Chapter 539

Chapter 413 Maggie paused on the stairs. “Mm,” she answered softly, then asked, “Where’s Isabella?” “The rain’s been heavy all day,” Franklin said. “A lot of places are already flooded. The drainage system here at the old house is good, but if it keeps raining like this, even it might not hold. The butler has sent people out to handle it. Isabella’s never seen people stacking sandbags before, or rain this heavy. She ran out to watch.” Hearing this, Maggie turned to look out the window and saw a sheet of water outside.
Honestly, in all her years, this was the first time she’d seen New York hit with such severe flooding. Her brows furrowed in worry. “Where is Isabella now? With rain like this, how could you let her-” Before she could finish, Isabella ran in wearing a little raincoat, drenched from head to toe. “Mommy, you’re awake!” Seeing her safe, Maggie relaxed-though her frown deepened at the sight of Isabella’s wet hair and clothes. But Isabella was clearly delighted. She almost threw herself into Maggie’s arms but stopped short when she remembered she was soaked.
Maggie opened her mouth to scold her, but seeing her daughter’s joy, the words stuck. She was about to tell Isabella to go change clothes when Franklin closed his book, rose, and scooped Isabella into his arms. “Upstairs to change first.” “Oh,” Isabella said, then squirmed, insisting, “I want Mommy to help me change.” Franklin arched a brow and glanced at Maggie. “Are you sure? Can’t you see Mommy’s angry?” Isabella froze. She hadn’t noticed. She sneaked a look at Maggie, but didn’t really think she looked mad. “Mommy, are you angry?” No,” Maggie replied.
“Then can you help me change?” Maggie turned away, sitting down again. “Let your father do it.” “Okay,” Isabella agreed easily. As Franklin carried her upstairs, she whispered against his shoulder, scrunching her little nose, “Mommy isn’t angry. Daddy, you tricked me.” “I didn’t trick you,” Franklin said. “But Mommy’s not angry at you. She’s angry at Daddy.” Their voices weren’t loud, but just enough for Maggie to hear. She paused briefly, then ignored it.
Seeing the butler return, she asked, “Has Grandmother woken yet?” “Not yet, but she should soon.” Ten minutes later, Franklin and Isabella came back down. Isabella was in dry clothes, her hair blow-dried. She ran into Maggie’s lap to chatter, while Franklin resumed his spot with his book. Twenty minutes later, the old lady awoke. New York wasn’t a city of heavy rains, and she hadn’t seen such a storm in years-it gave her quite a fright. With nothing else to do, she pulled Maggie along to show her recent treasures, gifting her a set of valuable jade and a calligraphy brush.
Franklin didn’t interrupt their conversation. Outside, the streets were half a meter under water. That night, Maggie stayed at the old house.