She stared at the two searchingly, wondering if she would find something deeper in Julie's mannerisms towards Ian.

“Do you want to go there and say hello?" Anthony suddenly asked.

Of course Maria wanted to go there and say hello.

But then, she looked at Anthony's legs in confusion.

“What? We'll just drop the act?" Maria asked him silently with her eyes.

Anthony smiled knowingly and called his bodyguard, who was waiting in the basement parking lot.

"Jack, bring up the folding wheelchair in the trunk,"

Anthony ordered.

As soon as Julie put her coffee cup down, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure slowly walking towards her.

Truth be told, she was a little flustered. After all, she had specially chosen to meet this acquaintance in such a remote coffee shop to avoid running into people she knew.

Gossip was a terrible thing. Although she was a married woman, Ian had insisted on staying single until this day.

In addition, Ian looked well-groomed and had a good temperament. Julie was really worried that being seen with him would cause a huge misunderstanding.

Fortunately, the two people who were approaching them now were just Maria and Anthony.

Anthony was sitting on his wheelchair, as usual. Because it was powered by electricity, Maria only held its handles symbolically.

“Maria? Anthony? What a pleasant surprise!"

When their eyes met, Julie had no choice but to bite the bullet to greet them.

Ian, whose back was facing the two people, also looked over his shoulder curiously.

The second he found out that it was Maria behind him, he stood up instinctively.

In fact, he was ready to greet Maria politely, for she was his boss after all.

“Mom, Mr. Navarro, what a coincidence!" A rare smile pulled at the corners of Maria's lips.

Julie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You... You know Ian?"

As soon as she said this, it suddenly dawned on her.

She had only crossed paths with Ian again because he was sent by the research institute as an expert in installing and fine-tuning the hibernation pod.

Twenty years ago, the Broome Medical University and some foreign medical schools often held student exchange programs, which was how Julie had met Ian in the first place.