hapter 93


    She didn''t want Maggie to join them for dinner. If her mom joined them, she would surely cause some tension with Aunt Julia, and the meal would likely be awkward, Julia smiled warmly and said, "Go ahead."


    After a moment of hesitation, Isabe went upstairs.


    hen she pressed the doorbell, Maggie was already eating in her room.


    Looking at the monitor in the living room, she saw that Isabe was standing outside the door. Maggie set down her bowl and went to open the door. "Isabe?" Isabe bit her lip and looked up at Maggie. "Mom, Dad told me to ask you toe downstairs and eat with us."


    Maggie declined right away, "I''ve already started eating. You all go ahead."


    Isabe sighed in relief. "Okay, I''ll tell Dad that you''re eating."


    Maggie could tell that she was happy to go downstairs to join them. She observed her daughter''s expression and lightly replied, "Mm, go ahead." Isabe smiled and said, "Okay!"


    She then turned around, but after taking two steps, she hesitated. "Mom, are you sure you''re okay by yourself? Do you want me to stay with you?" The downstairs was busy, and it would be a bit lonely for her mother to be alone up here.


    However, when she offered to stay with her, her tone was slightly forced, clearly preferring to join Franklin and Julia downstairs.


    Maggie didn''t want to force her,


    She didn''t need forcedpany.


    She bent down and gently said, "It''s fine. I like being alone. You go ahead."


    Upon hearing this, Isabe''s guilt immediately lessened. She nodded and said, "Okay, I''m going."


    "Go ahead," Maggie replied.


    Isabe quickly left the room.


    Maggie watched her leave and closed the door behind her, returning to her meal in peace.


    Downstairs.


    Isabe ran over to Franklin and said, "Dad, Mom is already eating, so she won''t being down." 15/40


    Mr CVO) Your Wife Has Wanted a Divorce for a Long Time


    9%


    Levi raised an eyebrow. Smart move.


    Harry lowered his gaze and remained silent.


    Julia, on the other hand, smiled subtly, her lips curling with an almost imperceptible satisfaction.


    She had known all along that Maggie wouldn''te down. After all, no one here truly weed her. Even if she dide down, all she would receive would be ridicule and exclusion from everyone.


    In that case, it was better for her to stay upstairs, being the proverbial turtle hiding in its shell.


    anklin nodded when he heard this. "Alright, I understand." Then, without any further insistence, he said to the others, "Let''s eat. No need to wait."


    Julia''s smile deepened as she gracefully sat down next to Franklin.


    After finishing her meal, Maggie returned to her work. At this point, Johnny had already arrived home.


    Maggie hade up with more new ideas, and after exining them to Johnny, he immediately jumped up, eximing in excitement,


    "Oh my God! Genius! You, little sister, are truly a genius in this area! I knew you could do it!"


    He was so excited that he didn''t notice how loud he was being. He pounded the table in exhration before suddenly pausing, his face falling.


    "Seven years! Seven whole years! If you hadn''t gone off to get married, ourpany might have been world-famous by now!"


    Maggie held the phone away from her ear at his outburst. It was getting a little too loud, and she couldn''t help but wince at the volume.


    Johnny, realizing that he had crossed a line, quickly cleared his throat and got back to the topic at hand.


    "Alright, alright, let''s get down to business," he said. "To do something big, we can''t just rely on the two of us."


    He immediately contacted other members of theirpany, including Simon, to get them involved in the project.


    He exined that while their abilities in the Al field were not on par with his and Maggie''s, they were still quitepetent and willing to learn.


    Although they hadn''t quite grasped the key concepts yet, after some exnation from Johnny, they quickly became excited and were eager to put in extra hours.


    This was great news. Given theplexity of the work, it was better to have face-to-face discussions, but since it would take them about two hours to return to the office, they decided to hold a video conference instead, ensuring the momentum was not lost. After arranging everything, Johnny suddenly asked, "So you''re alone in the room? What about your husband and the others?"


    "I don''t know, maybe they''re eating," Maggie answered indifferently.


    "Justчhem? Father and daughter?" Johnny probed further.


    15:40


    Mr Cro You SADIE


    "Julia, Levi, and the others are also ther


    "They''re all there, and they left you alone in your room?" Johnny sounded incredulous.


    "They invited me downstairs, but I refused."


    "Well, that''s still considerate of Franklin, I suppose," Johnny said with a hint of relief.


    Maggie, however, didn''t feel the same way.


    Her thoughts were simr to Levi''s: Franklin wasn''t really concerned about her, but more about avoiding Grandma''s nagging,


    Besides, even if she went downstairs, with so many people around, all supporting Julia, she wouldn''t have to worry about being "bullied" by her. Therefore, they had no reason to fear her presence. 15.10