Chapter 22 The Wife Behaves Strangely Around Us

• Nicole subtly shook her head to signal Mr. Riddle, Sr. He then shook his head and said, “She is fine. She didn’t take it to heart.” “Glad to hear. I will tell that kid from the Woods family to behave. No one will bully Nicole at school from now on. I assured you that.” “Thank you so much.” Mr. Riddle Sr. was elated and immediately thanked Mr. Ellison. “No problem. Let us have a cup of tea together if you have time next time,” Mr. Ellison said politely. “Any time, Mr. Ellison. Call me when you have time.” Mr. Riddle Sr. was flattered. No one could meet Mr. Ellison, and it was unimaginable that Mr. Ellison would ask to meet him. So, he agreed immediately. “Sure.” After that, Mr. Ellison hung up. The air felt still as everyone who heard the conversation looked at Nicole in disbelief. Norah was most surprised. She had not believed it at all that Mr. Ellison would still be protective of Nicole when such a thing happened, but his phone call had confirmed everything. Mr. Riddle Sr. slowly lowered his phone and calmed himself down.
• “Nicole, are you and Mr. Ellison close?” Last time, Nicole only said she and Mr. Ellison had met just once. But he now felt that their relationship was more than just acquaintances. Seeing her grandpa’s doubts, Nicole thought for a moment and said, “Sort of.” They had only met once, but it was she who had been accompanying him when he was in the hospital, and so they kind of knew each other well. Karen was not too happy with Nicole’s answer. “What do you mean by'sort of? How did you two meet?” She was resentful that a country girl like Nicole could get into Royal Creek Institute High School. Not only that, when Nicole confronted an opponent like the Woods family, Mr. Ellison still harbored Nicole. What was going on? She had to figure out their relationship. Neither Daniel nor Gloria spoke. Apparently, they were also eager to know what their relationship was. Seeing that her parents were so curious, Nicole decided to tell them a little more. “If I must say so, I saved Mr. Ellison’s life.” Nicole spoke calmly, but her words stunned everyone. “You saved his life?”
• Karen stared wide-eyed at Dillon, unable to believe that an eighteen-year-old girl claimed to have saved Mr. Ellison’s life. “Nicole, is what you say true? Don’t bluff just because Mr. Ellison has called.” A student from the countryside claimed to have saved Mr. Ellison’s life. How was that possible? Was it not a pipe dream? “Ask Mr. Ellison if you don’t believe me.” Nicole had little patience with Norah. Norah’s face turned pale as she knew she was qualified to see Mr. Ellison. Obviously, Nicole had concluded that she could not verify it. Daniel looked back and came to a sudden realization. “No wonder Nicole was so sure that she would not be expelled when she was at home.” Gloria was finally relieved. “Yeah, so it seems that Nicole will not be expelled.” Daniel and Gloria were happy, but it was a slap in the face for Dillon and Karen. At first, they thought about coming back today to tattle to Mr. Riddle Sr. about Nicole being kicked out of school, not expecting Nicole to turn things around. Instead of making Nicole look bad, the two of them had become the laughingstocks. Looking guiltily at Mr. Riddle Sr., Karen could no longer sit still. “Now that the matter is settled, we will go now.” Mr. Riddle Sr. had no plan of letting her go just yet.