Chapter 592
—- Chapter 464 That afternoon, when Maggie returned home, Isabella had just gotten back from school as well. As soon as Maggie stepped through the door of the Miller residence, she heard Isabella on the phone. When the girl spotted her, she lit up. “Mom!” she called out happily. Before Maggie could even respond, someone on the other end of the line seemed to say something. Isabella ran over, holding out the phone. “Mom, Dad wants to talk to you. Maggie froze for a second, then took the phone and held it to her ear.
“Hello.” “Happy birthday.” Maggie stayed silent for two seconds before replying, “Thank you.” —- Under normal circumstances, this would have been the moment to mention his gift and thank him for it. But she didn’t. Not a word. And Franklin, on his end, didn’t bring it up either-as if that priceless diamond had nothing to do with him at all. “I’m busy here,” he said evenly. “It’ll be a while before I can come back.” Maggie understood what he meant immediately. Her lips pressed together, and she said nothing. After a moment of silence, Franklin asked, “Are you angry?” Maggie didn’t answer.
Her tone was cool. “Is there anything else?” “No,” he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, Maggie hung up decisively. —- Just before the call cut off, she thought she heard him laugh softly. Her hand paused midair, tightening around the phone. Her brows furrowed. Franklin had already told Isabella he wouldn’t be back soon, so for the next several days, Isabella stayed at the Miller residence without question. During that time, Franklin called home almost every day.
Maggie never spoke to him again, but she still knew plenty about what he was doing-mostly because the news wouldn’t stop talking about him. Every headline seemed to concern his latest investments. Through those reports, Maggie learned that he had gone abroad a few days earlier and wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. It wasn’t that she followed him on purpose-it was just impossible not to see his name everywhere. —- The Brown family and the Green family only knew that Franklin was busy. They had no idea what, exactly, he was busy with.
It wasn’t until they saw the news that they realized the scale of his current ventures. The media was full of praise. Everyone in their circle was talking about Franklin’s strategic eye-how his investments seemed to align with the next wave of global business. Article after article listed astronomical figures, and even Julia’s uncle, Kevin, couldn’t help saying, “Franklin knows all these projects and opportunities, yet he doesn’t say a word to us.” If he had invited them to join, even in a small way, they could have made a fortune.
Kevin didn’t say it outright, but everyone in the room understood what he meant. Truth be told, the others were thinking the same thing. —- Logan, though, was more realistic. “These are not the kind of projects just anyone can join. If something goes wrong, Franklin bears the risk. And the capital required is huge.” In other words, they couldn’t even afford to get in. Kevin waved that off. “If Franklin really wanted to help, he’d find a way.” Julia said nothing, but she knew her uncle wasn’t wrong. If Franklin had wanted to help the Brown family, he could have.
A month or two ago, she was certain he would have-he would have done anything to look out for her. But now- BAT Barn