My Wife is a Hacker

The house was quiet, with only a few lights left on for Nicole and Jared's return.

Seeing Nicole asleep, Jared didn't wake her. Instead, he gently lifted her from the car, holding her close as they headed inside. Nicole, nestled comfortably in his embrace, snuggled closer, contentedly drifting back to sleep.

Jared, with a tender smile, carried her to their room, setting her down gently.

As dawn broke, a new day began, and Nicole woke feeling somewhat refreshed.

"Daddy, Mommy," Nolan and Lana, having not waited up for Nicole and Jared the previous night, came into their room early in the morning.

Greeting her two children, Nicole smiled. "You're both up early."

"Mommy, what were you doing that you came back so late?" Lana asked, tilting her head.

"Just some work stuff," Nicole replied, not wanting to worry Lana with the actual events and choosing a simple explanation instead.

"Let's go downstairs for breakfast," Jared said, lifting Lana in his arms and leading the way out of the room.

Nicole followed with Nolan, heading down to the dining room where Daniel, Gloria, and Stanley were already seated.

Their silent exchange of glances conveyed everything - Nicole realized the family was aware of the situation at the Dexter household.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

"Everything went well; no need to worry," Nicole reassured them. While she didn't go into details, she knew her family understood the message.

No one asked more questions, probably to avoid alarming Nolan and Lana, choosing to keep things normal.

"That's good to hear," Daniel responded, relieved by Nicole’s assurance.

Gloria sighed in relief and invited everyone to start their breakfast, internally planning, 'After breakfast, once Nicole and Jared drop Nolan and Lana at school, we should visit the hospital.'

Everyone began to eat quietly, deliberately avoiding any further discussion about the previous day's events.

After breakfast, Nicole and Jared left with Nolan and Lana.

Stanley stood up, suggesting, "Dad, Mom, I'll drive you to there."

"Let's visit them together."

They then departed from the Riddle residence.

****

When Nicole and Jared visited the hospital, they found only Ellar, Patricia, and Emery there.

Patricia, whose injuries were less severe and recovering well, could walk by herself. After her morning breakfast, she had asked Lulu to leave with Spencer, knowing Nicole would come to the hospital later and that Lulu was needed at Riddle Corporation.

Now, she was in Ellar's room.

"My parents are fine, so I had them discharged and return home. Uncle Daniel and Gloria went back with them," Emery informed.

"That's good; there's no need for everyone to stay at the hospital," Nicole agreed.

Patricia then inquired, Ms. Riddle, is there any news about Charlie?"

"Not yet," Nicole replied, her expression growing more serious. The absence of any news from Charlie, with Zane also unable to track his whereabouts, raised concerns about what could have happened.

"How could this be?" Patricia's face turned pale with worry for Charlie.

"Could it be that Charlie is planning something, making it inconvenient for him to show up?" Emery speculated, considering the lack of any trace of him might indicate he was intentionally staying hidden and unable to contact them.

"Zane has arranged for people to investigate the parking lot, hoping to find some clues," Nicole mentioned. She felt all their current theories were speculative, with outcomes possibly ranging from positive to negative.

"What about the team members who went with Charlie? Is there no news from them either?" Ellar asked, frowning.