Chapter 72

~ Franklin ~

After enjoying the morning with Octavia, we headed to the oceanfront ballroom for the keynote presentation on the next-generation AI platform we were co-developing. Afterward, we broke into smaller groups: R&D, marketing, finance—each tasked with aligning their strategies to scale the platform globally. I led the financial strategy session with Anthony beside me, making sure we had the capital pathways ready for expansion.

As the lights dimmed in the oceanfront ballroom, I took a deep breath. The room was filled with the quiet murmur of executives—some from Flemington Group, others from JeffTech—each waiting for us to unveil the next step in our partnership. The projector flickered on, and I rose from my seat, ready to begin the presentation. I was representing Flemington Group, while Octavia represented JeffTech. The projector was on, and I began opening the slides.

"Good morning, everyone. Today we are unveiling the future of AI-driven customer analytics. As we look ahead with this AI innovation platform, it’s crucial that we align not just on the technology but on the financial structure that will fuel our expansion. By partnering, we can leverage cross-company investments and targeted capital from Flemington Group and JeffTech to ensure we scale quickly, sustainably, and globally."

I walked them through a few key numbers: how our joint market share could grow, what kind of VC backing we could attract, and how—if structured right—this partnership could leapfrog competitors.

While I spoke, I caught a glimpse of Octavia staring at me, a soft smile on her face.

"Thank you," I said as I concluded. Everyone clapped.

"Miss Herman? Why don’t you finish up the presentation?" I said, my gaze shifting to Octavia.

All eyes turned to her. She gave a sheepish smile, then rose slowly. She stood beside me, and I leaned in to mumble, "You got this, baby."

She blushed. I returned to my seat.

She advanced a few slides, her posture accurate and poised, her voice steady but warm. "As you can see, this platform doesn’t just analyze customer behavior—it predicts needs, offering hyper-personalized experiences in real time. This will set us apart in a crowded marketplace."

She continued speaking, and I watched her. She looked confident and driven. Every now and then, our eyes met across the room.

The room applauded when she finished.

It gave me something I needed to offer her—something she deserved.

After the presentation, once I’d finished speaking with executives from both companies, I walked toward where Octavia was. She was talking with her colleagues.

"Ahem," I coughed, jamming my hands into my pockets.

"Sorry, guys—excuse me," she said, then turned to me as they walked away.

"Your presentation was top-notch. You did well," I said, reaching out to smooth her hair. It wasn’t for show anymore; I did it because of the affection I felt for her.

"Thank you. And you did well yourself," she smiled.

"Thanks," I said, stepping closer. "There’s something I want to tell you... it’s an offer, to be precise."

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, okay... what is it about?"

"How about you get promoted to one of the lead developers at JeffTech instead of staying just a game developer? I mean, it’s always what you wanted, and—"

"No," she shook her head, cutting me off.

"No?" I said, surprised.

"Why? You deserve it," I told her.

"I know I deserve it, but I can’t take the offer," she said.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because people would think I got promoted only because we’re married. I want to earn where I am in order to be promoted."

"That’s not true. You’ve succeeded in everything you do. You’re hardworking—they would all see how good you are at your job. You don’t need to listen to what they say, okay? Fuck them all, they will—"

"Franklin?" she cut in again.

"It’s my choice. I want to earn that position before I get promoted. I just have to work my butt off to get there... and I need you to respect that, please," she told me.

"Okay, fine. But in case you change your mind, I can—"

"I won’t change my mind, but thank you for the offer though, Mr. Flemington," she smiled, then walked away to continue talking to her colleagues.

I sighed. She was a warrior, determined to pave her own way to greatness. I respected that about her.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I pulled it out to see it was my grandfather.

"Grandpa," I began.

"Finally, he picks up the call," I heard him say.

"Why haven’t you been picking up my calls? I’ve been calling since yesterday," he said.

"Sorry, I’ve been occupied with work down here," I half-lied.

I had seen his missed calls from yesterday, but I hadn’t been ready to answer—not when I knew he’d interrogate me about how things were going with Octavia.

"It’s alright. So how’s Octavia? Is she there?" he asked.

"She’s fine. She’s actually busy talking to her colleagues. How’s Manhattan?" I asked.

"Leave Manhattan alone. I’m curious... have you told her about your feelings for her?" he asked, sounding very eager. I found it hilarious and chuckled.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked.

"She rejected you? Is that why your voice is sounding sad?" he concluded.

"Goodness, Grandpa, I sound this way because we’re still at the meeting. The executives from both companies are present, so my behavior and voice have to be strictly professional. I just answered your call now because I didn’t want to make you feel worried," I told him.

"Oh? Okay," he said.

"So tell me, did she reject you?" he pressed.

"No, she didn’t. We revealed our feelings for each other," I began. Then I told him about what happened—without mentioning that we made love. That was something I didn’t want my grandfather to know.

"That’s so wonderful, so wonderful... so finally you both are together. This is like Christmas has come early—like I’m a kid again, trying to unwrap a present on a snowy Christmas morning, to be exact," he babbled.

"Grandpa," I chuckled again.

"It’s like you’re happier about it than I am," I told him.

"It seems like it. It’s just... I love Octavia. And I can’t envision anyone but her as my granddaughter-in-law. She’s amazing," he said.

"That’s true. She is," I nodded, staring at her from a few feet away as she giggled and talked with her colleagues.

"So? Did you guys make love? Don’t lie to me because I already know," he said.

"Grandpa!" I exclaimed, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"What? Do you think I’m a baby? I know how all this goes, so calm down," he said.

"So what are you going to do with her now that you’re both still there?" he asked.

"I’m not following," I said, confused.

"I mean, aren’t you going to take her out, give her a tour of the island, buy her gifts? It will even make everyone in the city see that you two really married because you were in love," he said.

And then I remembered telling Octavia that I was going to tell the press the truth about our marriage.

"There’s something very important I need to tell you, Grandpa—probably when I come back from the trip. We’ll discuss it then," I said.

"Something very important? Hope it isn’t something bad... hope you aren’t dying," he sounded concerned.

"I’m not. I’m fine. I just want to talk to you when I return," I told him.

"Okay, if you say so," he said.

"Well, I gotta go now. I’ll call you later," I said.

"Call me real soon, okay? And if you’re too chicken to order Octavia flowers, I will. This time I’ll order her an ultimate massive bouquet of roses," he said.

"Please don’t, I beg of you... and besides, roses aren’t her favorite flowers," I said.

"Then what is her favorite flower?" my grandfather asked.

I stared up at her again.

"I actually don’t know," I mumbled.

"Well, ask her. Let us know the type of flowers she would love to wake up to," he said.

"I’ve got that taken care of. Bye, Grandpa," I said.

"Bye," he said, and I ended the call.

"Hey," I said as I approached Octavia.

"Hey," she smiled at me.

I slid my hand into hers and pulled her away from her colleagues, walking us out of their curious stares.

"Hope you aren’t going to pressure me to take your offer," she said.

"No, far from it. I have to respect your decision, remember? So it’s fine," I said.

"Okay," she nodded.

"I actually want you and me to go out for lunch... a quiet lunch together," I told her.

"That would be great, but um... I’ll be joining Victoria and the ladies at a restaurant near the resort for lunch," she said.

I quirked one eyebrow up.

"Sorry," she added.

"No, no, it’s fine. You can actually have lunch with them," I said.

"I just hope they won’t take you away from me for dinner," I added.

"They will. They already have," she said, looking apologetic.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I scoffed.

"I am," she burst out laughing.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Got ya!" she said as I rubbed my chest.

"Okay, I fell for that one," I rolled my eyes.

"Have dinner with me, Octavia," I said.

"I would love to have dinner with you, Franklin," she smiled.

"It’s a date?" she asked.

"Damn right it is," I nodded.

"It’s at 7 p.m. I’ll make a reservation at the restaurant," I said.

"Cool," she nodded, then began to leave.

"Are you forgetting anything?" I asked. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Oh!" She quickly remembered, then reached up to kiss me. I made sure it was deeper.

"I love you," she said.

"I can never get tired of hearing that. I love you too," I told her.

She smiled, then walked away to meet her colleagues, who had been watching us from afar. I turned to see her give me a backward glance. I waved. She waved back, then disappeared from view along with her colleagues.

"Mr. Flemington," Anthony said, phone to his ear. "Nova Corp calling."

I nodded, walking up to him to take the call.