Chapter 317

Alexander's voice came through the phone. "Then, will you talk to Grandma?"

Isabella didn't need to ask to know Eleanor would never agree to her leaving empty-handed.

She countered with a question of her own. "If we keep the current divorce terms, when can we finalize the paperwork?"

"Before year's end."

It was only March. That meant months of waiting stretched ahead. Still...

"Anything else?" Alexander asked.

Isabella ended the call without responding. The moment she did, her phone rang again.

Julian's name flashed on the screen.

He informed her that Lily had come down with the flu and wouldn't be well enough for their planned weekend outing.

"That's fine," Isabella said. "We'll reschedule when she's better."

Concern laced her voice as she added, "Keep me updated on her condition."

Julian chuckled at her obvious worry. "Will do."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they hung up.

Isabella turned her attention to developing a new prototype for her passion project. The entire weekend passed in a blur of coding and design.

Monday morning found her reviewing documents in her office before heading to the interview room.

The fourth candidate paused at the threshold. His eyes scanned the room before landing on her. "Nathaniel's not here?"

Isabella looked up. "No."

The man gave her an appraising look. "You're Isabella Sinclair?"

She nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew. "Since he's unavailable, do you still want to proceed?"

After a moment's hesitation, he took a seat. "Sure, let's do this."

His casual demeanor prompted her direct question. "How would you like to conduct this?"

His eyebrows shot up. "You're letting me choose the format?"

"Tell me your preference."

He pulled a laptop from his bag, tapped a few keys, then slid it toward her. Leaning back, he propped one ankle on his knee and popped a lollipop in his mouth, watching her with undisguised curiosity.

Isabella glanced at the screen - lines of complex code stared back. Without comment, she immediately began making adjustments.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Done." She rotated the laptop back toward him.

The candidate sat up sharply, lollipop forgotten between his teeth. His eyes widened as he scanned her modifications. When he looked up, astonishment colored his features.

She hadn't just reviewed his code - she'd optimized it. Her changes improved modularity, efficiency, and scalability beyond recognition.

"How..." He braced his hands on the table, leaning forward with sudden intensity. "Isabella, right? That's beautiful. Where'd you study? How long since graduation? What major projects have you led? Tell me everything."

His proximity made her uncomfortable. Isabella leaned back, creating distance. "Shall we continue the interview?"