Leah was still fuming. The ne had barely lifted off when she gged down a flight attendant and ordered a drink.


    As soon as the attendant stepped away, Leah fixed her eyes on Charlene. Hiding the drink behind her back, she marched straight down the aisle toward her.


    Maureen had already guessed Leah would try something.


    So, before Leah could get too close, Maureen was watching her.


    She furrowed her brow and gave Leah a silent shake of her head.


    Leah''s anger simmered there was no way she''d back down that easily.


    Maureen''s expression turned icy. She picked up her phone and sent Leah a curt message: *Sit back down. Now.*


    Maureen didn''t need to say it out loud; as Leah read the text, she could almost feel the weight of Maureen''s authority.


    Georgina, sitting between Maureen and Leah, saw it all and understood what Leah was up to.


    She reached over and gave Leah''s hand a gentle, warning pat, urging her to behave.


    Leah pouted, sulking openly.


    But in the Hawkins family, Maureen and Vesta were the unchallenged authorities.


    Leah was used to following their lead.


    So, after shooting Charlene onest re, she spun on her heel and trudged back to her seat, grumbling under her breath.


    Jasmine, oblivious to the tension between Charlene and Leah before takeoff, didn''t notice any of this.


    Once the ne touched down in Starfall and came to a stop, Jasmine couldn''t wait to dash over to Charlene. "Mom!"


    Charlene ruffled Jasmine''s hair. "Did you behave on the flight?"


    "I did!" Jasmine beamed.


    Charlene and Maureen sat across the aisle from each other.


    Seeing Jasminee over, Maureen nced at her, expression unreadable.


    Not just Maureen-Georgina and Leah in the row in front, and Katie behind, all turned to look at Jasmine.


    As Jasmine chatted quietly with Charlene, she nced Maureen''s way and met her gaze for a brief, tense moment.


    Maureen''s look was cold and impassive as she turned away.


    Jasmine didn''t know Maureen or Katie. Among the Spencer and Hawkins families, Jasmine only recognized Vesta and Leah.


    So, when she caught the chill in Maureen''s eyes, Jasmine simply assumed she was a stranger and thought nothing of it. She noticed Katie watching her too, but didn''t give it a second thought.


    A little whileter, Charlene and Vernon gathered their things and were the first to disembark.<fn773a> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on findnovel</fn773a>


    As they walked away, Leah stared after their retreating figures, her resentment boiling over as she remembered how Charlene had made her and her grandmother fall on the ne. She turned to her aunt and grandmother, voice trembling with indignation. "Aunt Maureen Grandma, are we just supposed to let her walk all over us? How is that fair?"  s


    Maureen replied coolly, "We''re just biding our time. She won''t be smug for long."


    Once Charlene and Thorne finalized their divorce, they''d have plenty of chances to make Charlene regret what she''d done.


    Rhoda, Leah''s grandmother, gently consoled her. "Exactly. Besides, the fact she reacted so strongly just proves you hit a nerve, don''t you think?"


    Leah mulled it over and nodded. "You''re right, it does."


    Her mood finally began to lift. The thought of Thorne and Charlene''s imminent divorce cheered her up-especially knowing Thorne''s heart belonged only to her sister, not Charlene. Imagining Charlene''s torment over this made Leah feel


    not just better, but downright ted.


    s


    ***


    The morning after returning to Starfall, Jasmine left the Ross family estate and went back to see Thorne.


    Charlene returned to the office. She''d barely finished a critical meeting when Stewart leaned in and whispered, "Yesterday, Neural Nexus Tech and Hawkins Technology both received several hundred million more in funding."


    Charlene paused, but didn''t look the least bit surprised.


    After all, the day they''d gone to city hall on Monday, she''d overheard Thorne telling Vesta something on the phone that had already nted the suspicion in her mind.


    That evening, Charlene and Stewart attended a g. The moment they entered the ballroom, she spotted Vesta and Henley Hawkins.


    Thorne was nowhere to be seen.


    Perhaps word had already spread about Thorne''s hefty investments in Neural Nexus Tech and Hawkins Technology. The ballroom buzzed, with guests practically lining up to speak with Vesta and Henley, eager to discuss partnerships.


    After all, Thorne''s eye for investments was legendary.


    If he was willing to pour that much money into thosepanies, it meant he had


    real faith in them.


    Among tonight''s guests were two or three of Vesta''s former suitors.


    With Thorne absent, they wasted no time seeking her out, each trying to spark a conversation.


    Vesta remainedposed, chatting


    with practiced ease. But when she


    caught sight of Charlene, her expression hardened, her mind shing back to what her family had said how Charlene had supposedly tripped Leah and her grandmother on the ne.  s


    Vesta wasn''t the same person she''d been a few weeks ago.


    She knew that even if she couldn''t match Charlene in the Al field, she had Thorne


    by her side.


    She was more charming than Charlene, and that was a kind of power too.


    Her personal allure was just as valuable as Charlene''s technical prowess.


    So now, when she looked at Charlene, there was no more timidity-only a cool, growing confidence.