Chapter 255

Julian?

Alexander, Oliver, and the others froze when Julian suddenly stood up.

Noticing his odd expression, Alexander asked, "Is everything alright?"

Julian blinked, his gaze lingering on Alexander and Victoria for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it's nothing."

He sat back down.

Genevieve hesitated, then said, "Julian, I—"

But Julian didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he turned to Lily and asked warmly, "Lily, are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"

Lily nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

She dashed over, took a few sips from Julian’s glass, then hurried back to continue chatting with Sophia. Earlier, they had been discussing the small toy Sophia had brought for her.

After drinking, Lily handed Sophia a figurine. "I got this when I went to the movies during New Year’s. It’s for you!"

Sophia’s eyes lit up as she accepted it. "You went to the movies too?"

"Yeah! My uncle and aunt took me," Lily said happily. "After the movie, we played arcade games. My aunt is really good at them! But Uncle Henry and I had to leave early."

"Uncle Henry took me to a movie that morning too," Sophia admitted wistfully. "But he was in a hurry to meet his friends, so we went straight home. I didn’t even know they sold figurines there."

Hearing that, Sophia felt a pang of disappointment.

Then, inspired by Lily’s praise for her aunt, she added softly, "My mom is amazing at games too."

"Next time, I’ll bring my aunt, and you can bring your mom! We can all play together!" Lily suggested excitedly.

As she spoke, she noticed Alexander watching them.

Sophia followed her gaze. "Dad, what’s wrong?"

Alexander smiled faintly. "Nothing. Keep talking."

"Okay!"

After ordering, Oliver suddenly asked, "By the way, Julian, how’s the collaboration between your company and YodaVision going? Still smooth?"

Julian replied, "It’s going well."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "No unexpected issues?"

??

Victoria had been engrossed in her book, but at that, her fingers stilled mid-page-turn.

Having known each other for years, Julian understood Oliver was subtly asking if Isabella had caused any problems.

He noticed Alexander was also listening with interest.

Lowering his gaze, Julian answered, "None."

Oliver looked surprised. "Really? Not even one?"

"Mm."

Victoria pressed her lips together before flipping the page.

Alexander sipped his tea in silence.

Finding the topic dull, Oliver quickly changed the subject.

About two hours later, after finishing their meal, they left the restaurant. Just as they stepped outside, Isabella and Frederick’s group descended the stairs to leave as well.

Back home, Isabella immediately dove into the materials Frederick had given her.

The documents covered cutting-edge AI developments from around the world—most still in the conceptual stage, with no guarantee of becoming actual products.

She read for hours, so absorbed that she didn’t notice the night fading into dawn.

It wasn’t until the sun was high that her aunt, Caroline, gently knocked on her door. "Isabella, breakfast is ready."

Isabella replied, "I’ll be down soon."

After freshening up, she picked up her phone and dialed Nathaniel.