Ch. 61..70

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 61

At that moment, Nicole felt that when Ian was serious, he could hook her heart and soul, and she was lost in thought for a while.

'He's not the same frivolous Young Master as he was three years ago...'

Nicole panicked and quickly gathered her composure. She did not want him to notice her abnormality. No matter who it was, Nicole did not want to get caught up in a whirlpool of love again.

“Carter, you're getting better at coaxing women now, huh?“

Ian was slightly stunned. He laughed and took a step back. “No one else is qualified enough for me to coax.“

“Right... If your girlfriends lined up, they could probably circle the globe, so they're the ones coaxing you...“ Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at him teasingly. Everyone knew about Ian Carter's messy love life.

Ian grinned. “That's all in the past. You know that those are fake. I'm innocent...“

“Alright. Thank you for comforting me, but I'm really tired...“

Nicole did not want to fall into another man's tenderness. Not to mention, Ian was her close friend for many years, so she did not want to lose this friend.

Seeing that Nicole was not as downcast as she was earlier, Ian went over and stroked her head. His gaze was gentle and doting. “I'll leave then... Take a good rest.“

When Ian was not being frivolous, he had such a mature, reserved, and noble temperament that it was difficult not to get lost in.

'What a devil!' Nicole cursed in her heart.

She looked away and saw the emerald pipe on the table that she left on the table. Nicole hooked her lips, went over, picked it up, and looked at it. Her smile gradually turned cold. She then casually threw it aside and went to her room.

If Old Master Ferguson knew that his beloved family heirloom was being treated like this, he would be furious!

Nicole slept until 10:00 pm and got up to see Grant's message. (I have something to deal with and will be abroad for three days. Look after the company.]

She thought, 'Brother trusts me so much to take over for a few days? Why is he not worried?'

Nicole thought that Grant would be on the plane by now, so she did not call and sent him a text message. (If there's any trouble, you can't blame me! Also, dearest big brother, please be prepared to clean up my mess... Hahaha!]

She instantly got a notification of a new message.

Grant helplessly replied to his sister. (Just don't go bankrupt. Everything else is still tolerable.]

Nicole was relieved and suddenly remembered the pipe in the living room. She jumped out of bed, turned on the lights, chose a good angle, and took a close-up photo of the emerald pipe. She then posted it on her social media.

(Just bought this little junk for everyone to admire! ]

'If I'm unhappy, why should others be happy?' Nicole thought.

Soon, Yvette and Ian shared her post, which reached Eric Ferguson's circle in no time.

Everyone saw that Old Master Ferguson's family heirloom had become a “little junk“ in Nicole's hands.

Nicole ate a snack and went back to sleep again, naturally unaware that her photo made Old Master Ferguson so furious that he lost his appetite.

When Nicole woke up at 8:0o am, she received a call from Yvette in a daze.

“What is it?“

“I shared your post last night and there are so many people asking to buy that pipe for a high price!

Someone offered up to $60 million! “

Nicole was wide awake and laughed. 'Wow... It doubled overnight. I guess it's worth more than I imagined.'

“Well, I have no intention of selling. It's just for everyone to see.“

Yvette laughed out loud. “I recognized one of them and dug deeper. Guess what? That guy only did as

Keith Ludwig instructed. It looks like this is Eric Ferguson's intention. They probably can't sit still any longer.“

Nicole raised an eyebrow. 'Just as I expected... Do they think I'm an idiot to sell it?'

After chatting with Yvette for a bit, Nicole saw that it was almost time and got ready for work. She could not slack off since Grant was not around.

She planned to drive to the office, so she went to the garage to pick a car. The luxury cars that her father ordered for her had already arrived, so her garage looked like a luxury car exhibition. Seeing all these flashy cars made Nicole a little speechless. After walking around, Nicole was dazzled.

One of the most low-profile cars was a gray Porsche Cayenne. Although it was quite expensive, the design was not as flashy as the rest of the cars in the garage.

'I'll take this then!' She thought.

Once Nicole sat in the car, the butler at the Stanton mansion saw the footage in the garage through the remote monitoring system and called her in a hurry.

“Miss, do you need a driver? He can be there in five minutes.“

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 62

To the butler, Young Lady Stanton should not drive herself. She should be chauffeured around wherever she went. Otherwise, it was considered his dereliction of duty.

Nicole laughed and said, “Mr. Anderson, there's no need for that. I can drive myself to work. Don't worry.“

She did not say much and hung up the phone. She drove the car out of the garage and went to the office.

There was no traffic, so she had a smooth journey. However, Nicole was a little perplexed why other cars on the road were actively avoiding her. Even when she was waiting at a red light, the cars in front and behind her were several meters away.

'Is it because I 'm a female driver? ' Nicole thought.

When Nicole got to the office, she gave her keys to the parking valet and went into the lobby. From the corner of her eye, Nicole noticed that Samantha Lindt was glaring at her indignantly with an undisguised resentment.

Nicole was baffled. 'Did she find out that I'd given Grant the recording? She shouldn't know so soon... '

“Ms. Lindt, why didn't you go upstairs when you're already here?“

Samantha coldly snorted and looked askance at her. “ Mr. Stanton must really like you to give you such an expensive car. It has to be more than $2 million, right?“

'Otherwise, how can Nicole afford to buy a Porsche Cayenne? Looking at the features, it's also the highest specs! '

Nicole frowned and remembered something. She laughed lightly and flipped her hair to the back. “It's just a car. Why would I need someone to buy it for me? I can afford it myself...“

She gently swept a glance at Samantha's reddened face and went to the President's private elevator as if nothing had happened.

'Did she think that she can buy me off with a used Audi?' Nicole thought.

Logan met Nicole upstairs and briefed her about the meeting later.

Nicole walked into the conference room in her high heels. Samantha also went in at the same time.

Nicole swept a glance at the crowd and saw that everyone was present. “Let's begin.“

They had reached a consensus with J&L Corporation on the direction of this cooperation. The rest was about the in-depth details. All their profits and interests lie in these ubiquitous details. Every little detail entailed huge profits, so they needed to discuss more.

Some of the shareholders were also department heads. They were already very dissatisfied with the parachuted Nicole. Thus, they were not so proactive with Nicole since Grant was not around.

Those shareholders argued on a few aspects and delayed progress. When Nicole's people proposed an idea, they would excuse themselves and shirk off the responsibility. She swept a glance at the group and knew that they were just here to watch a show.

Samantha Lindt just sat on the side and sneered. Micah Zielinski also attended the meeting, which was rare, but he did not say a word. He watched as the others put Nicole in a difficult position and smiled like an old fox.

”Vice President Nico le, you' re still young after all. Although you managed to take this J&L Corporation's project, it's still not mature in this field and it's uncertain whether it'll make or lose money. Thus, we naturally won't dare to risk too much. Vice President Nicole, you have to understand how the rest of us feel about it...”

Nicole hooked her lips. ”Understand your feelings? Mr. Zielinski, do you mean that you want to break our contract with J&L Corporation?”

Micah Zielinski was stunned for a moment and thought, 'How did it turn into me wanting to break the contract? Grant Stanton will kill me when he returns!'

”Of course not ! It's just that Mr. Stanton is out of the country, so we can' t make this decision. Why don't we put it on hold and wait for the President to come back... ”

'He wants to stall time? Every minute is an opportunity and crucial in this new field of development. If Stanton Corporation loses dominance and no longer have a say in this project, it'll be pointless even if we're involved in it.' Nicole thought.

Nicole lowered her head and smiled. Her eyes darkened and her face grew cold as she looked at the people at the table.

“So, all of you won't work if Mr. Stanton doesn't come back? Are you going on strike?"

Everyone did not expect the always good -tempered Nicole to suddenly get angry. Although Nicole looked like a pampered mistress, she was certainly not easy to fool.

“All of you are the best in the industry. If you repeatedly delay the progress just because the boss isn't here, will you bear the final losses? Can you afford to? Which company will want to hire such people?"

Nicole's gaze was cold and stern as she swept a glance at the people in the room.

'They want to give me a hard time in Grant's absence? It's a pity that I'm not a pushover!'

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 63

The meeting room was dead silent for a full minute.

Micah Zielinski's face was red and did not expect that Nicole would turn the gun on them. He said, “It's not...“

Nicole interrupted him without a care. “I believe that you've all received notice this morning that I'm managing everything in the company in Mr. Stanton's absence. I 'm in charge of this project, so from now on, if you don't want to be a part of it, hand me your letter of resignation immediately.

Your positions will be replaced by your deputies. I will explain everything to Mr. Stanton.“

The people in the room were shocked and silenced. They had all stepped over each other to climb to their department head positions and their deputies were eyeing their spots. It was a sought-after position, so no one dared to act rashly at this moment.

Although they could not stand the fact that Nicole had parachuted into her Vice President position, they could all tell how much Grant Stanton supported her since the first day she arrived. They knew that they could not afford to offend Nicole.

They all began to regret getting incited by Micah Zielinski to pull Nicole off her high horse.

The air in the conference room was cold and suffocating. No one dared to make a sound. Micah Zielinski also felt that he had lost the momentum as no one dared to make things difficult for Nicole at this time.

“Planning Department, can you come up with the proposal by today?“

The Head of the Planning Department, Don Smith, was named and raised his head sharply. “Yes, Vice President Nicole. The Planning Department will come up with the best plan in the fastest time possible immediately after this meeting. We certainly won't delay the project's progress.“

Those who had climbed to these positions were all old-timers who were shrewd and adaptable.

Since Nicole gave them a chance, they would take it. Otherwise, it would be their loss.

Nicole nodded in satisfaction and looked at the others. Her voice was not as stern anymore. “What about the other departments?“

“We'll research it immediately. We won't let the company down! “

“Yes, same here.“

“Of course, we've been prepared for this a long time ago. We'll do a good job! “

Everyone's declaration of support instantly eased the atmosphere in the meeting room. Nicole did not look so ice -cold anymore and resumed her gentle temperament as they continued the discussion.

They were in fact all well prepared for the meeting. After all, they were all capable and sensible enough to manage their respective departments in such a large corporation.

Micah Zielinski and Samantha Lindt, who had been deliberately neglected, sat on the side with glum faces.

Nicole did not care about them because their days in the company were numbered anyway.

Towards the end of the meeting, Nicole saw that it was almost time and said, “Although the core research team is from J&L Corporation, we must also be prepared. I've previously discussed this with Mr. Lichman. Even though we won't be involved in the development of the core technology, he has agreed for us to send over two researchers to participate in the later development. We'll provide two of our best- performing and reliable staff, so let's start looking for suitable candidates. HR should pay more attention to this as well.“

Nicole was very satisfied with today's meeting. At the end of the meeting, everyone wanted to stay and talk to her for a few minutes to build a closer relationship. Nicole responded to every one of them and smiled warmly, so much so that she seemed like a completely different person from her stern and cold persona earlier.

Logan hurriedly came over and whispered in her ear. “Vice President Nicole, the Chairman of Ferguson Corporation is here.“

Nicole raised an eyebrow. 'That's quick... Turns out Old Master Ferguson is more fretful than I imagined...'

After all, Old Master Ferguson was the Chairman of Ferguson Corporation, so Nicole could not ignore him out of respect for their company's relations.

Nicole nodded and left the conference room.

“Is he waiting in the guest lounge?“ Nicole asked. Logan shook his head. “He went straight to your office.“

Nicole was slightly surprised, but she knew that Old Master Ferguson only came for the emerald pipe that was now with her.

She lowered her head and laughed, then pushed the door in. However, she did not expect Ingrid Ferguson to be sitting next to Old Master Ferguson.

“Rude! How can you come in without knocking first? “ Old Master Ferguson sat upright on the sofa and looked at the woman at the door with a cold face.

'Is he trying to undermine me? I've just gone through this sh*t in the meeting and have to bear with this again?'

“Chairman Ferguson, I never knock when I come into my office.“

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 64

Nicole said while she walked to the chair behind her desk and sat down. She threw the documents on the desk and turned on the computer.

Old Master Ferguson, who was ignored, became even more infuriated and coldly snorted.

”Nicole, I've underestimated you all this while. It looks like you' re quite capable. No wonder you took the initiative to get a divorce. Turns out you've already found your next target. As soon as you divorced Eric, you became the Vice President of Stanton Corporation. It looks like Grant really values you... ”

Nicole laughed and looked at the Fergusons. Ingrid was obviously frightened and did not dare to speak, but the old man came prepared.

”Didn't your family force me to get a divorce? Chairman Ferguson, you call me back to the Ferguson Villa every week just to lecture me about how lowly and unworthy I am of your high and mighty Ferguson family. Now that we're divorced, you should be happy about it. Why did you still take the initiative to come to me?”

Nicole did not forget that Old Master Ferguson only got her to go to the Ferguson Villa every week, not for a family reunion, but to embolden Quinn and Ingrid to torment her even more physically and mentally. This was so that Nicole could feel the disparity between herself and the Ferguson family.

It was also because of Old Master Ferguson's connivance that Quinn and Ingrid went all-out to bully Nicole. All of the servants at the Ferguson Villa also looked down on Nicole because of it.

'Shouldn't they be celebrating that their joke of a daughter-in-law willingly retreated?' Nicole thought.

“What do you mean by that? Are you trying to dig up the past? Is this how you should be talking to your elders? “ Old Master Ferguson was very dissatisfied with Nicole's attitude.

'How dare this obsequious woman from back then talk back at me?! Such mutiny! ' Old Master Ferguson thought.

Nicole snorted. “This is my office, so there's no such thing as elders or juniors. There are only superiors and subordinates. I'm only receiving you right now because you're the Chairman of Ferguson Corporation, so if you have something to say, get to the point. Please don't waste everyone's time. After all, you didn't make a prior appointment and I don't have much time as I still have a lot of things to deal with.“

She purposely looked at her watch and looked at the grim-faced old man without an expression.

'Who is he trying to throw a tantrum at? Does he think that I'm still the same stupid woman from three years ago?' Nicole thought.

“Nicole, how dare you talk to Grandpa like that! Do you want him to faint from anger at his old age?! ' Seeing this, Ingrid hurriedly rebuked Nicole. 'Nicole actually thinks that she's above everyone?'

Nicole glanced at her and laughed lightly. “I have nothing to do with your family anymore. Do you expect me to stoop so low and put up with your crap? Did you come here uninvited just to get yourself worked up? If that's the case, I'm sorry for my poor hospitality. I'll get my assistant to send you off.“

'I didn't beg them to come over, so how dare she act so righteously?' Nicole thought.

Ingrid panicked and looked at Old Master Ferguson. “ Grandpa, I...“

Old Master Ferguson was very shrewd and knew that Nicole did not like being abased. He let out a cold grunt and got to the point.

“Alright, then I'll be frank with you, Nicole. My daughter-in-law and this girl stole my family heirloom just to show off and didn't think that they'd get played by you. The emerald pipe is my life.

State your price. How much do you want to let go of it.?

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you came because of this...“ She deliberately stretched her sentence. “ I've already said that I'm not selling that thing.“

Old Master Ferguson's face was glum. His body became tense as he glared at her. “Just state your price. I don't care how much you ask for. If you miss this opportunity, you'll never get it again! “

Nicole knew that Ferguson Corporation was rich, but she was not poor either and did not need this so- called opportunity.

“Chairman Ferguson, didn't you also give me the same opportunity to state my price when you asked me to divorce Eric in the beginning? I didn't state my price back then, and I certainly don't want your money now.“

They had all thought that Nicole only married Eric for money. Thus, in their three years of marriage, except for the money Eric gave her after every blood transfusion, the Ferguson family did not let her touch a penny of their money and watched her like she was a thief. Nicole was well aware of it all.

Old Master Ferguson's face was grim. His face sank and his breathing became heavier due to anger.

“Nicole, you just hate our family and want to make things difficult for us, huh? You deliberately kept the emerald pipe from Grandpa, right?'

Ingrid was agitated and shouted at Nicole, wanting to expose Nicole's vile intentions.

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. “Yup...“

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 65

Nicole frankly admitted to it. She would never hold on to someone else's beloved item for no reason if it were anyone else.

However, Nicole absolutely hated the Fergusons and did not want them to live comfortably. Thus, she deliberately bought the emerald pipe to mess with them.

She admitted to all of it since she was not bothered to put up a friendly act in front of the Fergusons.

“Ms. Ferguson, I'm not a kind and weak person. I treat others how they treat me. Do you recall how your family treated me back then? I can't pretend to have lost my memory, can I?“

'Do I look like such a generous and forgiving person? ' Nicole thought.

Ingrid was shaking with anger. The words she wanted to say were instantly stuck in her throat. Nicole's frank admission was even more infuriating than a denial.

Old Master Ferguson glared at Ingrid, so Ingrid held back from cursing at Nicole. She took a deep breath, softened her voice, and sobbed as she looked at Nicole with big innocent eyes.

“Nicole, the past was all my fault... I was too young and reckless. You're such a magnanimous person, so please just forgive me. I sincerely apologize for everything I've done. I'm really sorry... I'm willing to do anything to get your forgiveness. I just hope that you can return Grandpa's pipe to him. It's all my fault that got us into this mess. My mother is grounded and Grandpa also punished me. If you still don't feel relieved, you can slap me twice...“

Ingrid looked up at Nicole, but Nicole was unmoved and even looked at her with a smirk.

For a moment, Ingrid suddenly felt that she could not keep up this act and stood there stiffly.

Nicole stared at Ingrid like she was watching a play while she thought about what a manipulative b*tch Ingrid was for putting up an innocent act.

Seeing no reaction from Nicole, Old Master Ferguson coughed and suppressed the gloom under his eyes. He reluctantly said, “Nicole, I know that you've suffered a lot at our hands. Ingrid even took the initiative to come over and apologize to you this time, so you can mention whatever conditions you have.“

'Apologize? I don't feel that this is an apology. It was rather like forceful moral kidnapping. How ridiculous!' Nicole thought.

Nicole faintly swept her a glance. “I don't accept your apology, nor will I give you the pipe.“

After all that, Nicole was still persistent.

Old Master Ferguson's expression changed slightly and could not suppress the anger that accumulated in his chest. “Nicole, what exactly do you want to do?"

'He finally can't stand it anymore?' Nicole thought. “I 'm not gonna do anything. Chairman Ferguson, if there's nothing else, I need to get going.“ Nicole felt tired after dealing with them.

Old Master Ferguson snorted coldly. His eyes had a sharpness in them.

“Don't blame me for being cruel if you don't take this chance that I'm offering.“

“Oh?“ Nicole raised her eyebrows. “What are you planning to do?“

Old Master Ferguson took out his phone. “I'm curious... Does Chairman Stanton know that Grant is supporting a divorced woman? I still have some relations with the Chairman. Do you think that if I tell him your identity, you'll still get to sit in your position?“

His words were a blatant threat.

Nicole paused for a few seconds. Her smile deepened as she extended her hand. “Suit yourself.“

She just felt like laughing and thought, 'He thinks that I'll be scared? Chairman Stanton is my father! '

Old Master Ferguson's gaze was cold. Seeing that Nicole still did not give in, he dialed the number.

Ingrid looked at Nicole smugly as if Nicole was facing impending death. She just stood on the side to watch the drama unfold.

Beep...

After a few seconds, Floyd Stanton picked up with a leisurely voice.

“Chairman Ferguson, why are you in the mood to call me?"

Old Master Ferguson grunted lightly and said, “ Chairman Stanton, I heard that you went to Europe for a vacation a few days ago. You seem to be in a good mood..."

“Yeah, I did. It's nice to travel around now that I'm old. If there's nothing, I'm hanging up because I'm busy fishing right now..."

Nicole raised her eyebrows. 'Dad hates the Fergusons, so why would he waste time on them? '

Old Master Ferguson changed the topic. “Chairman Stanton, do you know that your son has gotten very close to a divorced woman recently?"

“Really? I'm not aware."

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 66

Old Master Ferguson said, “Grant is very capable and has taken after you. Won't it ruin everything if he's tricked by such a woman?“

“It's just a woman, what can she ruin?“ Floyd Stanton sneered.

Old Master Ferguson glanced at Nicole and spoke meaningfully.

“This woman is not simple. After she just got a divorce, Grant promoted her as Vice President of your Stanton Corporation and is the second-in- command. She'll soon start to call the shots in your company, so shouldn't you step in to control the situation as the Chairman?“

If it were anyone else, they would certainly become furious and anxious after hearing these words from Old Master Ferguson.

Unfortunately, Floyd Stanton was no ordinary person.

Floyd let out a lazy laugh and responded insouciantly.

“Chairman Ferguson, mind your own business. I believe in my son. Oh look, a fish just got hooked! Goodbye.“

The call was disconnected and Old Master Ferguson's expression was quite amusing. He cursed and glared fiercely at Nicole, seemingly unwilling to let her off the hook.

“You got lucky, but do you think you can get away like that? Do you think it's so easy to get into the Stanton family? Floyd Stanton is much more powerful than you think! “

Nicole laughed. “That's not for you to worry about anyway...“ She paused and had a glint in her eyes. “ I'll definitely be a part of the Stanton family! “

After all, Nicole was bound to reveal her identity one day. She wondered what this old man would feel after finding out about her real identity.

Old Master Ferguson snorted and laughed at Nicole's wishful thinking. He wanted to say something else, but Nicole was no longer in the mood to deal with them. It seemed like calling Floyd Stanton was the old man's trump card, so Nicole did not need to worry about it.

“Chairman Ferguson, if there's nothing else, I 'll get my secretary to send you off. I have a meeting to attend.“

Nicole smiled and looked at them with a detached yet polite smile. Ingrid looked indignant and wanted to say something, but she could only grit her teeth and hold back. Old Master Ferguson was also exasperated after this meeting and coldly snorted. “You're asking for it!“

After Nicole pressed a button on her internal office phone, Logan came in and stood there respectfully. “ Vice President Nicole, what are your orders?“

“Send off the guests, please.“

“Yes, ma'am. Chairman Ferguson, Ms. Ferguson, this way, please.“

Logan stretched out his hand politely. Old Master Ferguson gritted his teeth and walked away with a glum face. Ingrid also followed resentfully.

While walking, Old Master Ferguson called Eric and was furious.

“I didn't expect that Nicole would be such an ungrateful wretch after marrying you for three years. She's so stubborn. Were you blind to marry her back then?“

Eric paused and said, “You went to see her?“

“Of course, I can't stand that my beloved pipe is in her hands for another second! This woman is too wicked and refused to let go even when I went to her personally. She lied to us for three years. I didn't expect her to be such a person! “

Eric was silent for a few seconds and thought, 'I guess she's had enough of putting up with us for the past three years...'

“Grandpa, I'll take care of this. Don't worry, I'll get your pipe back.“

“You'd better! Otherwise, I won't let her off the hook! By the way, she even said that she'll marry into the Stanton family. You can do something about her private life. I don't believe that an affluent

family would accept a divorced b*tch that hooks up with everyone.“

Eric frowned and suddenly felt irritated. Nicole did not do anything wrong yet she was still insulted like that. Eric just felt repulsed when he heard his grandfather's words.

However, when he thought about Grant Stanton and Ian Carter who were constantly revolving around Nicole, he inexplicably felt more irritable, suffocated, and upset.

After hanging up, Eric rubbed his temples. Mitchell, who was standing to the side watching apprehensively, suddenly spoke up. “President, will the meeting scheduled to begin in five minutes still be held as usual?“

Eric's dark eyes sank slightly. He did not answer Mitchell's question. Instead, he asked, “Mitchell, what kind of person do you think Nicole is?“

'Why is she so different before and after our divorce?

Mitchell hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth.

“Madam... I mean, Ms. Nicole is a very nice person.“ Eric's face was slightly cold. “Do you have frequent contact?“

“No, no... It's just that I often received her calls when you just got married. She was very concerned about your livelihood. Every time you'd go on a business trip, she'd check the weather forecast and remind me to prepare the appropriate clothes and meals. Sometimes, she'd even get them ready and send them over herself. Even when you never returned her calls, she never got angry...“

Seeing Eric's increasingly glum face, Mitchell wondered if he had said the wrong thing.

“How come I never knew of these things?“

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Eric thought, 'I don't think I've ever received Nicole's calls...'

Mitchell hesitantly spoke, “l've mentioned it to you once before, but at that time, you said not to report such trivial matters to you. You also said in front of both me and Ms. Nicole that aside from things related to Ms. Quade, you don't want to be contacted about unimportant matters from Imperial Gardens, so... I guess that's why Ms. Nicole stopped calling you…”

His volume gradually decreased as he seemed to notice the air around Eric getting colder.

Eric rubbed his brow and seemed to remember this scene. Back then, they were at their villa in Imperial Gardens, but Eric was only thinking of Wendy Quade's excessive blood loss and seemed to ignore another pair of expectant eyes that slowly became desolate.

He had only given Nicole the nominal marriage that she wanted, yet he chipped away at her heart and drew her blood.

His heart suddenly felt so painful that it was hard to breathe.

It seemed like he was beginning to get an answer to how Nicole went from being cautious to disheartened.

“President, the meeting...“

“Go and make an appointment with Nicole. I want to meet her.“ Eric knew that Nicole would not answer his call, and rashly showing up at her office was also rude.

“Their reply has been very clear. Ms. Nicole is not available, “ Mitchell said.

When Eric swept a glance at Mitchell with his gloomy eyes, Mitchell's heart jumped and a chill gradually spread throughout his body. Mitchell immediately added, “But I will keep contacting them until we get an appointment.“

“Get out. The meeting will be held as planned.“

“Yes, sir.“ Mitchell let out a sigh of relief after he retreated respectfully.

'Why bother? What's the use of being attentive to her after the divorce?'

Stanton Corporation.

A few minutes after sending Old Master Ferguson away, Logan returned to Nicole's office and conveyed word for word what he had just heard to Nicole so that she could be prepared.

Once Nicole heard this, she laughed coldly. Old Master Ferguson had never liked her, so Nicole had already expected that he would not hold back when dealing with her. However, she never thought that he would make up scandals about her private life.

'He wants to keep me from marrying into an affluent family? That's cruel!'

If an ordinary woman was treated like this, she would be ostracized for life.

Nicole intended to return the pipe after messing with them for a few days. However, she no longer wanted to let go of it now that they tried to mess with her.

Her phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed that it was Floyd Stanton.

Nicole waved her hand and said, “You may leave.“

Logan nodded and left. Nicole picked up the call. “ Dad, how many fishes did you catch today?“

Floyd froze for a moment and let out a cold grunt. “ Did that old man Ferguson look for you?“

“Yeah, he just came to my office and called you right in front of me.“ Nicole looked down at her manicure and spoke leisurely.

“Hmph! He still has the audacity to complain to me? Who are they to bully you like this?“ Floyd was furious and cursed. His daughter had suffered a lot when she was with the Fergusons. He did not even go to them to settle the score, yet they dare to complain first?

“Don't be mad, Dad. I've already kicked them out very unceremoniously.“

Floyd grunted. “Well done, Baby. You don't need to be polite to them. This old geezer doesn't even know his place. What a scourge! “

Nicole laughed. “Yeah, you're right. Anyway, it doesn't matter because I won't put up with them anymore. If that old geezer comes looking for trouble again, I'll break that emerald pipe. Then we'll see who gets the last laugh! “

Floyd was satisfied with his daughter's reply and praised her. “Yes, do that. We gotta show the Fergusons who's boss. My daughter is the best! “

After chatting for a few more minutes, Logan knocked on the door and urged, “Vice President Nicole, the planning still needs to be finalized. Should we call for a meeting to discuss it?“

“Sure! “

Nicole then said to her father, “Dad, carry on fishing I need to get back to work now! “

After a busy day, Nicole took her purse and was ready to leave the office. Before she walked out the door, Logan caught up to her. “Vice President Nicole, Mr. Lichman wants to invite you to dinner to talk about some issues related to the J&L project.“

Nicole thought about it and nodded her head in agreement. After all, this was the most important matter at hand.

“Let's go together.“

Logan nodded. “I'll go and make the arrangements.“

They drove to the agreed location. To their surprise, they met not only Gerard Lichman but also Eric Ferguson.

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Nicole glanced at Logan, who also looked surprised, which meant that he was also unaware of Eric Ferguson's attendance.

The two of them looked at each other. Nicole then walked in with a smile as she looked at Gerard Lichman. She spoke casually. “Is this a set-up?“

Gerard shrugged his shoulders. He looked at Eric, then at Nicole.

“Vice President Nicole, I had no choice. Please forgive me for being presumptuous. Let me just clarify that I will remain neutral and will never interfere in the matters between you both. To express my sincere apology, when you're done talking, I'll bring you to visit our newly established

research lab. I'm sure you'll be very interested in it.“ 'Interested? Indeed.' Nicole thought.

However, she still felt annoyed that she had been deceived.

Nicole expressionlessly retracted her gaze and looked at Eric with a slight frown. “Mr. Ferguson, if this is because of that pipe, there's no need to waste your breath.“

'Will they ever stop pestering me? My time is very precious, alright?'

“Nicole. “ Eric looked at her with deep eyes. After a pause, he continued, “I know that my grandfather went to see you today and said a lot of unpleasant things. Don't take it to heart.“

He knew that Nicole did not care for his apology and that it was futile. A simple “sorry“ could not wipe away all that he owed her in the past three years.

Nicole lifted her eyes and thought that it was strange because Eric seemed a little weird today.

“Is that all?“ She was getting impatient.

Eric was silent for a second before he spoke again. “ That tobacco pipe is useless to you. If you were just deliberately trying to anger them, you've already succeeded. After your anger has subsided, please return it to my grandfather. As I mentioned before, you can state whatever conditions you like.“

The atmosphere was silent for a moment. Nicole hooked her lips.

'Hah! When other methods didn't work, he decides to go down the emotional route? His purpose is to get back the emerald pipe. It looks like that stupid pipe is really important to them...'

Gerard could not help but crack a joke to break the silence.

“Whatever conditions? If she wants to get back together with you, are you willing to do so?“

The other three people in the room were stunned, and Logan could not help but subconsciously look at Eric.

Eric's eyes sank and he frowned slightly. The atmosphere was silent and still.

Just when Gerard regretted saying this, Nicole let out a light laugh. Her voice was clear, cold, and indifferent.

“Get back together? There's no need to assume because it'll never happen in this life. Someone like Mr. Ferguson should marry someone from the same social status. Why would he compromise on his own marriage?“

Eric's brow was tightly knitted when he heard this and wanted to say something, but Nicole continued, “But...“

She paused and hooked her lips into a faint smile.

“But if you must have this emerald pipe, the conditions can still be negotiated.“

Nicole seemed to have thought of a perfect condition. Eric raised his head. “What is it?“

It seemed that he would agree to whatever she requested.

Nicole swept a glance at Gerard. “Can we have the room?“

Gerard froze. “Of course.“

He straightened his tie and walked out without hesitation.

Whenever Eric and Nicole were in the same space, the atmosphere was extraordinarily awkward. If Eric did not force him to invite Nicole to dinner in his name, he was very reluctant to put these two exes together because he did not know how to deal with these majesties. After all, Gerard did not want Eric and Nicole's problem to affect their three-way cooperation.

Logan was also sensible to leave the room.

With only the two of them left in the room, Eric waited silently for Nicole to speak, but she did not seem to be in any hurry.

When Eric heard Gerard's proposal of remarrying Nicole, he surprisingly did not feel like it was an absurd idea. Anyway, they had been married once, so he did not mind getting married to her the second time. If they were to get back together, he would treat her better too.

However, Nicole was not willing. Nicole walked to the sofa on the side and sat down, then picked up a box of cigarettes on the table and skilfully lit one. She gently inhaled and exhaled a beautiful smoke ring. Seeing her slender fingers holding a cigarette, Eric felt a little uncomfortable, but she did so with such grace and charm.

Eric's eyes sank slightly. “You actually learned to smoke?“

In his impression, Nicole was a gentle and well- behaved woman that did not have any bad habits.

However, the woman in front of him looked so skilled and natural in her movements that showed that she had been smoking for quite some time now, yet he was not aware.

Looking at Eric's surprised face, Nicole smiled. Her smoking hand tapped lightly on the sofa. “Yes, I learned it three years ago.“

Three years ago was when they just got married.

In other words, she had learned to smoke at the beginning of their marriage.

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 69

Eric Ferguson felt his heart clenched and his eyes darkened. He did not know anything about Nicole. He was unaware that she could play the violin so well, nor did he know that she smoked.

“I never smoked in front of you because I was afraid you wouldn't like it before, so of course, you never had the chance to see it.“

Every time Nicole donated blood, she would feel very weak. Eric accompanied Wendy Quade, and Nicole's only company was cigarettes. Nicole was particularly addicted to smoking during those tough days.

The corners of Nicole's lips hooked up, but her eyes were slightly despondent. A moment later, she returned to her usual self.

She glanced at Eric's drooping eyes and smiled playfully.

“Want to hear my conditions?“

Without waiting for his reply, Nicole went straight to the point.

“Get Wendy Quade to give me however much blood I've donated to her. It doesn't have to be in one go. Anyway, she can finish repaying me within a year.“

Eric's head jolted up. “What?“

Nicole laughed. “I thought about it. My blood is so precious, so I should use it to save people who are actually worth saving, rather than wasting it on this vile woman. I was so stupid before, but it's still not too late to wake up from my delirium. I want my blood back. In exchange, I'll give you the pipe, then we won't owe each other anymore.“

Wendy Quade was only trying to spite Nicole, so from time to time, she would pretend to be sick or hurt and would ask Nicole to transfuse blood to her.

Nicole knew all about it, but Eric never saw through it. In the past, Nicole would feel aggrieved, but now, it all seemed irrelevant.

Once Wendy returned her blood, Nicole could draw a clear line with the past and could finally feel whole again.

'Isn't Wendy Quade coming back soon? I want to spite that woman! Which will he choose? His family heirloom or Wendy Quade?' Nicole was looking forward to Eric's answer.

She smiled leisurely and threw the cigarette butt in the ashtray in front of her, then stood up and left the room with her purse.

“You don't need to give me an answer so quickly. Think about it.“

Looking at her back, Eric's gaze became complicated all of a sudden.

'How much did Nicole hate Wendy? How much did she hate this marriage that she wanted to get back every single drop of blood?'

Eric called his assistant Mitchell. “Check how much blood did Nicole donate to Wendy throughout the years.“

Mitchell paused for a moment before he replied, “Yes, sir.“

Within a few minutes, Mitchell came back with an answer to Eric's question. “President, Ms. Nicole has donated a total of 14,400 ml of blood to Ms. Quade. The total amount of blood of an adult is about 4.000 to 5.000 ml. The blood donated by Ms. Nicole over the years is equivalent to the total amount of blood in three adults. That means Ms. Nicole had drained every drop of blood from her body three times...“

As soon as Mitchell finished his sentence, Eric hung up the phone.

'She literally bled herself dry three times because of me?!'

However, he was completely unaware of her grievance and fortitude in the past three years.

Eric's heart felt like it was pressed down by a boulder and he found it hard to breathe.

Nicole's condition was to get Wendy to pay her back within a year. This showed how much she hated them to her core.

Eric felt frustrated. He knew that there was no way he could exchange Wendy for the emerald pipe.

When Eric was in the army, that bomb should have fallen on him, but Hendrick pounced on Eric and blocked the bomb with his body. Before Hendrick died, his only worry was Wendy's health, so Eric promised that he would do whatever possible for Wendy to live a long and healthy life.

Thinking of the past, a trace of pain flashed in Eric's eyes.

When Nicole walked out, she saw Logan standing not far away, waiting for her. The two of them walked to the doorway and met with Gerard Lichman, who was sitting in the lobby. He smiled in a doting and gentle way while he talked to someone on the phone.

Seeing Nicole, Gerard quickly said a few words and hung up. He strode over and said politely, “Ms. Nicole, did you have a pleasant chat?"

“It is for me, but probably not for the guy inside... " Nicole gave a faint smile.

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress chapter 70

Gerard Lichman raised his eyebrows. “In any case, I was the one who overstepped in the first place. Ms. Nicole, if you'd like, you can come with me to meet our core research team. Not everyone will have the opportunity to see it.“

Nicole agreed without a second thought. After all, if she knew about the latest research technology of J&L Corporation, she could grasp the market first and would get a better grasp on the development of artificial intelligence in the future.

Once the three of them walked out, Gerard turned to Logan and said, “Mr. Logan, I'm afraid you don't have access to the lab because it has our company's secrets. Don't worry, I will ensure that Ms. Nicole gets back safely.“

Logan looked at Nicole hesitantly. Nicole understood Gerard's concern, so she nodded at Logan and said, “ You can go back first. I'll be fine.“

“Yes, ma'am.“

Nicole and Gerard got into Gerard's car. They sat in the back with the curtains closed, so they could not see what was going on outside. Nicole thought to herself, 'Gerard Lichman is that cautious, huh? I'm looking forward to this visit even more now...'

“Mr. Logan used to be Grant Stanton's right -hand man but he now works for you. It looks like Mr. Stanton really values you. No wonder you decisively

refused the idea of remarriage when I mentioned it

earlier. With such a good backer, who will repeat the same mistake?“

Gerard pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke with a smile.

Nicole paused and replied in a clear and cold voice, “ Mr. Stanton values me because he has a good eye. “

Gerard raised his eyebrows. 'It seems like Nicole won't give Eric the time of day no matter what he does...'

After twenty minutes, their car drove into an underground garage.

As soon as they got out of the car, the surrounding lights were as bright as day.

The building had a uniform shade of Morandi gray, which was hard to distinguish. Perhaps it was designed as such to be discreet.

Gerard took Nicole to the elevator. He reached out to scan his fingerprints on the screen in front of him. After three times of recognition, the elevator door finally opened. Gerard extended his hand. “After you, Ms. Nicole.“

Nicole was vaguely surprised and impressed. She went into the elevator and only saw one button to the 17th floor with no other options.

“Don't I need to be blindfolded?“ Nicole joked.

Gerard laughed. “Nah, you won't be able to take away any core secrets, so it's fine for you to see it.“

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and had an expectant look in her eyes.

Once they walked out of the elevator, Nicole saw a hallway filled with silver-gray glass. Almost all the walls were made of translucent material, but it was impossible to see through any of the walls even on closer inspection. It felt like a top-secret lab.

Gerard took her into a closed, empty room. He just walked to the opposite side of the room and placed his hand on the glass wall. Suddenly, some curved thin lines with some sort of data appeared on the glass. Gerard stood in place and aligned his pupils with a spot on the glass. After the iris recognition, the wall in front of him parted.

Nicole followed behind and saw another long gray glass corridor. If no one led the way, it would be like walking in a maze.

Soon, Gerard pushed open a door and said, “This is it When Nicole walked in, she saw a few people inside wearing white lab coats with their heads down working on something. Someone was spinning with a gyroscope-like tool, and someone else was talking to a computer.

“Everyone got off work. The rest here are all single “ Gerard laughed with a relaxed expression.

Someone heard Gerard's voice. A man with curly hair looked up and retorted. “Tsk tsk... Don't insult single people like us... We have feelings too! Oh, we have a visitor?“

Nicole smiled and wanted to say hello when she felt something rubbing her shoes. She looked down and saw that it was the little tiger again!

The little tiger looked at her and grinned. The stripes on its forehead moved. ”Hello , pretty lady! We meet again ! I like you very much... ”