Chapter 36
To her, the only way to know whether something would work was to try it.
Her approach to love was the same.
She had loved Franklin so deeply that she was willing to give up her future and academic pursuits to devote herself to her family. Even though the cost had been high, Johnny had
never seen any regret in her eyes.
So now, when Maggie said she was fine and would let go of it, Johnny believed her.
He smiled. “Want a drink?”
Maggie smiled back. “Sure.”
The two of them walked against the crowd toward the refreshments area.
“Do you want some wine?”
“Just a little,” Maggie replied.
She wasn’t fond of alcohol, but her tolerance wasn’t bad.
They clinked their glasses and stood quietly, savoring the wine.
A while later, someone approached them.
“John, you’re here too?”
“Professor Nolan.” Upon seeing the visitor, Johnny quickly approached and greeted him
warmly, “I was just about to find you, but couldn’t see you anywhere.”
Professor Nolan smiled teasingly, “Really? I find that hard to believe.”
“Really, more true than pearls. I came here this time specifically to introduce someone to
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Chapter 36
you.”
“Oh?” Professor Nolan’s gaze shifted to Maggie. His eyes were filled with admiration, yet
also confusion.
She was indeed a very impressive young woman with great presence, but…
What was she being introduced for?
If he didn’t know Johnny better, he might have thought-
“Isn’t the language programming system you’re working on currently facing a bottleneck? This is…” Johnny bent forward and made a gentlemanly gesture, introducing, “Maggie, my junior sister, a genius in language programming. I can guarantee that she will definitely be able to help you.”
“Your junior sister?”
Johnny’s mentor, Nolan, was a well–known figure in the domestic AI field. The students he
trained, although young, were already the pillars of America’s tech industry.
But this name, Maggie, Professor Nolan had never heard of before.
“Absolutely true.” Johnny smiled. “CUAP was developed by my junior sister’s team eight
years ago.”
When it came to programming languages, CUAP was almost unparalleled in America.
Professor Nolan could hardly believe his ears. “Really?”
“Believe it or not, you’ll have your answer after talking to her.”
Excited, Professor Nolan asked Maggie a few questions to gauge her depth of knowledge. Once he confirmed her expertise, they began discussing his current challenges.
The more they spoke, the more excited they became, completely engrossed in their conversation.
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Chapter 36
Johnny sipped his wine, watching them from the side, not interrupting.
At that moment, he looked up and saw Julia walking toward him.
When Julia noticed him, she smiled politely and nodded.
Recalling Julia’s identity, Johnny froze for a moment.
Before he could react, Julia had already reached him. “Mr. Gray.”
Before Johnny could speak, Maggie, hearing someone approaching to greet him, turned her head and met Julia’s gaze.
Julia had been smiling politely, but the moment she saw Maggie, her expression turned completely cold.
With just a glance, she quickly averted her eyes, acting as though Maggie didn’t exist, and returned to smiling at Johnny. She was about to speak, but Johnny, smiling, looked at
Maggie first and spoke, “This is Miss Brown. Mag, would you like to meet her?”
Johnny’s words had three layers of meaning:
He and Maggie were close.
He knew about the tension between Maggie and Julia.
He made his stance clear – he stood with Maggie.
Before this, Julia hadn’t known that Johnny and Maggie were acquainted, and she certainly
didn’t know they were so close.
She didn’t know what their exact relationship was.
But since Johnny had said it like that, Julia quickly understood his implication.
She coldly replied, “So, does this mean that I don’t need to come to Cole Corporation
tomorrow?”
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2
Johnny smiled appreciatively, setting his wine glass down and clapping his hands. “Miss Brown is truly sharp as ice and snow.”
Johnny could have conveyed his message to Julia in a more indirect manner, but he didn’t.
He did it this way to clearly tell Julia there was no room for negotiation – he stood with Maggie, and his decision was solely because of her.
Julia understood perfectly.
She didn’t feel embarrassed or insulted because, in her view, while Cole Corporation
was good, it was nothing compared to Wilson family. Johnny wasn’t even qualified to
humiliate her.
She said nothing further, turned, and left with a calm demeanor.
Maggie watched her go, giving a warm smile, and was about to speak to Johnny when she noticed Franklin, Harry, and Levi all looking over at her.
It seemed they were all looking at Julia, and thus, their gazes were now on her.
Perhaps they hadn’t expected her to attend the banquet as well.
When they saw her, Levi and Harry looked surprised.
But Franklin’s expression was entirely neutral, almost as if she wasn’t his wife, but a stranger he had never met.
“What’s wrong?” Johnny glanced over.
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The Heart I Gave. The Love I Lost
