Category: The Divorced Billionaire Heiress

Nicole nodded.

Grant frowned.

“We didn’t get any news that he came.”

Nicole said, “It’s not just us. Even Eric who’s in Liberty doesn’t know, and that was right under his nose. Quavon’s power can’t be underestimated. Quavon’s men lit that fire.”

Grant’s expression turned several degrees colder. His eyes exuded a cold chill.

“He already knows. He came here on purpose to find you. He wanted to catch you off guard and cause an accident, but he didn’t expect you to get away…”

Nicole nodded. For a while, everyone’s hearts were heavy. She was not afraid of the future.

However, there would always be a knife hanging overhead, and it would always be uncomfortable to think about.

It was better to solve this matter as soon as possible. There were a few moments of silence.

No one spoke.

Grant took the lead to break the silence. “I’ll tell Luca to go back immediately and follow you.”

Floyd nodded and expressed his agreement. Nicole smiled, not minding either way.

However, she was a little more at ease with Luca around.

“Big Brother, you just rest assured and deal with the project in Sand City. Once the quality check is almost done, you can start the second phase of the project. There’s no need to delay it too long since it’ll cause heavy losses. The public opinion in the media should be able to be controlled now. After all, so many people saw me being kidnapped and threatened. They won’t believe that I was just putting on a show, right?”

Grant smiled coldly. “Don’t worry. Everyone on the internet is now sympathetic to you. No one believes that there’s something wrong with our product. The proprietors who were causing trouble have all gone quiet. Yesterday, the people handling the quality inspection came over and asked me if I wanted to continue the inspection. They suggested that they just make a pretense that they inspected to brush the matter off. After all, if the delay is too long, it’ll be too cost-inefficient for them.”

Nicole raised her brows. That was good.

“I’ll take care of things here. Leave Quavon to me too.”

Grant raised his head with a calm expression. “You have a solution?”

Nicole smiled. “Of course.”

“Alright, then you handle it. Let me know if you need help.”

Nicole nodded.

They chatted a little more and ended the video call.

Nicole stretched and was about to stand up to go upstairs to sleep.

Floyd called her back.

“I can still handle the company affairs. What’s most important for you now is to rest. Don’t worry about Quavon.”

Nicole smiled and lowered her eyes.

“Dad, you should believe that I can solve this matter. You can always trust me.”

Her smile looked harmless, but she was not a child anymore.

There were a few sharp edges hidden in her smile. As her father, he should know it very well.

His heart ached for what she had gone through, but he was also confident in her abilities.

Now, Nicole was not facing those complicated struggles in the business world, but something more sinister than a business competition.

However, to her, it was not something unexpected.

Floyd paused and watched her walk up the stairs with light steps.

Tigger burrowed out from some corner and lay in Floyd’s arms, nuzzling him.

Floyd stroked it and sighed.

“I always wanted to raise her as a callow little princess, but she’s a little too excellent, isn’t she?”

Tigger lay in his arms in agreement, wagging its tail.

It expressed that it very much agreed with that point of view.

Kai, who was at the side silently playing a game, clicked his tongue and was ignored.

Nicole looked at her phone. Besides messages from Yvette, Julie, and Ian, there were also messages from Eric.

Eric just asked her how she was doing. She had no intention to reply.

He had been talking to himself for a long time.

Nicole planned to wait until she could no Ionger stand it anymore before blocking him.

Nicole smiled and patted Floyd’s arm.

“With Old Master Leonard’s power in Sand City, he’s already considered to have lowered his head by personally going to pick Grant up. He’s doing this to show us. In fact, it’s not that easy. He’s already at this age, but he was pulled down by Autumn like this. If word were to spread, he’d become a joke in Sand City…”

“So what? He deserves it.”

Floyd sneered.

“We showed him respect but he refused it and even took the initiative to provoke you. His turf is only what the Leonard family has. Does he really think that he can rest easy like that?”

Nicole saw his anger and smiled before looking at Grant.

“Hear that, Big Brother? You have to vent my anger on my behalf over there. Don’t bother even if he backs down. Even if he kneels and begs for mercy, you have to scare him a little!”

Floyd nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, we can’t let him off!”

Grant rubbed his temples helplessly. His eyes flashed with a sharp and icy look.

“Fine. We’ve already caught up to the Leonard family’s electronic equipment. Why don’t we just acquire them?”

Floyd smiled when he heard that. “Great!”

The Leonard family was considered to be afflicted with a chronic illness. They relied on their electronic equipment in recent years to support the other parts of their money- losing development.

Electronic equipment was considered a more profitable project for the Leonard family.

They were also considered very famous in Sand City and generated a lot of profit, so the department personnel showed a lot of respect and let them come and go. They were basically the economic pillars of Sand City.

Their main brand was characterized by being small-scale, but the product was quite exquisite.

In fact, there was no choice when it came to the scale.

That was because the ones who did the best in the industry were Stanton Corporation and Ferguson Corporation.

One was about quality, the other about efficiency.

The features were different, and their target audience was also different.

They were considered to have an even split in this field.

As for those small businesses surviving between the cracks, they could only find another way. For example, they reduced the cost of the materials and thus reduced the production costs.

In Sand City, the Leonard family’s electronic devices could do something that Stanton Corporation and Ferguson Corporation could not, and that was personal customization.

According to each person’s requirements, they customized the product that catches the customer’s eye, amplifying the advantages and thus reducing the clear sense of inferiority.

However, this kind of requirement was of little use to large groups like Stanton Corporation and Ferguson Corporation.

Their customer base was geared toward the universal needs of more than a billion consumers.

Assembly line products like theirs would not offer personal customization.

Therefore, the Leonard family was doing quite well in this area and was still flourishing.

If the Leonard family lost this money-making sector, it would mean the loss of their financial pillar.

The Leonard family would soon be stretched to their limit.

Grant’s proposal might seem casual, but it was basically pinching Old Master Leonard’s lifeline.

It was much more vicious than being cursed out by Nicole. Jacob, who was standing at the side, trembled.

Sure enough, Nicole could not be offended. Even Grant did not dare to offend her!

Nicole smiled, raised her eyebrows, and nodded.

“Sure. I’ll have someone from the company follow up on this plan.

Grant nodded. He was serious about it.

“By the way, during the investigation, I discovered another unfamiliar force manipulating this plan, but there aren’t any clues for now…”

Nicole paused and exchanged a look with Floyd. She coughed.

“Big Brother, we hadn’t told you this yet. That unfamiliar force is probably Quavon Sloan.”

Grant stiffened and narrowed his eyes.

When Jacob saw that Nicole was fine, he really wanted to burrow through the lens.

Everyone knew that since Grant came to Sand City, Grant’s style and methods were completely different from Nicole’s.

When Nicole got angry, it was just pure anger.

When she scolded someone severely, she would probably not stay angry for long.

It was when she hid a dagger in her smile that meant she was truly angry.

However, as long as Jacob did not cross the line, Nicole would generally turn a blind eye.

As for Grant, his thunderous style could torture a person to death. Just one look from Grant could make someone too scared to say anything.

There were no second chances.

After just a few days, Jacob had a feeling that he would not be able to continue living for long.

Nicole smiled and blinked at the screen.

“Mr. Cook, did you dye your hair? Why is it all white now?” At that mention, Jacob wanted to shave his hair bald.

Since Nicole’s accident, Jacob did not even dare to get a full night’s sleep out of trepidation.

After Grant’s arrival, Jacob’s nerves became even more frayed.

If anything happened to the heiress of Stanton Corporation in Sand City, Jacob would not get the chance to live.

Jacob had lived for more than half a century and was about to retire, but he was very likely going to lose his job.

Grant glanced at Jacob coldly, and Jacob immediately composed his expression and looked at the camera in trepidation.

“I didn’t dye my hair, Ms. Stanton. You should take a good rest. The project team staff are all very concerned about your health. They all hope that you’ll take good care of yourself!”

Nicole nodded with a smile.

“Okay, thank you for you guys’ concern.”

Grant interrupted them coldly. “Enough. Stop talking nonsense and say something useful.”

Nicole and Jacob were speechless.

To the side, Floyd, who was pretending to be invisible, could only pretend that he did not hear anything.

Nicole composed herself and paused. “Big Brother, what did the reporter say?”

Grant nodded. “Luca got the reporter’s statement. The boss of the company that Autumn Ferguson is interning in ordered it, but what’s funny is that when the boss mentioned Autumn, he also mentioned the Ferguson family. That’s why the reporter dared to be so bold.”

Nicole frowned, then chuckled.

“So, that reporter thought that it was the Ferguson family that instructed him to frame us? He thought that the Ferguson family would step in to protect him?”

Grant nodded with an expressionless face.

Nicole also suddenly found it ridiculous after hearing it.

If Eric were to find out about this, he might really laugh in exasperation.

“Is the Leonard family involved?”

To the side, the calm Floyd suddenly spoke. Grant pursed his lips, his eyes deep and sharp. “As far as I know, probably not.”

“Oh? Leonard toyed with Lil N, but he’s not going to act as backup for his god-granddaughter?”

Floyd had long since figured out the relationship between Old Master Leonard and Autumn Ferguson.

Grant‘s tone was clear and cold.

“As soon as I arrived in Sand City, Old Master Leonard personally came over to pick me up with a very sincere attitude. He said frankly that he knew nothing about Autumn’s actions. He also expressed his apologies for not helping when Nicole came up to his door before. I think he’s just putting on airs and standing up for Autumn.

Unexpectedly, it caused such an incident…”

Floyd smiled coldly. His eyes were cold and disgusted.

“He can’t put on airs now that you’re there. That old man is really appalling. Someone who has the ability has no reason to hide or feel embarrassed!”

Floyd was really furious. He wanted to hit the table.

He waited to see what thoughts Old Master Leonard had. It was better if Old Master Leonard was involved. That way, Floyd would have a chance to screw him up at one go.

Unexpectedly, Old Master Leonard actually backed down.

Clayton smiled.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be that stupid.” He went downstairs.

Clayton saw that the butler was asking the servants to set the table.

“Clayton, have dinner before you leave.” Floyd spoke from the living room.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “You’re finally willing to leave?”

A pillow was thrown at Kai’s head, followed by a warning look.

Kai closed his mouth.

Clayton smiled. “I’m relieved that Nicole is fine. I still have some things to take care of.”

Floyd nodded. “Alright.”

Clayton said, “I’ll take my leave.”

Floyd paused. “Clayton, Nicole’s incident has nothing to do with you, so don’t blame yourself. We know how you feel about Nicole. As long as she’s doing well, we won’t care about anything else.”

Clayton’s expression changed a few times. He could hear the meaning of Floyd’s words.

The corners of his lips curled up, and Clayton nodded slightly before silently lifting his feet to leave.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “You really don’t care?” Floyd looked at Kai.

Without speaking, Floyd went to the table and prepared to eat.

Maverick stood up like a shadow from a chair not far away.

He stretched.

“Compared to Eric in the past, Clayton is so much better. A t least Nicole doesn’t have to chase after him. He’s the one who runs after Nicole…”

Maverick finished speaking and went over to the table.

Kai suddenly understood.

Sure enough, Maverick was a genius.

Even his understanding of life was more thorough than Kai’s.

“But, Mav, why did you suddenly come back? Doesn’t your research institute only give you time off at the end of the year?”

Kai questioned.

Maverick pushed his gold-framed glasses and spoke calmly.

”I’m preparing to get married.”

Floyd and Kai froze at the same time. They looked at Maverick in shock.

Maverick spoke calmly.

“Molly’s family is even more anxious. Her mother feels that Molly’s luck will turn very bad if she doesn’t get married this year.”

Kai shrugged. “So? You believe that kind of nonsense? That’s obviously forced marriage!”

Floyd kicked Kai fiercely from under the table. Kai really had no filter to his mouth.

Maverick raised his eyes. His gaze flickered for a moment. The corners of his lips curled into a smile.

“I believe it.”

Kai was stunned. “You’re a scientist…”

“So what? Anyway, I already decided. We’ll get our marriage license first and have our wedding when we get time off.”

Floyd nodded. “Do you want me to talk to Molly’s parents and set a date first? I should take the initiative to ask them out for a meal!”

Maverick said, “I’ll set the time. You all just have to show up.”

Kai’s mouth twitched. “You arranged everything yourself. Are you treating us like tools?”

Maverick glanced at him. “You got a problem with that?” Kai looked at his eyes and froze. “Nope.”

“Good.”

Floyd was very insistent in wanting to get involved, but Maverick did not want Floyd to step up with great fanfare.

The reason was probably that Molly’s father was old- fashioned and did not want his daughter to be suspected of being a “gold digger”.

Thus, their family claimed to others that Molly’s boyfriend was just an ordinary engineer.

Nicole was very excited when she found out about this matter and announced that she had to be part of the planning for their wedding. Maverick strongly refused.

Nicole suffered several blows and finally stopped persistently looking for abuse.

At night.

Nicole hugged her pillow and was sitting with Floyd in the living room. They had a video call with Grant.

Jacob was also there. He obviously froze for a moment when he saw Nicole.

“Ms. Stanton…”

Jacob’s voice started to choke up.

Nicole frowned. Before she could speak, Clayton spoke up in a cold voice.

“No, Old Master Leonard probably knows about this matter. He also knows that Autumn found that reporter. He just indulged her, but the one who set fire to the warehouse isn’t him.”

“Then who is it?” Kai asked.

“It’s Quavon.”

Clayton’s face visibly stiffened when he mentioned that name.

The room was silent for a moment. Floyd’s eyes darkened.

“Quavon Sloan is here? Your father?”

Clayton nodded. His eyes could not help but turn to look at the dumbfounded Nicole.

“I went to find that person who had been sneaking around. They led me to a corner, and someone knocked me out from behind. They came prepared.”

In an instant.

Floyd became wary.

His face also became grim. “You saw him?”

Clayton nodded.

“He found out the truth behind Isaac’s paralysis, so he secretly came here.”

That was why not even Eric Ferguson, who was in Liberty, knew that Quavon came to Mediania.

It was evident that Quavon’s power was not to be underestimated.

Floyd’s expression sank as he remained silent.

If that was really the case, then they were too careless back then.

They should not have let Nicole go alone.

Nicole coughed. Her voice was still hoarse, but her expression was calm.

“Since he came here secretly, he must not have brought many people with him. There’s no need for us to worry about this.”

Floyd nodded.

Clayton went over to touch her hair and spoke in a low voice.

”You can’t go out alone until he leaves Mediania.”

Nicole smiled and did not respond. She did not feel that scared.

Back then, she did not kill Isaac out of kindness!

Nicole took a deep breath. ”Then let’s solve the problem one step at a time!”

She was confident.

In any case, when it came to her territory, ordering people around was something she loved to do.

Kai laughed and clicked his tongue before turning to leave the room.

Nicole called after him. “Remember my cruise ship!”

Kai’s back stiffened and he snorted.

“All of my hard-earned money will be squandered by you sooner or later!”

Nicole laughed happily.

Clayton also smiled. “What do you want to ask from me?”

Nicole paused and blinked. She did not understand.

Clayton put his smile away.

“You want a cruise ship? I can buy one for you too. What else do you want?”

No matter how hard it was to get what she wanted, Clayton wanted to give it to her.

He wanted to give the whole world to her. He wanted to give her his life too!

Nicole frowned. She never thought about that question before.

She did not really want a cruise ship. She just wanted to spend Kai’s money.

Kai did not lack that money anyway.

Nicole had never reached out and asked another man for something before.

That feeling was a little unfamiliar.

However, looking at Clayton’s expectant gaze, Nicole really did not want to let him down.

Nicole thought about it. “I want to ride a horse.”

When she got better, Nicole wanted to go horseback riding and experience the feeling of going wild.

She had not been horseback riding for a long time, so she quite missed it.

Clayton smiled.

He reached out and pinched Nicole’s earlobe. His tone was indulgent.

“Okay, wait for a few days!”

Nicole nodded.

She had no intention to go out immediately anyway.

With her current physical condition, it was likely that she would fall off the horse.

Clayton stayed there until it was dark.

Since Floyd did not say that Clayton could stay the night, Clayton could not take the initiative to stay either.

There were still a lot of things piling up behind him.

Clayton only got in the mood to care about other matters when he saw that Nicole was fine.

However, Clayton watched Nicole eat dinner before he said goodbye.

Nicole did not force him to stay either.

She told him to cheer up and not to do anything out of the ordinary.

Floyd scolded him furiously. “The difference between the two of you is too big. One is a genius, but the other is an idiot!”

Kai was indignant.

“Dad, didn’t you share my thoughts too?” “Bullsh”t!”

In the room.

Even the quiet sound of breathing became lighter.

Nicole looked at Clayton. His features were cold, and the familiar warmth diminished.

She reached her hand out, and Clayton went over to hold it tightly as if he never wanted to let go again.

“Nicole. Baby, I’m so sorry…” He suddenly hugged her tightly.

The taut string in his chest finally snapped.

He was really about to break down, especially when he heard Logan say that Nicole went out to find him.

That feeling was like his entire world went dark. Nicole patted him twice and smiled.

“It’s okay.”

There was a pause.

She could not help but ask, “Did you find that person?” Clayton was speechless.

He struggled to pull himself out of his sad mood.

Looking at Nicole’s vibrant appearance, Clayton was also relieved.

Fortunately, she did not get traumatized. Clayton paused and nodded.

Nicole smiled.

’that’s good. Otherwise, I would’ve been in danger for nothing.”

”Nicole…”

Nicole said, ”Clayton, it’s really okay. I’ve encountered more dangers and more challenges than this. This is nothing…”

She spoke in a light tone. Yes.

Although there was a lingering fear, it was completely

different from the feeling of being at death’s door.

Nicole felt that she could survive. That feeling of despair on the verge of death did not leave a deep impression on her.

After all, it was easy to open that lock from the outside.

She must have been gone long enough, and Logan would have been able to detect something.

Thus, her chances of survival were high.

Even so, Clayton felt his heart ache, and Nicole began to advise him to move on from the incident.

Clayton finally let out a bitter laugh.

The doctors came in and gave her a checkup.

Director Sven got the first-hand results.

“Her lungs are somewhat polluted because she inhaled thick smoke, so she has to recuperate well in the next few days. Don’t work too hard and drink some soup to nourish your body.”

Nicole nodded heavily.

Everyone lined up to wait for the results and was relieved.

The butler brought chicken soup which had been prepared beforehand.

“Here, Miss. Try it…” Nicole took it with a smile.

She was really hungry, so she did not mind the soup.

However, when she scooped up a spoonful and looked at it, there were so many ingredients!

Kai looked at it in surprise.

“You added scallops and abalone in the soup?” The butler smiled.

“Chicken soup is too light, so there has to be some seasoning. There’s also dessert. Don’t worry, I asked the doctor and he said that you can eat it!”

Floyd nodded in satisfaction.

He approved of the butler’s approach. Nicole momentarily choked on her words.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Nicole silently finished the soup.

Floyd waved grandly.

“It’s settled. Make this soup every day from now on!”

Kai laughed.

Nicole was speechless.

Rich people were indeed a different species.

After the meal.

Nicole found out that Grant went to Sand City on her behalf.

She still had some regrets.

The incident was just about to wrap up, but now that Grant went, she seemed to have accomplished nothing on her own.

Floyd patted her arm.

“Don’t worry. There are some things that you can’t do but your brother can.”

”What does that mean?”

Floyd laughed coldly.

Kai snatched the opportunity to answer.

“Of course, it’s Old Master Leonard in Sand City. He was probably the one behind your accident. Autumn Ferguson found that reporter, and Autumn is his god-granddaughter. He can be held accountable for this matter.”

Maverick raised his eyes in surprise and looked at her. Clayton’s reaction was the biggest.

He took two steps forward but then retreated again.

The pained and torn look on his face could not be concealed at all.

Nicole’s chest sank, suddenly feeling that she had gone a bit too far.

She pursed her lips and looked up.

She opened her mouth but could not make a sound. “Let’s go to the hospital…” Kai urged.

To the side, Director Sven was also anxious.

In a flurry, everyone began to prepare to move to the hospital for a comprehensive examination.

Maverick came over with a cup of warm water and brought it to Nicole’s mouth.

Nicole looked at him gratefully. ’Mav is truly my brother! Kai must’ve been adopted!’

She finished the cup in one gulp, moistening her throat. That dry feeling instantly dissipated, and she felt much better.

Nicole coughed heavily.

She looked at Kai. Her voice was still a little hoarse, but she could finally speak.

“I remember now. You have to give me a cruise ship!” The room was suddenly silent.

Even the doctors froze.

Kai suddenly burst out in laughter.

The hostility that flashed across his face just now instantly disappeared.

Kai heaved a sigh of relief and patted Floyd’s shoulder.

”Yup, that’s our Lil N alright. No one else in the Stanton family is as insatiable as her!”

Floyd also understood and looked at Kai.

“Aren’t you the same?” Kai was speechless.

Clayton slowly stepped forward and looked at Nicole. “What about me?”

The two of them locked eyes at once. Nicole’s smile faded.

Clayton’s eyes were dark and heavy. There were dense and deep emotions brewing inside. It seemed like no one could see through them.

Nicole’s voice was low and hoarse. ”It’s not your fault, Clayton.”

It was just a few words.

Clayton’s eyes instantly reddened. It was like he finally broke down after trying to suppress his emotions.

His tall and upright body would soon be tortured to death by his own guilt.

The Sloan family never held back.

Clayton learned that firsthand.

However, Clayton could not tolerate such tactics being used on Nicole!

The moment Clayton saw the unconscious Nicole in the warehouse, Clayton almost took a gun and shot Quavon.

However, Logan pulled him back, and Nicole held his hand, not letting go.

Clayton felt like dying.

He did not dare to imagine it. The warehouse was stored with flammable goods.

In just a few minutes, the fire would spread to the inside.

Once it started to burn, it would be impossible to control the fire.

He almost lost her.

Seeing her wake up and open her eyes, Clayton suddenly felt so elated like he had escaped from death’s clutches.

No one blamed Clayton because it simply had nothing to do with him.

However, Clayton hated himself. ’Why is my last name Sloan?’

Floyd faintly glanced at the emotions overflowing between the two people, sighed, and pulled Kai out of the room.

Director Sven also sensibly led the doctors out.

However, before he left, he looked at Nicole with a smile.

”You’ll have to go through a body checkup in ten minutes. Please be mentally prepared, Ms. Stanton…”

That meant that they were only given ten minutes.

Nicole nodded.

Maverick put down the cup and followed Floyd and the others out.

She heard Kai speak admiringly outside.

“Mav, how did you know that she would be able to talk after drinking water? I thought that she became mute and had a series of other after-effects after losing her memory. I was already prepared to have a disabled sister!”

Maverick’s tone was cool and calm.

”She just inhaled too much smoke. She didn’t get any other injuries. Burning building materials are non-toxic, so there won’t be toxic gas that will produce brain damage. So, she was just thirsty.”

Kai said, ”Oh…”

Nicole held her breath for a long time before she dared to turn around and catch her breath.

Her pounding was getting weaker, but she still leaned against the wall and kept striking.

Neither of her phones had any signal. She was really desperate.

”Why is it taking so long? She won’t become a fool, right?” It was a familiar voice.

“Bullsh”t! You bastard, how dare you say that about your sister?! I’ll smack you to death!”

“My dear father, I flew for more than ten hours to come back. You didn’t even hug me and scold me as soon as you opened your mouth?”

“Get out, out, out—”

Nicole heard the noisy and familiar voices intermittently. It was as if there was a great force that pulled her back.

Her consciousness drifted awake.

The bright sunlight shone outside the window, and the branches swayed.

Nicole squinted her eyes and tried to move.

However, her hand was squeezed tightly, and she could not pull it back at all.

Nicole loosened her strength and opened her eyes to see who that person was.

Clayton sat there with his handsome face and gentle temperament. His eyes stared unblinkingly at her as if he was afraid of missing any movement.

There was a faint but dark shadow under his eyes, and he looked a little tired.

Upon closer look, he seemed to appear slightly cold.

Nicole let out a mumble, and Clayton immediately jolted up and snapped back to his senses.

He instantly came up to her. “Are you awake? Nicole, do you remember me?”

Nicole had never seen this eager and flustered look on Clayton before.

All along, Clayton had been calm and collected, never showing his emotions outwardly.

Nicole blinked. She felt a little dizzy, and she looked around in confusion.

The furnishings around looked somewhat familiar. It was the Stanton Mansion.

Clayton cupped her face with both hands carefully. His tone was soft as if he was afraid of frightening her.

“Nicole, I’m Clayton. Don’t you remember?” Nicole frowned.

She opened her mouth and was just about to speak, but her throat was dry, and she could not make a sound at all.

Clayton’s face suddenly changed. He immediately stood up…

“Doctor—”

Clayton ran out quickly to call for a doctor.

Nicole reached out and was just about to call out to him. She wanted to tell him that her throat was just dry, but it was too late.

The man had already run out.

Nicole helplessly lowered her head and cleared her throat. It was extraordinarily hoarse.

She suddenly remembered what happened before. The fire, the warehouse, the reporter…

Her expression changed. ’How did I suddenly end up here?’

However, before she could finish recalling what happened, the people outside the door had already squeezed in.

“Lil N…”

“Nicole…”

Nicole blinked. Floyd and Kai stood at the front. Floyd’s face was anxious as he looked at her with concern.

Kai, on the other hand, was staring at her carefully. His eyes were also filled with undisguised concern.

Surprisingly, Maverick also came back. He seemed to have been in the room the entire time. He did not go out and did not make a sound. He held a book on the table not far away and was silently taking notes.

Maverick was like air.

Clayton stood in the doorway. The huge rise and fall of his emotions made him slow down, and his face was miserably white.

He looked incredibly pitiful.

“Lil N?” Kai waved his hand. ”Do you remember who I am?”

The doctors came in. Director Sven brought the best doctors from the hospital and formed a circle around the bed.

They gave her an examination.

Nicole cooperated.

She looked at Kai and shook her head. Kai’s expression changed violently.

“Damn it, I’m gonna kill that group of f*ckers in Sand City!”

Floyd’s expression was also glum, but he was still calm and patted Kai’s hand.

“Don’t say such dirty words in front of your sister!”

Clayton did not say anything much and handed the phone to him.

“Call Autumn Ferguson.”

Without saying a word, Logan found the number and called it.

“Hello?”

Clayton took the phone, his tone extremely cold.

“Ms. Ferguson, I know you know where Nicole is. Tell me.”

Autumn did not speak.

After a full three seconds of silence, Clayton could not wait any longer.

Clayton loosened the opening of his collar. There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

“Ms. Ferguson, Nicole isn’t alone in the Stanton family. After today, if anything happens to her, the Stanton family will come after you. Eric Ferguson loves Nicole so much, so he won’t protect you either. He didn’t even protect his own sister, let alone you. As for Chairman Sloan beside you, according to his temper, he’ll just pay a life for a life at most. He won’t fall out with the Stanton family. In the end, you’ll be pushed out to take the blame. Understand?”

Clayton immediately restrained his emotions and calmed down.

Autumn sucked in a breath of cold air on the other side of the phone.

“That… That won’t happen.”

Clayton sneered and continued to speak.

“Also, Old Master Leonard let that reporter show up today probably because he wanted to make peace with the Stanton family. When the time comes, do you think he’ll care about a god-granddaughter who has no blood relations to him?”

Without a doubt, the final sentence shattered Autumn’s last pillar of hope.

Old Master Leonard was her final way out.

Autumn was a marginalized person in the Ferguson family. Ingrid had a flamboyant character. How would she allow Autumn to be compared with her?

Ingrid relied on Old Master Ferguson and Eric’s power to become the center of attention of the young ladies in the circle.

No matter how ignorant and rude Ingrid was, it could be gently brushed off by saying that she was naive.

To avoid comparison with Ingrid, Autumn could only go abroad for further education. Autumn felt like she was a different kind of person from Ingrid.

Her high level of education was where she stood out the most.

After Autumn learned that Ingrid was forced out of the country and unable to return to Mediania because she offended Nicole, Autumn came back happily.

Finally, Autumn could show herself off in this circle.

However, no one in the Ferguson family paid attention to her.

Autumn could only rely on Old Master Leonard with her silver tongue.

Now, if even Old Master Leonard gave up on her, the consequence was something she did not dare to think about.

Autumn stood there. The blood drained from her face as she listened to Clayton’s low voice that carried a sinister coldness.

Every word seemed to block her retreat.

Autumn had not yet made a name for herself in this circle, but she was about to lose all the preferential treatment she received.

”Tell me. Where exactly is Nicole?”

Clayton waited a few seconds and could not wait any longer. He repeated his question with great impatience.

Autumn opened her mouth and spoke in a trembling voice. ”The warehouse.”

Clayton immediately hung up the phone and turned to leave.

Logan and the others followed closely.

In the warehouse.

Nicole was about to pass out from breathing in the smoke. She clenched her teeth. The unconquerable strength in her body did not allow her to easily bow down.

Even though the surrounding temperature was extremely high, and it felt like she was in a large oven, she remained Conscious.

Nicole struggled to get up and went to a cluttered corner to find a rod.

It was quite handy for hitting people. Unfortunately, there was nobody else here.

Nicole gritted her teeth and went to the locked door. Barn — Barn — She pounded heavily on the door.

The fire spread, and there was already smoke coming in through the doorway below.

Autumn just felt like it was not worth it for Clayton to do this.

Clayton’s eyes turned to her with an extremely cold gaze.

“I’m not part of the Sloan family. Even if you want to daydream, don’t come to me.”

Anyone could tell that what Autumn wanted was not just Clayton, but also the entire Sloan Corporation that was within his reach.

Autumn was hit even harder.

Her face was drenched with tears. Her expression almost collapsed.

“You’ll regret this! You’ll definitely regret this, Clayton!”

Clayton narrowed his eyes. The unsettling feeling in his heart grew more intense.

It seemed to be related to Nicole.

However, Clayton could not catch any clues.

Suddenly, he realized that Quavon was here and wanted to target Nicole. Quavon would not come unprepared.

Then, there was Autumn and her identity. It seemed like she could be of use to help do something.

After all, even Eric Ferguson did not know that Quavon came to Mediania.

Quavon came to look for Nicole. That was the true danger!

At that thought, Clayton’s face changed dramatically. He just noticed that his phone was missing. Clayton quickly pushed the door and ran out. His speed was amazingly fast.

“Clayton…”

Autumn shouted behind him, but he had already disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Her phone kept flashing, but she did not know since she muted it long ago.

On the screen flashed the name “Grandpa Leonard”. Clayton ran over with all his might.

The hotel they were staying at was not far from here. Clayton arrived in less than three minutes.

The people downstairs seemed to look nervous and froze for a moment when they saw Clayton.

Logan came out from the center and could not help but look surprised.

“Mr. Sloan?”

Clayton caught his breath. “Where’s Nicole?”

Logan’s expression was glum. “Ms. Stanton disappeared seven minutes ago. Looking at the surveillance, she put on a disguise and drove her car away.”

It was no wonder the faces of the people present were all flustered.

They were all wondering where Nicole went. Some people had already started to look around.

Clayton said, “Which direction did the surveillance show she went to?”

Logan said, “The hotel’s surveillance happened to break down at that time, so there’s no footage of it. Ms. Stanton’s phone can’t be reached either. I suspect that she must’ve been called away by someone. She must be in danger!”

That intuition was too strong. Clayton felt the same.

His face changed.

“That person who was sneaking around during the day…”

“It was the reporter who started the rumor. Luca sent him to the police station and is completely unaware of this matter.”

Clayton gritted his teeth resentfully.

He knew that this matter definitely had something to do with Quavon.

Clayton reached out. “Give me your phone.” Logan handed over his phone without a word. Clayton dialed a number.

The person picked up quickly. The two people were still arguing. “It’s me. Where’s Nicole?” Clayton spoke.

The other party realized that Clayton called on his own initiative, so the person’s voice was languid and tinged with a condescending coldness.

“Clayton, I told you that I won’t let that woman off the hook. Once I’ve dealt with her, you’ll go back with me, and I’ll forget that all this ever happened. Or would you like to guess where she is?”

A coldness flashed in Clayton’s eyes. Clayton immediately hung up the phone and did not say another word of nonsense.

Logan’s face changed dramatically.

He was extremely alert and heard the phone call Clayton made. The voice was a little familiar.

“Mr. Sloan, that was…”

Clayton’s tone was cold. ”Quavon. He came to Med iana.”

Logan’s face stiffened fiercely.

The worry in his eyes became more intense.

If it was a business competition, it would be nothing much. It was nothing more than an exchange of interests.

However, if Quavon secretly came over, it meant that Isaac’s accident had been exposed.

In that case, Nicole must be in danger.