Chapter 491
Charlene had actually managed to win the diamond.
Even though Moran had braced himself for the possibility, hearing the final result still left him in a daze.
It wasn’t until the auction officially ended, and Charlene left with Maisie to handle the paperwork, that he snapped out of it. He quickly messaged Thorne: *Charlene just spent 1.8 billion and took the diamond…*
Thorne replied: *Yeah.*
Moran stared at his phone, speechless.
Something this shocking, and all he got in return was a casual “yeah”?
And another thing-
*What was with that random period you sent me earlier?*
Thorne must have been busy, because it took a while for him to respond: *It meant stop gossiping.*
Moran was left even more exasperated.
Wasn’t it normal to be shocked by this?
After all, maybe to prove she hadn’t married Thorne for money, Charlene had always dressed modestly in the years since their wedding. She never showed off, never flaunted her wealth.
Maureen and Laverne were just as stunned by Charlene’s bold move. For a long moment, neither of them could find their voices.
It wasn’t until Dalton stood to leave and came over to say goodbye that Maureen finally snapped back to the present.
Just then, as if a thought had struck her, Laverne spoke up, “That diamond… Charlene must have bought it for her, right?”
She didn’t say the name aloud, but Maureen immediately knew she meant Sybil.
They all knew Sybil adored diamonds, and years ago, she’d owned a particularly valuable one herself.
But that diamond… Well, thinking of old memories, Maureen lowered her gaze.
Once Charlene and Maisie finished the paperwork, they prepared to leave.
After Charlene’s extravagant display, plenty of people were eager to introduce themselves. Besides Moran, Dalton, and Maureen, there were others in the room who knew her. And while Charlene was handling the paperwork, rumors about her background had already started circulating.
People now knew her family was fairly ordinary, and that she was currently dating Stewart.
Stewart’s family was already well-off, and with PrimeStar’s rapid growth, he’d become one of the most sought-after young heirs in their social circle-a favorite among ambitious mothers-in-law everywhere.
Once it was clear Charlene had bought the diamond thanks to Stewart’s support, quite a few people who’d been eager to befriend her suddenly lost interest.
Still, those who had worked with PrimeStar before, or wanted to cozy up to Stewart, didn’t hesitate to introduce themselves.
Charlene saw through everyone’s intentions. After a few polite words, she found an excuse to slip away.
Back at the Spencer and Hawkins households, there was plenty of interest in the diamond auction. Many of them had wanted to see the gem with their own eyes, but with only one invitation available, they’d had to stay behind.
When Laverne and Maureen returned, Leah immediately asked, “Auntie, who won the diamond? What was the final price?”
As Leah spoke, Vesta and Georgina glanced expectantly at Maureen. Clearly, they were dying to hear the answer too.
Maureen paused, then replied, “The diamond sold for 1.8 billion. And the person who bought it… was Charlene.”
“W-what?”
Leah froze, convinced she’d misheard.
Georgina and Katie Hawkins reacted much the same way.
Georgina’s face darkened. “Her? How could it be her?”
Leah quickly chimed in, “Exactly! There’s no way she could afford that. Where would she get that kind of money?”
Vesta, hearing the final price and the buyer’s name, was stunned for a moment too. But after a second, she just lowered her head and stared silently into her teacup.
Chapter 492
The Ross family.
Charlene had already discussed auctioning the diamond with Helena Ross before heading out to the auction itself.
When Helena finally saw the dazzling stone Charlene had spent a fortune on, she stared at it in silence for a long time before she spoke. “Your mother always did love diamonds,” Helena said quietly. “But if the diamond really has any effect, it could just as easily bring her clarity as it could push her deeper into… madness. So, Charlene, keep it safe for now. As for using it to help your mother-let’s wait a while and see how things go.”
Charlene had considered that possibility herself.
She agreed with her grandmother’s caution.
Still, a diamond this rare might not come up for auction again anytime soon. And since money wasn’t an issue for her at the moment, she bought it anyway, even if it ended up sitting unused for now.
She nodded at her grandmother’s words. “Alright.”
Charlene hadn’t gone to visit Irma at the hospital for the past couple of days.
The next morning, she went again.
She arrived pretty early, but when she got to the hospital, Thorne and Moran were already there. The housekeeper, however, was nowhere in sight.
When she knocked and entered, both Thorne and Moran looked up at her.
Charlene gave Thorne a brief nod in greeting, then walked straight past them into Irma’s room.
Moran glared, clearly annoyed at being ignored. She turned to Thorne and muttered, “She really doesn’t care about anyone these days, does she?”
Thorne sat down and replied with an indifferent, “Mm. And?”
Moran fell silent, at a loss for words.
A little while later, Charlene came out of the hospital room. She didn’t leave right away but turned to Thorne and asked, “How’s Grandma doing these past couple of days?”
Thorne poured a glass of water and walked over, offering it to her. Charlene shook her head, declining the drink. Thorne didn’t push, just set the glass down and answered, “She’s improved a bit. The doctor says, at this rate, she might wake up in a few days.”
“Alright. That’s good to hear.”
With that, Charlene turned to leave without saying anything more.
Just then, Thorne spoke up. “Minnie’s gone to training. She’ll be back tomorrow.”
Charlene honestly had little interest in Jasmine’s whereabouts.
But with Moran standing nearby, eyes darting back and forth between her and Thorne with a look that screamed gossip, Charlene kept her thoughts. to herself. She just replied, “Got it,” and walked out without looking back.
Moran watched her leave, only pulling his gaze away when she disappeared from sight. He turned to Thorne and said, “You know, ever since you two decided to get divorced, your relationship’s actually gotten a lot better.”
Thorne didn’t look up from his laptop, just gave a noncommittal, “Is that so?”
Usually, when couples split, things get ugly fast.
This was… unusual.
But Moran didn’t say that out loud. Instead, something else occurred to him, and he said, “Whatever happens, you and Charlene have Minnie between you. She made mistakes back then, sure, but the past is the past. If she’s managed to let it go, and you’re willing to do the same for Minnie’s sake, then maybe there really isn’t any unfixable grudge between you two. For Minnie, maybe you could actually get along in the future…”
Thorne said nothing.
Moran studied him, unsure what he was thinking.
But since Thorne didn’t respond, Moran knew better than to push. He fell silent, leaving the rest unsaid.
Chapter 493
Thorne was buried in his work, barely acknowledging Moran’s presence. After sitting there for a while and growing bored, Moran finally blurted out, “Forget it. I’ll just go find Granger.”
Without looking up, Thorne responded dryly, “And you think Granger has time for you?”
Moran fell silent.
As Thorne had predicted, when Moran arrived at The Harden Group, Granger was indeed busy.
Seeing that he was being ignored yet again, Moran couldn’t help but say, “You must have time to grab lunch together, at least?”
Without pausing as he flipped through a stack of documents, Granger replied, “I have a lunch date. My mother set me up.”
Moran was speechless.
Still, the topic piqued his curiosity. “Your mother’s still setting you up on blind dates? What about the woman from the other day? Rumor has it that after meeting you, she’s been pursuing you relentlessly. Has she given up yet?”
Before Granger could answer, his assistant knocked and entered, holding a bouquet of flowers. She hesitated before saying, “Mr. Harden, these are from that lady who visited before. I couldn’t convince her to stop sending them, and I didn’t want to give the courier a hard time…”
Granger’s tone was cool. “Noted. You can do whatever you want with the flowers. That’s all.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the assistant had left, Moran raised an eyebrow and grinned. “No news for a couple of days-I thought she’d finally given up. Guess not…”
He couldn’t resist pressing further. “Honestly, this Miss Yarrow has it all-looks, education, family background, personality. What exactly don’t you like about her?”
Granger paused, glanced over with clear annoyance. “Did you come all the way here just to gossip?”
Moran laughed. “You’re only just realizing?”
“One more word and you’re out.”
“I’m serious!” Moran protested. “I’ve met Miss Yarrow-she’s genuinely impressive. You really don’t feel anything at all?”
Noticing Granger’s unimpressed stare, Moran hurried to add, “Look, you’re not getting any younger, and your mom’s concerns make sense. If Miss
Yarrow isn’t your type, then tell me what are you looking for? Maybe I can introduce you-“
Granger set down his pen with a thud. “Say another word and I’ll have security throw you out.”
Moran shut up.
Granger looked about one second away from losing his patience completely. Not wanting to push his luck, Moran stood up. “So, no lunch. But you’ve got to have time for dinner, right?”
“Not tonight.”
Moran frowned. “Wait, you’re not actually mad, are you?”
After a beat, Granger replied, “I have to stop by PrimeStar later. My evenings’s booked.”
Moran assumed that meant Granger would finish up his business, then meet up with Stewart and the others for dinner. Since it sounded like actual work, Moran didn’t press further and left, still bored out of his mind. Around three in the afternoon, Granger made his way to PrimeStar.
When Charlene heard he’d arrived, she put aside her work and went to meet him.
As soon as Granger saw her, he stood up from the sofa almost immediately. “It’s been a while.”
Charlene nodded. “It has.”
It really had been a long time since they last saw each other.
Strictly speaking, there was no need for Granger to come in person for this meeting. But he’d taken the time anyway-just for a chance to see her.
Charlene hadn’t expected him to show up herself. Still, she didn’t read too much into it, assuming it simply meant he cared enough about their partnership to make an appearance.
Later, Gaylord Hearst found out Granger was at PrimeStar. He happened to need something from Charlene, so he headed to the meeting room to find her.
Granger had been chatting with Charlene, a rare, easy smile on his face. But the moment Gaylord walked in, the smile faded a notch.
Gaylord’s gaze was equally frosty as he looked at Granger.
But considering Charlene wasn’t officially divorced yet, and both he and Granger had feelings for her, there wasn’t much point in posturing. Gaylord turned his attention to Charlene and got straight to business.
Chapter 494
After they’d finished discussing work, Charlene noticed Gaylord lingering behind. He didn’t leave right away-instead, he cast a thoughtful look at Granger. Uncertain whether the two knew each other outside the office, Charlene asked, “What’s up?”
Gaylord, for his part, had been puzzled by Granger. He’d observed Granger’s obvious interest in Charlene, yet Granger had never actually made a move. Gaylord had started to wonder if maybe Granger was over her after all.
But from what he’d seen today, it was clear that Granger liked Charlene a lot and showed no signs of giving up.
That realization led him to another: maybe Granger already knew Charlene was still married. Maybe he even knew who her husband was.
Gaylord considered prying for information about Charlene’s husband. But remembering the sharp look Granger had given him earlier, he doubted Granger would share anything-if he knew, he certainly wouldn’t spill it to a rival.
Besides, asking outright would only reveal that Gaylord himself wasn’t fully in the loop about Charlene’s personal life, which would put him at a disadvantage. Not exactly a wise move.
So, Gaylord dismissed the idea. He turned back to Charlene, giving her a polite smile. “It’s nothing,” he said lightly. “I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll head out.”
“Alright,” Charlene replied.
Granger had noticed Gaylord’s lingering gaze, but he wasn’t a mind reader-he could only guess at Gaylord’s thoughts. Even so, that cold, determined look made it obvious Gaylord wasn’t planning to back down when it came to Charlene.
Once Gaylord had gone, Granger gave a small laugh and commented, “That was the Hearst family’s golden boy, right? I’d heard people say he was spoiled and impulsive, but from what I’ve seen, he seems pretty dedicated to his work.”
Charlene assumed he was just making conversation. She nodded, “He really is hardworking. He’s pulled all-nighters without complaining, never shows up late or leaves early, and he’s actually quite talented. Overall, he’s a solid colleague.”
She’d been surprised herself. Knowing Gaylord’s privileged background, she’d thought he’d joined PrimeStar on a whim. She never expected him to stick around as long as he had, and working with him had turned out to be much more pleasant than their awkward first meeting led her to believe.
Granger’s comment sounded like simple praise, but in truth, he was testing the waters-gauging Charlene’s opinion of Gaylord. Hearing her speak so positively about Gaylord, Granger simply smiled, keeping his thoughts to himself.
He’d heard that Gaylord had come back to the States because he admired PrimeStar’s programming language. In other words, he’d come back for Charlene.
From the way Gaylord looked at Charlene during their work discussion, it was obvious he admired her professionally-maybe even revered her. What Gaylord didn’t know, Granger suspected, was that Charlene herself was the creator of that very language.
If Charlene could win Gaylord’s admiration just by virtue of her abilities, Granger could only imagine how Gaylord would react once he discovered she was the one he’d been searching for all this time.
Charlene’s earlier response made it clear she had a favorable impression of Gaylord. From that alone, Granger could see that Gaylord’s choice to stick with PrimeStar was a smart one-it was a good way to win Charlene over.
And with Charlene’s divorce from Thorne about to be finalized, well, sometimes proximity really was the key to winning someone’s heart.
With business matters wrapped up, Granger suggested they grab dinner together. Charlene agreed.
As they stepped out of the meeting room, ready to head out, they found Gaylord leaning casually against the doorframe. He didn’t look the least bit surprised to see Granger and Charlene leaving together. In fact, it seemed as if he’d predicted Granger would use work as an excuse to invite Charlene to dinner. And by the looks of it, Gaylord was waiting for just this moment.
Chapter 495
He appeared here, but it wasn’t as if he intended to join them or to stir up trouble.
Looking at Charlene, he spoke with an easy familiarity, “Heading out to eat with Mr. Harden?”
Charlene nodded. “Yeah.”
“You’ll be back later, right?”
“That’s right.”
She still had unfinished business to take care of and needed to return afterward.
Gaylord nodded. “Alright, I’ll come find you a bit later then.”
With that, he said nothing more. He glanced briefly at Granger before turning and walking away.
Granger knew perfectly well that Gaylord was provoking him.
Gaylord was making it clear that, while Granger had to go to great lengths just to invite Charlene out, Gaylord knew all about her schedule and had plenty of chances to spend time with her. He didn’t even feel the need to play petty games or sabotage Granger’s efforts.
But Granger didn’t let the provocation get under his skin. He wasn’t upset or anxious.
Truth be told, from what he could see, Charlene didn’t seem interested in either of them-at least not in the way they hoped. So, he and Gaylord were really just two sides of the same coin.
If he had a choice, Granger would rather Charlene develop feelings for one of them- even if it wasn’t him-than remain completely indifferent.
A while back, Daisy had been taken home by her grandmother, and Granger had mentioned it to Charlene before.
Now, as they arrived at the restaurant, Charlene realized it had been some time since she’d heard anything about Daisy. Unable to hold back, she asked, “How’s Daisy doing these days?”
Her question warmed Granger’s heart. “She’s doing well. She called a couple of days ago and said she misses you-said she wants to come back and play with you.”
Charlene smiled. “That’d be lovely.”
Speaking of Daisy, Granger hesitated for a moment before adding, “I heard Minnie’s training has gone well this time, too. She’ll probably win something at the next competition.”
When Charlene heard him mention Jasmine, she lowered her gaze and murmured a quiet “Mm.” Before she could say more, the private dining room door swung open abruptly.
“Granger!”
Granger’s face fell the instant he heard the voice.
Charlene, on the other hand, remained completely unruffled.
Leah barged in, her eyes wide with surprise when she spotted Charlene. “What are you doing here?”
Charlene had no intention of answering.
Granger fixed Leah with a cold stare. “Why are you here?”
Granger had always been distant with her, but this was the first time he’d spoken to her with such undisguised coldness.
Leah was so startled by his harshness that she stammered, “I-I…”
“Leah, that’s not polite,” Katie and Georgina arrived just then.
They, too, were surprised to see Charlene, but knowing that Granger and PrimeStar still maintained a solid business partnership, they didn’t think much of Granger and Charlene dining together.
Georgina offered a polite smile. “Sorry, Granger, Leah shouldn’t have interrupted your dinner.”
Granger still respected Georgina and Katie as elders, so he nodded. “It’s alright.”
But he showed no such courtesy to Leah. “Ms. Spencer, you and I are hardly acquainted. I hope this won’t happen again. Do you understand me, Ms. Spencer?”
He wasn’t just warning her-he was drawing a line in the sand.
Leah truly liked Granger. Hearing him reject her so firmly, especially in front of Charlene, she was so hurt that tears welled up and spilled over. She choked out, “I-I didn’t mean to-“
But Granger’s heart didn’t soften.
Since the subject was out in the open, he decided to be absolutely clear. “If I’m not mistaken, Ms. Spencer, you seem to have feelings for me. But let me be perfectly honest-I’m not interested. There’s no possibility of anything between us. I hope you’ll respect those boundaries from now on.”
Chapter 496
Neither Georgina nor Katie had expected Granger to be so polite to them, yet so unyielding when it came to turning Leah down-right in front of their faces, no less.
Of course, Georgina still hoped that something might work out between Leah and Granger.
She managed a smile, trying to ease the awkwardness in the room, leaving some space for a possible change of heart. “It’s true, Leah was out of line this time. We’ll have a good talk with her later. I’m so sorry for interrupting your meeting. Maybe next time, I’ll have Vesta bring Leah over so she can apologize to you properly-“
“That won’t be necessary, Granger cut in, seeing exactly what she was trying to do. “As for matters of the heart…”
He paused, his eyes briefly flickering to Charlene before continuing, “No one can be forced. Ms. Spencer and I simply aren’t right for each other. I hope you’ll encourage her to move on, so she doesn’t waste her time-or her future-on me.”
At this point, there wasn’t much left for Georgina to misunderstand.
She glanced at Charlene, who had been entirely detached from the drama, calmly sipping her tea as if she were just there to watch the Spencer family make fools of themselves.
Georgina’s smile faltered, she gave a strained little laugh and said, “You’re right. I’ll have a serious talk with Leah.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
Leah, mortified, had already fled the room. Once Georgina and Katie had followed her out and closed the door behind them, Granger finally turned to Charlene. “Sorry about that,” he said, “I didn’t mean to waste your time.”
Ever since he’d realized how Leah felt about him, Granger had made his disinterest perfectly clear.
But Leah never took the hint.
He’d tried, on several occasions, to talk to her honestly, but every time, she’d pretend not to notice and avoid the conversation altogether.
Today was the first chance he’d had to meet Charlene one-on-one, and he hadn’t wanted to waste it dealing with Leah’s drama.
Leah’s inability to take a hint-and her willful ignorance-had finally pushed him to his limit.
With Vesta having stolen Thorne away, Granger knew the relationship between the Hawkins and Spencer families and Charlene was complicated, to say the least.
The recent contract fallout between Neural Nexus Tech and PrimeStar had only made the tension between Charlene and the Hawkins and Spencer families worse.
Leah had always seemed to have a particular problem with Charlene.
Given all that, Granger figured the only way to finally get through to Leah was to lay it all out in front of Charlene herself.
Charlene smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”
Granger hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry, earlier I…”
He didn’t finish, but Charlene already knew he was apologizing for what he’d said to Georgina-the line about how love can’t be forced.
She gave him a gentle smile. “It’s all right. Besides, you only spoke the truth.”
She knew, from experience, that feelings couldn’t be forced.
Now, she could finally accept that reality.
Granger probably understood that, too, which was why he’d chosen to finish his sentence.
It was true, after all.
Still, even though she’d moved on, hearing someone bring it up again stirred up a few old, unpleasant memories.
So he couldn’t help but want to apologize.
But Charlene had no interest in rehashing the past. She changed the subject.
Granger’s gaze lingered on her fair, flawless face. For a moment, he was tempted to say something-something more personal-but then he remembered she wasn’t officially divorced yet. He forced himself to hold his tongue and changed the subject himself.
Chapter 497
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