After Nicole said her piece, she went back to the private room to call Ian and leave.

Before she got into the car, it suddenly occurred to her that she had left her bag in the private room.

She wanted to go back to get it, but Ian stopped her. " I'll get it. You can wait in the car."

Ian left without another word. Nicole thought about it and followed him, but did not expect to run into Eric and Keith, who were both just leaving.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Nicole did not go forward and waited on the other side of the fountain at the entrance.

Keith said, "I heard that Wendy's coming back soon?"

Eric gave a deep "mm".

Keith smiled and said, "I haven't seen her in so long. I kinda miss her. Although she was at fault, your punishment was a little too heavy. She's one of us, so you should just forgive her..."

The two men walked and talked, then got into the car and left.

The afternoon sky was gloomy, and the air was chilly.

Nicole retracted her gaze. She was a little lost in thought as she looked in the direction of that car. Her chest felt stuffy and painful.

'Wendy Quade is one of them, but no matter how hard I try, I'm only an outsider to Eric Ferguson.'

Wendy Quade's name was like a curse that haunted her for three years. Nicole thought that she was finally free of it and never thought that hearing this name again would still bring out this suffocating feeling.

'I'm so useless!' Nicole thought.

Nicole knew that Wendy Quade had gone abroad after that party. Since Wendy was out of her sight, she did not want to pursue it.

'Getting Wendy Quade to leave the country is a punishment to them? Her return to the country is just a matter of a word of forgiveness from Eric Ferguson?'

Nicole suddenly felt that it was laughable. 'What about the three years of her sucking my blood dry? I might be able to forgive others, but not her! So she's coming back? I'll welcome her with a big gift then...'

Ian walked over to Nicole with her purse in hand and saw her pale and glum face. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Hearing his words, Nicole came back to her senses and smiled. "No, I 'm going back. My driver is here."

"I'll send you back." Ian pushed Nicole into the car and sat beside her without giving her a chance to refuse.

Nicole nodded, smiled, and did not mind it.

Ian wanted to say something, but he held back after giving Nicole a deep look.

When they arrived at Nicole's apartment building, Nicole asked the driver to send Ian back and went straight upstairs.

In less than ten minutes, the doorbell rang, so Nicole went over to open the door.

When she opened the door, a bouquet of beautiful red roses appeared in front of her eyes, accompanied by Ian's charming face behind. Nicole looked at him helplessly. "Carter...I'm really tired today."

Her intention to send him on his way could not be more obvious.

Ian raised his eyebrows. "I know. This bouquet isn't for my future girlfriend. It's for our Lil N who's upset today."

Nicole paused and looked up at him. Ian seemed a little less rambunctious at this moment.

"Since I'm already here, you're not gonna invite me in?"

She had faith in Ian's character, so she made way for him.

Ian walked in and said, "Nicole, even if you have one less Eric Ferguson by your side, you still have many people around you. Don't be upset because of him. He's not worthy of your attention."

'Yeah, to others, Eric is not worthy of me, but to Eric, I'm not worthy of him...'

Nicole poured Ian a glass of water and leaned back on the sofa lazily. "You saw through it? I'm so pathetic, huh?"

News of Wendy Quade's return made Nicole angry. Her so-called insouciance suddenly did not seem so frank anymore.

"Yeah, a little." Ian smiled. His eyes were extraordinarily alluring.

"Get lost!" Nicole snorted lightly. Her heart inexplicably felt a lot better.

Ian laughed a little. He suddenly stood up, went over to Nicole, and insistently pulled her into his arms. When Nicole was about to struggle, he suddenly let go.

With a serious smile in his eyes, Ian leaned down and lowered his head to look at her. "He has no right to make you mad anymore. Lil N, you'll forever be my queen."

The sudden proximity between them stunned Nicole. His faint agarwood scent filled her nose cavity and made her heart jump violently.