Chapter 583

—- Chapter 455 Janice withdrew her gaze and smiled lightly. “Something like that.” They chatted with their friend for a while. After seeing her off, they turned and got into the car. Once inside, both Janice and Old Mrs. Brown felt they might have overreacted earlier. Seeing Maggie and Franklin getting along so well, they had assumed something was going on between them. They even wondered if Franklin had delayed finalizing the divorce because of it. Now that Maggie and Franklin’s child had grown a little, it was perfectly normal for Franklin to treat Maggie politely for the child’s sake.

Thinking back, the way they had read too much into Franklin’s attitude did seem a bit exaggerated. —- On the other side. After leaving the restaurant, Franklin drove Maggie and Isabella to a private estate to pick fruit and enjoy the harvest. Franklin had called ahead. As soon as they arrived, staff came out to greet them. “Mr. Wilson, Miss Isabella.” After greeting Franklin and Isabella, one of them noticed Maggie and smiled politely. “And this young lady is?” It seemed Franklin and Isabella had visited many times before. Before Maggie could answer, Isabella excitedly grabbed her hand.

“Mom, the peaches and pomegranates here are huge and super sweet. Dad said there are rare varieties you can’t find in stores. You’ll love them. Can we go pick the —- pomegranates first?” Maggie said, “All right.” Then she turned to the estate manager. “T’m Miller.” When the manager heard Isabella call her “Mom,” a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, but he hid it well and smiled. “So you’re Mrs. Miller. Welcome.” Isabella happily pulled Maggie toward the hillside.

Franklin followed behind them at an easy pace while the manager instructed others to prepare drinks, snacks, and baskets. The estate was large. The trees were heavy with fruit, a sight that lifted the heart. Yet Maggie noticed that apart from them and a few staff members, there seemed to be no other guests around. Franklin either caught her thought or shared the same curiosity. “There aren’t many people today,” he said to the —- manager. “We heard you were coming, sir. We sent off a group of guests earlier, so there aren’t many left.” Franklin only gave a quiet “I see,” and asked no more.

Isabella picked pomegranates for a while and finally found one she thought was the biggest. She couldn’t reach it, so Franklin came over, lifted her up, and helped her pick it. Holding it proudly, Isabella ran to Maggie. “Mom, this one’s the biggest and prettiest. Can Dad open it for us?” Before Maggie could reply, Franklin took the fruit and sat down in a nearby pavilion to open it. He wore gloves, his movements slow and practiced. It was clear he had done this many times before. Maggie remembered how often he and Isabella used to come here and turned her gaze away.

A moment later, Franklin placed the opened pomegranate —- seeds into a bowl and handed it to Maggie and Isabella. Maggie took it politely. “Thank you.” Perhaps because of the variety and careful cultivation, the pomegranates here tasted richer and more fragrant than any she had bought in the market. After that, Isabella led Maggie around the orchard again. They picked many kinds of fruit. Maggie found that everything here tasted better than what she usually bought. Just as she was wondering if they could take some home, Franklin looked at her and said, “You can take them with you.”