---- Chapter 81 Given the confidence and support from Robert, Wendy's honest answer twisted into something else the moment it reached her lips. "Grandpa, I care about James a lot -really. You don't have to keep worrying about these little things," she said. Robert let out a loud sigh of relief. "Good, good. I was just afraid you didn't have any feelings for him anymore. If that were true, no matter how much I tried to patch things up between you two, it'd all be pointless.

Heck, you might even end up hating me." Wendy chuckled. "Don't be silly. I might hate a lot of things, but I'd never hate you." She added quickly, "When you get home, make sure you take your meds, no skipping meals, and no being stubborn about food, okay?" Robert nodded like a student getting a lecture. "When my sweet granddaughter-in-law gives me orders, you better believe I listen." With the subject changed, Wendy finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

James heard every word on the other end of the line and couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He'd known it-no matter what she did, she still had feelings ---- for him. He used to hate her presence and resented the way she forced her way into his life. But now, hearing her admit - even half- heartedly-that she still cared about him, it made him stupidly happy. Sure, he was still annoyed at how she insisted on a divorce , but that small smile wouldn't leave his face.

A strange sort of satisfaction bloomed in his chest. He chose to believe what she'd said. Without listening to anything else, James ended the call. "Add another million dollars to the investment we're putting into the City General Hospital," he told Freddy when he walked in. Freddy blinked. He pulled out his tablet, checked a few figures, and finally said, "Mr. Frank, your current account already has several allocations pending. That extra million-" Before he could finish, James cut him off.

"Do as I said. The rest can wait." Freddy opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself. He'd worked for James for years, and not once had he seen the man derail an entire financial plan for something personal . But this time, it was different. And honestly, for Wendy, maybe it wasn't a bad thing. "Yes, Mr. Frank." ---- He turned and left. James kept staring at the phone screen, even though it had gone black. The smile still lingered on his lips.

Over the next few days, Wendy's schedule at the hospital was drastically reduced to make room for coordinating the hospital's collaboration with Frank Group. 'The medical department at the Frank Group had just onboarded a batch of new hires, and most of the old team had been reassigned to other branches. Wendy now had to spend three afternoons a week at Frank Group, training the newcomers. Luckily , her working hours were from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pn- completely staggered from James'.

Still, since they were under the same roof, even with her efforts to avoid him, she'd occasionally catch sight of him in passing. Every time it happened, her heart would skip a beat-not because of some leftover feelings, but because she was nervous. The last thing she needed was for James to spot her and start drama. Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 pm sharp, Wendy arrived at the Frank Group. The medical department was on the seventh floor.

As she ---- stepped into the elevator, Willow Silas from the medical team squeezed in just as the doors were closing, clutching a folder. "Dr. Sanders, here's the list of standard emergency meds. Could you double-check if anything's missing?" She looked down at the document as more people stepped into the elevator. "You're missing a few," Wendy said, pointing them out. "And lemailed you the list of emergency equipment -we're still short on some basics." "Got it." Willow made quick notes.

"Wendy?" A too-familiar voice suddenly cut through the silence. "What are you doing here?" Jenna's surprised gaze landed on her as she inched closer to James' side. She asked sweetly, "Did you come to see James?" Wendy frowned but didn't look up right away. Before she could respond, Jenna kept going. "So you're finally coming home, huh? Ethan's been late to school all week without your nagging. The housekeeper doesn't even dare raise her voice at him anymore."