Chapter 1318

Chapter 1318:

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Doreen, however, merely covered her mouth with her hand, declining the water without a word.

Nicole stood, holding the glass, as the minutes stretched into an eternity and her back began to throb with pain.

At this moment, one of Doreen's companions sighed heavily. “Do you even know the rules here? Doesn't everyone know that the Kingbel Club offers kneeling services? Hurry up and kneel down.”

It seemed that Doreen had whispered something to her friend, who now seemed determined to make Nicole's job difficult in order to appease Doreen's anger.

Nicole calmly replied, “The kneeling service is provided by specially trained personnel wearing red tags. I wear a yellow tag indicating that I do not offer that service. “You knew that when you called me.”

“I don't care. I want you to kneel now,” her friend arrogantly demanded.

Nicole's expression remained composed as she replied firmly, "I'm sorry, but I don't offer kneeling service."

“Bitch, really…” Doreen’s friend muttered, stepping forward to push Nicole. Unable to tolerate the provocation, Nicole pushed back.

The woman, surprised, tripped and fell backwards onto the sofa.

"How dare you push me!" she shouted, her voice full of rage, as she looked ready to attack Nicole.

Nicole prepared to leave, fending off the woman's aggressive advance. Offending Doreen was not an option, but avoiding the immediate threat was essential. She knew she could face a reprimand from Jemma, but that was preferable to an escalation of the conflict.

Before Nicole could avoid the altercation, Doreen unexpectedly intervened, pulling her friend back.

Nicole was shocked. This was not Doreen's typical intervention. "Don't make a scene," Doreen told her. "It's my birthday party and guests are arriving."

Her friend, reluctantly acknowledging the occasion, agreed. Despite her anger, she couldn't spoil Doreen's celebration. She gave Nicole a menacing look. "Wait," she warned.

Nicole chose to ignore the threat. As she was about to tell Doreen that she would have someone else serve them, the door opened again.

A burst of light spilled into the room, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of leather shoes hitting the floor.

The footsteps were unmistakably familiar. Nicole turned to find Jarrod, dressed in an impeccable suit and polished leather shoes.

Nicole hadn't seen Jarrod since their last meeting at the hospital.

After that meeting, when Nicole had gone to settle the medical bills, Alec had made it clear that Jarrod would cut all ties with her and stop managing any of her affairs. As for his son, Jarrod was adamant and forbade her any visits.

Given their stark status differences, if Jarrod decided to disappear from Nicole's life, he could make it happen.

Nicole's attempts to contact the nanny had failed, probably because Jarrod had restricted her access to the phone.

Nicole knew nothing about Austin's condition and only had information from Vicki. She persevered, working tirelessly at the club to gather information and lower Vicki's guard.

At that moment, Jarrod's eyes met Nicole's, his gaze intense and unreadable.

Doreen, visibly moved, stood up. “Jarrod, you're here…”

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