Charlene left the office and returned to the Ross family estate, but Jasmine Henderson was nowhere to be seen.


    She''d heard Jasmine had gone home to be with Thorne.


    Irma''s condition was still precarious, and Charlene couldn''t help worrying. Over the next few days, she made it a point to visit the hospital every morning.


    Sometimes, when she arrived, Thorne was there. Other times, she found udia and Tiffany Henderson sitting by Irma''s bedside.


    udia had never approved of Charlene as her daughter-inw, but whenever Charlene came to check on the olddy, udia would still offer a polite thank you.


    Tiffany wasn''t fond of Charlene either. But with Thorne and Charlene''s divorce now imminent, she felt there was no point in making snide remarks anymore. So, during these recent encounters, she kept her opinions to herself.


    On this particr morning, when Charlene arrived at the hospital to see Irma, she found all three Henderson siblings-Tiffany, Thorne, and Terence-along with udia gathered in the room.


    After checking in on Irma, Charlene was about to leave when Thorne stood up. "Let me walk you out."


    "That''s not necessary," she replied, her tone cool. Without a backward nce, she left the room.


    Thorne didn''t insist.


    Tiffany, who had been out of town for a while and hadn''t seen Charlene in ages before Irma''s incident, watched her leave. Noticing how decisively Charlene walked away, showing not a trace of longing for Thorne, Tiffany turned to him and said, "Looks like she''s really over you."


    Thorne gave a small, wry smile, but before he could respond, his phone rang.


    After leaving the hospital, Charlene headed straight to Henderson Group headquarters.


    As noon approached, she and a few colleagues prepared to go out for lunch. When the elevator doors slid open on the ground floor, they almost bumped into someone heading in thest person Charlene expected to see: Vesta.


    Vesta didn''t frequent Henderson Group often, but she''d been there enough times that most employees recognized her. After all, everyone knew she was Thorne''s girlfriend.


    Because of her rtionship with Thorne, the staff greeted her warmly. "Ms. Hawkins."


    Vesta hadn''t anticipated running into Charlene. Her steps faltered for a split second, and she clutched her purse, averting her gaze.


    As the staff greeted her, she mustered a polite smile, nodded in acknowledgment, and slipped past Charlene and the others into the elevator.


    A momentter, she reached the top floor.


    Josh and Coy, waiting there, also greeted her courteously. "Ms. Hawkins."


    She returned their greetings with a gentle smile.


    At Thorne''s office, she paused to knock before entering.


    Inside, Thorne was buried in paperwork. Only when Vesta


    stepped in did he look up, and


    that she offered him a genuine smile. "Still working?"


    "Not done yet," he replied.


    Though he''d been back in Starfall City for several days, this was his first day at Henderson Group. The rest of his time had been swallowed up by other responsibilities.


    Vesta smiled, moving closer. She noticed an invitation in his hand and leaned in, curiosity piqued. "What''s that?"


    Thorne nced at the envelope. "It''s


    an invitation to PrimeStar


    Technologies'' tenth anniversary


    g. It arrived days ago, but


    haven''t had a chance to look at it


    until now."


    The smile froze on Vesta''s face.


    Thorne noticed immediately. "What''s wrong?" he asked, looking up.


    She forced a smile, herughter awkward. "PrimeStar''s been around for ten years already?"


    He nodded, amused. "Yeah, hard to believe, isn''t it?"


    Clutching her purse a little tighter, Vesta hesitated before asking, "Are you


    nning to go?"


    Thorne replied, "I should. With the way ourpanies are working together, even


    if I''m busy, I''ll make the time."


    Vesta''s smile faltered at the corners. "I see..."