Meanwhile,
Isabella had always been close to Freya’s grandmother.
Before, whenever Isabella was home and Freya visited the family, she almost always brought her daughter along.
But now, although Isabella had returned to the country, she hadn’t called her once in all these days.
Instead, she called Raven every day, unable to go even a few days without seeing her.
Given that, there was no need to force things.
Besides, now that Isabella and Raven were so close, if the old lady found out, who knew how upset she would be.
So this time, even though Isabella was back in the country, Freya didn’t go to Matteo’s place to pick her up, but went to the family home alone.
The traffic was heavy, and it was already past six when Freya arrived.
Freya’s grandmother’s smile faltered when she saw her, gently touching her face with concern, “You’ve lost weight.”
Freya’s eyelashes fluttered as she said, “Work has been busy lately.”
The old lady sighed, “No matter how busy, you must eat properly.”
“I know, Grandmother. I’ll take care of myself.”
Freya sat beside her grandmother, resting her face on the elderly woman’s shoulder, seeking some warmth.
Seeing the lamb soup was nearly ready, the old lady asked someone to serve her a bowl to warm her up.
Listening to her grandmother’s caring words, Freya’s eyes welled up thinking about recent events.
But fearing her grandmother would worry, she quickly composed herself and asked, “Haven’t Aunt and the others returned from their trip yet?”
“Not yet. They’re enjoying themselves so much they said they’ll be back a week later.”
“What about Uncle? Does he have business dinner tonight?”
“Your uncle canceled his dinner when he heard you were coming. He said
he’d come back to eat with us. He should be here soon.”
“Good.”
Just as they finished speaking, Jason arrived.
13:22
No More Layovers for a Love That Won’t Land
12.6%
Chapter 36
Seeing Freya, he smiled saying “Mag, you’re back?”
Then his brow furrowed, “Why have you lost weight? Haven’t you been eating properly?”
Freya smiled, “I was too busy before… I’ll eat more now.”
Jason sighed and kept adding meat to her bowl as the servants served dinner,
Though Jason noted her weight loss, Freya could also see how haggard he looked.
Although she didn’t work at Jason’s Corporation, she knew the company was struggling.
Jason was overwhelmed with company matters daily but couldn’t turn things around yet.
Over the years, if Matteo had helped with just a few projects, Jason’s Corporation would never have fallen into such dire straits.
But except for the two times when Matteo’s grandmother had strictly ordered it, Matteo had never helped her and
her uncle.
She thought, if not for Matteo’s grandmother, given how Matteo misunderstood her, he wouldn’t just refuse to help–he might even deliberately destroy Jason’s Corporation.
At this thought, Freya gave a bitter smile, and the delicious lamb in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
Understanding her difficult position, Jason had never asked her to seek Matteo’s help, even when they needed it.
After dinner, while the old lady was dozing, Freya handed Jason a card containing ten million.
“Mag, your uncle doesn’t need-”
“I have no use for it anyway.” Freya pressed the card back to him. “I can’t help with anything else, this is all I can do.”
True, she had always been academically gifted. She could handle research and development, but she seemed
unsuited for business.
Fortunately, she had secured several patents in artificial intelligence years ago, and the tech company she co–founded with Johnny and others paid annual dividends.
Throughout the year, these various income streams meant she could earn tens of millions even while doing nothing.
Jason felt ashamed, “You’ve given uncle money many times, but the company still…”
Remained barely alive.
“It’s because I lack ability.”
“It’s normal for a company to invest heavily during transformation. Don’t pressure yourself too much, uncle.”
This reminded her of Johnny’s words when they met the other day, “The AI field is developing incredibly fast now.
13:23
No More Layovers for a Love That Won’t Land
12.7%
Chapter 36
With your development skills back then and my operational abilities, if you hadn’t gone off to get married, our company would probably be worth hundreds of billions now.
We could have easily become the industry leader domestically. Fortunately, AI still has huge development potential, and we still have a chance. I hope you can return soon.”
If she could really regain her former abilities, once she returned to the company and helped it develop further, she could provide even more financial support to her uncle.
It was past ten when Matteo got home.
Isabella rubbed her eyes, “Daddy, you’re back?”
“Mm.” He said flatly, “Go to sleep if you’re tired.”
“Okay, goodnight, Daddy.”
“Mm.”
Isabella went upstairs to sleep.
Matteo took the water the butler poured for him, finished it, and went upstairs too.
The bedroom was still pitch black.
It seemed empty.
Matteo paused, turned on the light.
Indeed, no one was there.