My Wife is a Hacker novel (Nicole)

Chapter 2896
Soon, a group of bloodied and battered operatives descended from the ridge, carrying with them a bunch of men whose hands
and feet were bound with iron leashes. The latter were none other than Damien and his contacts.
"Cap, will they be fine?" someone asked in concern.
"They will be," another replied firmly, though his words sounded as if they were said in an effort to reassure oneself.
It was an accident, one that they could never have anticipated. They, too, were praying that an ill-fate did not await them.
Nicole and Jared soon received the news, causing the air in the office to become even gloomier and more suffocating.
"You can relax a little now that we've captured them. You guys should leave and get on with your day," Nicole said to the others.
"Okay, but you should check on them in the hospital." The others nodded, knowing that there was much to be done without them
getting in the way.
"I'm coming with you," Lulu said, standing up.
Nicole turned to Lulu and nodded. After leaving some reminders to the staff members, Nicole, Jared, and Lulu got into the car
and made their way to the hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the group of four got out of the car, and that was when Max said, "Mr. Johnston, I'll go check them
out."
Knowing that Max would be handling everything for Charlie, Jared nodded and brought Nicole into the hospital building with Lulu
in tow.
Max proceeded to visit several of the wards housing groups of bedridden men, and once he was done, he walked out of the
building, his eyes gleaming with determination.
Meanwhile, Jared and the others had just arrived at the doorstep of the operating theater. The hallway was unusually quiet and
empty, save for Patricia who was standing there alone, motionless and wide eyed as if her soul had been drained. The second
the group saw her, their chests began to tighten. There was just something heartbreaking about the way she looked.
Hearing a series of footfalls, Patricia spun around, and the instant she saw Nicole, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Mr. Johnston. Ms. Riddle. It's all my fault," Patricia choked with tears.
Her heart was crumbling in remorse, for Charlie would not have sustained critical injuries if he had not attempted to save her.
Looking at Patricia, whose clothes were soaked in dried blood, Nicole patted her back in an effort to comfort her." Don't worry.
He'll be fine."
"He was terribly hurt. He lost a lot of blood, and he's even unconscious now," Patricia sniffled.
Combat-hardened men and women such as Patricia were not strangers to deaths and gruesome injuries, but this particular
experience was the straw that broke the camel's back. This one had reduced Patricia into a sobbing mess.
"The doctors are trying their best to save him. He will be fine, " Nicole consoled, resorting to comforting Patricia as she had no
idea what the situation was.
"Patricia, why don't you get yourself treated first? By the time you're done, the operation should be too. Charlie will be fine," Lulu
advised.
The sight of Patricia being covered in mottled patches of dried blood made Lulu very distressed and uncomfortable. Amid the
stains and tears in her clothes were visible gashes and puncture wounds which were still fresh and raw, prompting Lulu to
deduce that Patricia was injured as well.
"No. No! I must wait for him," Patricia shook her head vigorously, not wanting to leave.
Assuming a stern look, Nicole stood tall and ordered, "No. You're to make your way to the nearest ward. Come back only once
your wounds have been treated. Is that understood?"
Patricia gritted her teeth and reluctantly nodded. "Yes, Ms. Riddle."
"I'll come with you," Lulu said, accompanying Patricia to the nearest ward so that she could tend to her wounds.
After the two had rounded the corner and gotten out of the hallway, Nicole frowned and remarked, "Patricia seems to be
extremely concerned for Charlie."
Now, Nicole was as far from a cold-hearted person as everyone knew, but she could not comprehend why someone like Patricia,
who was no stranger to life-and- death situations, would not be so emotionally distressed over a fellow operative. Even though

Charlie had indeed risked his life to save Patricia, Nicole could not shake the feeling that there was a special bond between the
two.
"They are siblings," Jared whispered upon noticing Nicole's doubt.
Nicole widened her eyes in shock, and she gasped, "They're siblings’?"
As it turned out, Patricia had reacted the way she did because she and Charlie were siblings. However, this only confused Nicole
as Patricia had never displayed any signs of familial affection to him.
"There's only a handful of people who know this," Jared explained, holding Nicole's hand.
"Oh." Nicole nodded.
After all, the brother-sister duo were always deployed on high-risk missions. If their relationship was exposed, their enemies
would just exploit their weakness, adding another variable to their perilous tasks.