

Eric's eyes were cold. After hearing this, he contemptuously swept a glance at Xander and walked away.

Xander breathed a sigh of relief and felt that he escaped a disaster.

In the next second, someone suddenly yanked his hair back and punched him in the face.

Then, countless punches and kicks came at him. Xander did not even have the strength to fight back.

He could  only cry and  beg for mercy.

“I told the truth! Why are you still beating me up?” Xander asked intermittently.

Twenty minutes later.

The siege stopped, and the bodyguard on the side finally spoke. “You've been warned. Don't think about people that you shouldn't be thinking of.”

After that, he led the others out.

The person Xander should not be thinking about was none other than Nicole.

Xander just felt a burst of despair. The rich woman he got his hands on was gone just like that.

After Eric came out of the  hotel, he let out a long sigh. The heaviness he felt dissipated.

It was just as Toto said earlier. Nicole was just using Xander to agitate him and make him back off.

'I  will never back off!'  Eric thought.

With that thought, he took out his phone and sent a message to Nicole.

[Missing you on our first day together.]

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.568

Stanton Mansion.

Nicole was drinking a cup of tea as she scrolled through her phone. When she saw Eric' s message, she could not hold back and spat out her tea.

'Is this son of a b*tch trying to make a fool of himself again?'

Kai saw this and lectured her while he was busy fixing the jade pendant.

“Where are your manners of a high-society lady?”

Before Nicole could retort, Floyd, who was sitting opposite them, frowned and said, “Be careful. Don't choke.”

Kai was speechless and felt that he was making a fool of himself again.

Nicole laughed and immediately turned off her phone, not wanting to see another message that simply insulted her eyes.

She looked at Kai and rolled her eyes. He was concentrating on fixing Julie's broken jade pendant.

“Can you fix it?”

Kai looked at a tutorial while he bowed his head in concentration.

“No problem. I'm already a pro at this.”

Floyd snorted coldly. “This wastrel broke several pieces of jade in my study and fixed them back again. Is it because of Julie?”

Nicole could not help but laugh and did not expect Kai to do this.

“K, do you still like Jules?”

Nicole would simply go crazy with joy if Julie could be her sister-in-law!

Kai paused for a moment and gave her a warning glance. “Don't talk nonsense.”

Floyd noticed that there must be gossip and became curious.”

“What do you mean still? I think Julie's more suited for Grant.”

Grant, who was petting Tigger and drinking coffee at the side, shook his hand in shock. “Dad, I'm not even close to her.”

Kai also got anxious.

“How are they suited for each other? Grant 's not interested in women at all! If Julie marries him, she'll just suffer!”

Floyd blinked and looked at Nicole.

Nicole coughed slightly. “Dad's just saying it casually. Why are you so anxious?”

Kai also realized his outburst and retorted. “I'm not!”

Nicole pursed her lips and smirked. “Do you want me to help you chase her?”

Kai's face was surprisingly red. “No, I've already said that I'm not suited for her.”

“Okay...”

Nicole responded with a lack of interest. “That's right. You have so many girlfriends enough to circle the Capital if they lined up. How can someone like you be worthy of our Julie Nixon?”

Kai's face changed a few times. He wanted to say something but, in the end, he held back. He just lowered his head and continued to repair the jade pendant in his hand.

Early the next morning.

This was the first time Clayton Sloan called Nicole so early in the morning. It seemed like there was an urgent matter.

“Good morning, Ms. Stanton.”

Nicole said, “Good morning, Mr. Sloan. What's the matter that you'd call me so early in the morning?”

“J&L Corporation's project was put on hold for a while. R&D is already difficult to begin with, so putting the project on hold will only affect the project. Ms. Stanton, does J&L Corporation have any alarming problems that I should be aware of?”

Nicole frowned and paused slightly from sipping her glass of milk.

'Put on hold? How come I've never heard of this?'

“Mr. Sloan, I'll get back to you regarding this later. I won't let this affect the progress of our cooperation.”

After hanging up, Nicole packed her things and went to J&L Corporation.

She did not inform them beforehand.

Tucker, her assistant who she placed at J&L Corporation, did not send her any news recently.

This did not seem like a good sign.

Nicole wore a delicate dress and walked briskly to** Chapter 568 You’re Not Worthy

Tucker's office in J&L Corporation.

Tucker was stunned and stood up in a hurry. “Ms. Stanton?”

Nicole did not waste time and sat on the chair opposite him.

“What happened in J&L Corporation recently?” Tucker shook his head.“ Nothing in particular...”

“ Is that project we developed with Mr. Sloan not going well?”

Tucker still shook his head.“ I didn't hear anything like that.”

Nicole paused. Her gaze darkened slightly.

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.569

Nicole suddenly thought of something and called Molly Stewart.

"Nikki?" Molly seemed to be very happy. There were other voices around her.

Nicole chuckled. “Molly, are you at the office?”

“No, I'm in the Great God Maverick's research lab. I'm on vacation, so he invited me to visit his lab. It's amazing!”

“You're on vacation?” Nicole's face changed.

“Yeah! Mr. Lichman gave us half a month off. I was quite puzzled because that project is only halfway through. We also didn't get any breakthrough with the core technology... ”

Usually, there were strict rules in place for researchers to go on vacation amidst such an important project. They would usually rotate shifts or get monetary subsidies.

'Half a month's vacation?' Nicole' s face changed dramatically.

She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. “Molly, I'll find Gerard and ask him the reason.

Talk later!”

Nicole hung up the phone.

Tucker' s face also became glum. Gerard Lichman gave the researchers a long holiday, yet he did not hear about such a big thing.

“Ms. Stanton... I don't know about this matter...”

Nicole's voice was cold. “Of course, you won't know because they kept it from you.”

Tucker suddenly panicked and felt that his work here had gone too smoothly.

He was a rookie who just joined the workforce, yet he took on such a substantial duty. Gerard Lichman and Eric Ferguson's people treated him with courtesy. He always thought that with Ms. Stanton around, nothing would go wrong with this three - way cooperation.

However, such a big thing happened under his watch.

Nicole strutted away in her high heels. Some people passing by greeted her, so she nodded and smiled naturally.

On the surface, it looked like nothing was wrong. She walked over to Gerard's office.

Gerard's secretary was slightly surprised to see Nicole. “Ms. Stanton, what brings you here today?”

Nicole smiled. “Is Mr. Lichman here?”

The secretary nodded. “Yes, Mr. Lichman is inside.”

Nicole nodded and did not wait for the secretary to announce her arrival before she pushed the door open expressionlessly.

Gerard was talking to someone on the phone inside and was slightly surprised to see Nicole.

He hung up, smiled, and walked over to her. Seeing Nicole' s cold expression, his elegant face instantly looked a bit guilty.

“Ms. Stanton, why did you suddenly come over? Just in time, I'll call Mr. Ferguson over then we can have lunch together. I heard that a new restaurant opened nearby...”

Nicole stared at him with a cold and sullen gaze. She suddenly hooked her lips into a smile.

“Mr. Lichman, J&L Corporation isn't going bankrupt, right?”

Gerard's face stiffened. He averted his gaze.

“Ms. Stanton, just be straightforward if you have something to say.”

“You gave the R&D department a long vacation. You should at least get the board of directors to agree to it first, don't you think? Moreover, no one was arranged to take over the researcher' s shift, so it completely interrupted the research progress. Isn't this a sign that you're going bankrupt?”

Nicole was unceremonious because she could not be polite about it.

That was because not only Clayton's project would be affected. Stanton Corporation, as a direct partner, would also suffer losses.

Gerard' s eyes flickered slightly. He suddenly felt guilty. 'But... If it wasn't for that person's command, I wouldn't have dared to do this so blatantly...'

“Ms. Stanton, you've misunderstood. It's just a short holiday. After resolving the AI car's problem, I thought that it's necessary to give everyone a short breather...”

Nicole sneered.“ Is half a month at random a short holiday? Are you purposely delaying the research progress to hinder Clayton's project?”

Gerard pursed his lips. “Of course not...”

“I was the one who recommended Clayton Sloan to cooperate with your company in the first place. If you want to terminate this cooperation, we can end it through standard procedure. These underhanded moves aren't at all like your style, Mr. Lichman.”

“It's not me...”

“Then who is it?” Nicole pursued.

Read Novel "The Divorced Billionaire Heiress" chapter No.570

The atmosphere in the office became heavy all of a sudden.

Gerard Lichman looked at Nicole and saw that she did not seem to be joking. He suddenly felt that he had gone too far.

This would not just drag down Clayton Sloan but also his main partner, Stanton Corporation.

Nicole would not be unmoved if it involved the interests of her company.

However, if Gerard betrayed Eric, it would not just impact their personal relationship. It might even end their three-way cooperation.

During Gerard's moment of hesitation, Nicole narrowed her eyes and seemingly realized something.

“Who is it?”

Gerard's thin lips were tightly pursed, and his face looked taut.

“No one... This was my poorly thought-out decision I'll have everyone cancel their leave and come back immediately.”

“Mr. Lichman, I'm afraid this matter won't be so simple.”

Nicole looked at him with a solemn gaze. “I'll have my legal team draw up a contract that will put a limit to the research period. I will also send a team to regularly check on the R&D results. If this can't be done, then we can always end our cooperation.

After all, J&L Corporation still isn't Stanton Corporation's only choice.

Gerard's eyes darkened slightly. He looked calm on the surface, but in his heart, he was regretting his move.

The way Nicole had turned her back on him was really unexpected.

He had been too carefree with Nicole.

With J&L Corporation's current size, there was no way they could pose any threat to Stanton Corporation, especially since Nicole's brother Maverick was the Great God of Science.

This time, he was at fault, so Nicole certainly would not turn the page so easily.

According to her means toward Harrison Corporation, she was already considered extraordinarily generous for not doing the same to J&L Corporation.

Otherwise, if it really came to that, even Eric Ferguson would not be able to save him.

Gerard coughed and softened his attitude.

“This matter still needs to be discussed. Ms. Stanton, why don't we go for lunch together?”

Nicole curled up her lips into a cold smile.

“This isn't up for discussion, Mr. Lichman. Our relationship is not yet to the point where we can joke about the company's interests. I think you should be clear about how much losses you've incurred during these few days, so you must bear it all.”

Gerard was forced to get nervous. Nicole's tenacity and professionalism were even more pressuring than Eric's, but he still dared not betray Eric at this time.

“Ms. Stanton, I can pay for the losses, but...”

“No buts.” Nicole coldly interrupted his words.“ Because I'm the client.”

Her attitude was clear and cold. She turned on her heels and left as soon as she said her piece.

Nicole did not care whether it was Gerard's authorization or someone else.

She just wanted to make it clear that their relationship was built on the mutual interests of their cooperation.

As soon as Nicole left J&L Corporation, she called her company's legal department  and instructed them to immediately start drawing up a contract to spell out J&L Corporation's responsibility.

Gerard Lichman immediately called Eric Ferguson after Nicole left.

He did not do a good job on this matter. While trying to teach Clayton a lesson, he had offended Nicole.

When Eric picked up the phone, Gerard recounted what just happened and rubbed his brow helplessly.

“Mr. Ferguson,  I did my best, but Ms. Stanton is still angry. If she really sends her people to start verifying our research progress, won't we have a lot more to do?”

There was a silence on Eric's side. Gerard thought that he had hung up. Eric said, “Just let her be.”

Gerard was puzzled. 'Huh? That's not what I wanna hear after complaining! '

Eric added, “Don't betray me.”