---- He clearly meant: Maybe we should talk to our daughter. But Janice calmly replied, "They''re still busy with work. Whatever it is, we can talk after Julia finishes up." Logan: "Alright." There wasn''t much else they could do. That evening, after dinner with Mr. Zack and the others, Julia and Franklin returned home. Even though her family hadn''t contacted her during the meal, Julia knew they must have seen the press conference and were waiting to confront her.


    Sure enough, when she arrived home, her parents and Sophia were all gathered. Before any of them could speak, Julia took the lead. "So, you all know now?" "Mim." Janice replied, then asked, "What did Franklin say?" Julia sat down and shook her head. "Nothing." Janice paused mid-sip. "What do you mean?" ---- Julia said calmly, "About the Jamison Group press conference, he didn''t say a word." Not about Maggie. Not about the Jamison Group. Not about the future. Nothing. Janice froze again.


    Logan and Sophia were both stunned. That... didn''t sound like Franklin at all. Theunch had caused an undeniable shockwave-one that posed a serious threat to Wilson Tech. Under normal circumstances, Franklin would''veforted Julia, told her not to panic, and then walked her through the implications-both technical andmercial-of what Jamison Group had just achieved. He would''ve helped strategize how to respond. But this time? ---- He said absolutely nothing.