That night, when Maggie returned home, Isabella was already fast asleep in her room.
After showering and getting ready for bed, Maggie lay down–and almost instantly, Isabella scooted over in her sleep and snuggled into her arms, mumbling, “Mommy, you’re back?”
“Mm–hmm. Sleep.”
There was no reply.
Maggie looked down and realized she had already dozed off again.
The next morning, while Johnny went out to negotiate a deal, Maggie headed to Wilson Group with a few engineers.
She spent the entire morning deep in technical discussion. It wasn’t until the conversation wrapped up that she turned and realized Franklin was standing not far behind, silently listening to her.
She paused briefly, then looked away and said to the others around her, “Actually, there are a few academic papers that explain this very well. You might want to check them out.”
“Absolutely!”
Maggie then listed a few titles and their authors.
Just as she turned around to grab something, she met Julia’s gaze.
Franklin noticed and walked over. “When did you get here?
Maggie withdrew her gaze.
Julia glanced at her and smiled. “Just now.”
In truth, she had been there for two or three minutes.
But-
When she arrived, she had seen him standing with his technical team, seriously listening to Maggie explain something.
Even though she only saw his profile, the way he was looking at Maggie… there was admiration in his eyes.
The thought made her smile fade a little.
It was the first time she’d seen that look in Franklin’s eyes–directed at Maggie.
In Divnere for a Long Time
But… that didn’t have to mean anything.
That afternoon, Julia had something else to deal with, so she returned to Wilson Group.
This time, she went directly into Franklin’s office.
He wasn’t in.
She was just about to sit down when she noticed a few books on his desk.
She picked one up–it was an Al journal.
She casually flipped through it, and found one article had been marked.
But the moment she saw the article’s title, she froze..
It was one of the very papers Maggie had recommended that morning.
She recalled the way Franklin had stood beside Maggie, quietly watching her as she spoke… and her lips pressed into
a thin line.
As if trying to verify something, she put down the journal and picked up two or three others on the desk.
Sure enough, they were marked as well.
And the markings–she could recognize them at a glance–were Franklin’s.
She’d seen the same style in his books before.
Just then, the door swung open.
Startled, she looked up–only to meet Jake’s eyes.
“Miss Brown,” Jake greeted with a smile. “The CEO’s still in a meeting, probably another thirty minutes or so-”
“Alright, I know.”
Just as she finished speaking, Jake noticed what she had been flipping through and added, “Oh, those? Boss had me rush–order them this morning. Are you into this stuff too?”
“Rush–order?”
“Yep.”
At that, Julia lowered her gaze.
Jake had only come back to grab some documents, and didn’t notice the subtle shift in her expression. “I’ve got to
Divorce for a Long Time
Chapter 333
run. Let me know if you need anything.“”
“No need, go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”
“Got it. I’ll have someone bring you a coffee in a bit.”
With that, Jake left in a hurry, files in hand.
Julia slowly put the journal back on the desk, then walked over and sat on the couch.
Jake said the meeting would go on for another half hour–but just four or five minutes later, Franklin walked in.
Seeing him, Julia smiled. “That was fast.”
Franklin replied, “Jake said you were here. It wasn’t anything urgent, so I came back.”
Then he glanced over at the stack of journals on his desk.
But he looked away quickly and walked over to sit beside her.
Julia caught the glance–and her smile faded, just a little.
She had thought he’d left the meeting early because of her.
But now, it didn’t seem that way anymore…
(120)
