Chapter-3
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗗𝗮𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿."
Knowing Mr. Riddle Sr. was a straight talker, Gloria came to Nicole's defense, afraid that the question was too hard for Nicole to handle
After all, there was a vast difference between the quality of education in small towns and San Joto.
Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned upon hearing that. Gloria had a point. What good teachers could a school in a small town have?
𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿.
"𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱."
Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly as she could tell that Mr. Riddle Sr. was bold in his decision and quick in action, which was a trait she liked.
It was just that things like grades were...
Just then, Daniel had already made a guarantee.
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗮𝗱. 𝗜'𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘁."
𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿.
(looked at Nicole). "𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄."
Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. cared so much about results, Nicole had no choice.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗽𝗮."
She would not want to lose face herself, even if it was not for him.
𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿.
"𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹."
Seeing Nicole's confidence and decorum, Mr. Riddle Sr. was very happy.
𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿.
"𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿."
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗗𝗮𝗱...𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆?"
Mr. Riddle Sr. had four sons. The eldest son was a business wizard, the second a business magnate, the third a banking giant.
Only Daniel, because of poor health, had not been involved in the business of Riddle Corporation, but moved out early to have his own life.
So was the reason his relationship with his three brothers was less close, and they rarely interacted with each other.
They would only head over to Mr. Riddle Sr.'s house during his birthday and festive seasons.
Even then, every time they got together, Gloria and Daniel would inevitably be taunted by the other three couples. Gloria had had enough.
Nicole's return was a good thing, but the thought of her daughter having to face these people with her made her feel bad.
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿."
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽."
The Royal Creek Institute, divided into a university and a high school, was the most outstanding educational institution in San Joto, and the quality of education was guaranteed.
Just that entry criteria were also high. Daniel wanted nothing less for his daughter, and so he was adamant about getting her into Royal Creek Institute.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗜𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱?"
Nicole squinted slightly, not having much knowledge about this school. But she knew someone there, at least.
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗢𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗼𝘁𝗼. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂." (𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘧e𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺)
"Royal Creek Institute is good, indeed. But... When Dad asked Damien to help Samuel get a place in the school last time, his wife was very reluctant. This time she would be even more reluctant, I guess,"
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁...𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗜 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀."
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆?"
The Holder family also had some connections. Gloria had to give it a shot for the sake of her daughter.
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
(𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳.) "𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘄 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲."
Gloria was grateful, but it also pained her to see him having to do that.
Seeing her parents were willing to do anything for her, Nicole blinked, unsure if she should tell them she knew someone in Royal Creek Institute.
𝗠𝗿. 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿.
"𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁, 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁."
Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke emphatically, his eyes completely filled with the look of a doting grandfather.
He would be thankful if his sons did not drive him to his early grave. Now that he had finally found his biological granddaughter, it was natural that he doted on her like a little princess.
Words choked in Nicole's throat. For the first time in her life, she felt warmth from her family's protection.
So, she had decided that she would figure it out for herself and would not want them to worry about her too much.
Mr. Riddle Sr. 𝘵𝘢Iked for a few moments about Nicole before reluctantly leaving without staying for dinner. After Mr. Riddle Sr. left, Daniel and Gloria went upstairs to rest.
Nicole then took out her phone, composed a text message, and sent it out.
Just when she was about to go upstairs, someone stood in her way.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲?"
Nicole silently stepped up a flight of steps to the left, on the same level as Norah, but pulled away some distance from her.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺?"
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗺𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳."
Looking at Norah pretending to be concerned about her, Nicole smirked.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗢𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻.?"
Nicole's sudden outpouring of rowdiness threw Norah off-guard.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗸𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹."
If Nicole successfully entered the high school of Royal Creek Institute, she would be a sophomore just like her. What if they were in the same class? The thought of these made Norah sick.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆. 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳."
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?"
She was just a high school student from the countryside, and she said she could enter Royal Creek Institute?
Was it not that she was just bragging?
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁."
It was tiring to communicate with such a person.
Nicole's smile faded from her face, and she went straight upstairs.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
(𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬) "𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲."
The next day was the weekend. Nicole got up early to go for a morning run.
This was her habit for many years. After the morning run, she found a quiet place and started practicing her skills. She needed constant practice to keep her skills in a tip-top state.
It was almost seven when she returned. As soon as she entered the door, Norah saw that Gloria and Daniel were already waiting for her, and Norah was also standing beside them.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻? 𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲."
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
(𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥) "𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗻. 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁?"
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
(𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧) "𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁."
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗺'𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄?"
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲. 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗿."
Nicole looked nonchalantly at Norah, wanting to see what other charges Norah could dish out at her.
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁."
Danial suddenly interrupted before Norah could continue.
Norah's face changed dramatically. In the past, she used to joke like this, grumbling about her brothers for making their parents worry about them, and her father had never reproved her like this.
But everything changed after Nicole returned.
Feeling hurt, Norah suddenly said,
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘆? 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲. 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴?"
Norah was born with an adorable face and looked pitiful as soon as her eyes welled up. Daniel could not help but wonder if he had said things too harshly.
But Nicole, who was standing on the sidelines, had lost patience with Norah's acting.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂."
What Nicole said caused Daniel and Gloria to remember that they must accept the difference between Nicole and Norah.
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗠𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳."
Gloria reached out to help Nicole sort her sideburns. She only wanted her daughter to be happy, and nothing else mattered.
Norah felt miserable and no longer cared to keep her image as a good elder sister.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗠𝗼𝗺, 𝗱𝗮𝗱, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁."
Gloria tried to stop her, but Daniel stopped her, motioning for her to take care of Nicole's feelings.
Afraid that Nicole would feel left out in the cold, Gloria stayed and looked at Nicole.
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁. 𝗚𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁."
Nicole did not want to make her parents' life any harder, either, so she turned and went upstairs.
Seeing that both daughters were gone, Daniel said,
𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲
"𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆?"
Nobody is a saint. Facing their own daughter, who they had lost for many years, and the adopted daughter, who had stayed with them and enjoyed a good life for many years, inevitably, there will be favoritism and imbalance.
What Mr. Riddle Sr. was trying to do was to protect both sides. He did not want to see the relationship between the Riddle family and Norah of so many years end up breaking.
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
(𝗦𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆) "𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗻𝗼𝘄."
The longer Norah stayed, the sadder everyone would be.
After lunch, Gloria brought Nicole to go shopping at the mall. Because Nicole had so few belongings.
Gloria was afraid that Nicole was being too considerate and stubborn, not wanting to request for anything.
She did not want Nicole to feel unfairly treated.
Norah was also accompanying them. As soon as they entered the mall, Norah gleefully picked up clothes and bags as if she had forgotten entirely about what happened in the morning.
𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵
"𝗠𝗼𝗺, 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?"
𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
"𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?"
Gloria was still mindful of what happened in the morning, afraid of neglecting Norah while snubbing Nicole.
Knowing that Gloria was caught between a rock and a hard place, Nicole asked her to accompany Norah while she browsed the clothes in the store by herself.
She always liked things simple yet decent, but this boutique that Norah had come to was selling flashy clothes.
𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲
"𝗠𝗼𝗺, 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲."
🖤..................................🖤
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