Gaylord had joined the system test this time as well.


    Vesta hadn''t expected to see him there. Spotting Gaylord across the room, she couldn''t help but nce his way.


    Gaylord, for his part, was equally surprised to find both her and Thorne present.


    When he noticed her gaze lingering on him, he looked away, his expression cool and detached.


    Seeing his indifference, Vesta just smiled faintly.


    Truthfully, she was only here because she had a business trip out of town; she wasn''t traveling with Thorne to Jade City.


    She turned to Thorne and said, "It''s about time, I should get going."


    "I''ll walk you out," Thorne offered.


    Vesta smiled at his insistence. "No need, really. It''s just a short walk. You focus on your own work. I''ll call you once I Ind."


    "Alright," Thorne replied.


    Nearby, members of both the Henderson Group and PrimeStar couldn''t help but whisper to each other about how close Thorne and Vesta seemed.


    Stewart smirked dismissively.


    Charlene watched silently, her expression unreadable.


    Vesta bid farewell to the rest of the Henderson Group with a polite nod before leaving, not sparing Charlene or Stewart so much as a nce.


    On the ne, Charlene and Thorne''s seats were separated by just a single aisle.


    Stewart, who needed to discuss something with Mr. Windsor from the Henderson Group, noticed how close their seats were and asked, "Is that going to be a problem?"


    Charlene shook her head. "It''s fine."


    Gaylord happened to be seated right beside Charlene.


    Once they were settled in, he leaned over and began chatting with her quietly. Each time he turned to speak, his eyes inevitably caught a glimpse of Thorne across the aisle.


    Thorne appeared engrossed in his phone, barely looking up. From takeoff tonding, he and Charlene didn''t exchange a single word. Now and then, when Thorne noticed Charlene and Gaylord talking softly together he shot them a quick nce, only to look away


    immediately.  s


    They arrived in Jade Cityte that afternoon and dove straight into work.


    Their flight had been dyed, making their already-packed schedule even tighter.


    By the time they finished for the day, it was well past eight.


    The day''s tasks hadn''t gone smoothly. After returning to her hotel room, Charlene kept working hunched over herptop until nearly eleven. Finally, when she''d made some headway she dragged terself into the bathroom for a shower.  s


    She''d just finished when the doorbell rang.


    ncing at the screen by the door, she paused mid-motion, hand still towel- drying her hair, when she recognized who was outside.


    After a moment''s hesitation, she walked over and opened the door. "What is it?”


    She hadn''t even had time to dry her hair properly; damp strands clung to her neck, droplets sliding down her pale skin and disappearing beneath her cor. Thorne nced at her, then looked away just as quickly. "Call from Minnie."


    He held out his phone to her.


    Charlene took the phone and answered, still standing in the doorway. "Minnie?"


    "Mommy! I''m buying you a present, but I don''t know what you like, and I couldn''t reach you..." Jasmine''s excited voice rattled on at the other end.


    Once Charlene understood, she replied, "Mommy knows, sweetheart. I''ve just been busy today-my phone probably died and I missed your calls


    check it in a moment..


    Let<fn82d4> Follow current nov?ls on ?ovelFind</fn82d4>


    me know once you''ve picked something, okay?"  s


    "Okay!"


    After that, Jasmine didn''t say much more and hung up quickly.


    Charlene handed the phone back to Thorne.


    He nodded, murmured, "Good night," and was about to turn to leave when he nearly bumped into Gaylord, who was on his way over to see Charlene.


    Gaylord stopped in his tracks, momentarily taken aback at the scene before him.