Chapter 331
Irma’s birthday rolled around quicker than anyone expected.
Because of Thorne’s little reminder, Jasmine had already prepared a birthday gift for Irma ahead of time.
As soon as she came down for breakfast, she handed the gift to Irma with a big smile.
Irma’s eyes crinkled with joy. “Thank you, Minnie.”
Thorne then offered his gift. “Here’s something Charlene and I got for you. Happy Birthday.”
Irma gave him a sidelong glance at this.
Before she could respond, the butler came in holding two gift boxes. “Madam, these are from Helena and Charlene. They asked someone to deliver them for your birthday.”
Irma accepted the gifts and turned her gaze back to Thorne.
Although she knew Thorne was just trying to cheer her up by saying the gift was from both him and Charlene, she decided not to press the issue between them any further.
She huffed lightly, “Charlene already got me something special. No need for your little charade.”
With that, she turned her attention elsewhere.
Thorne chuckled, unfazed, and urged Jasmine to finish
her breakfast so he could drive her to school.
After giving out her gift, Charlene grabbed her car keys and headed to the office.
Not long after she arrived, she and Stewart made their way over to Neural Nexus Tech.
As soon as they got there, they spotted Vesta.
Vesta greeted them, but only acknowledged Stewart with a cheerful, “Mr. Ferguson.”
She seemed in good spirits despite not being able to attend Irma’s birthday bash, showing no signs of disappointment.
Stewart merely pursed his lips, not bothering to respond, and he and Charlene focused on their work.
Charlene not showing up for Irma’s birthday party caught Stewart’s interest. That evening, he returned to the family home, accompanying his father, Hector Ferguson, and his mother, Darleen Ferguson, to Irma’s celebratory dinner at the restaurant.
They arrived relatively early.
The banquet hall was still sparsely populated with guests at that point.
Irma’s milestone birthday was a big deal for the Henderson family, and everyone took it seriously.
In the hall, the Hendersons, including Jasmine, were already present.
Stewart hadn’t seen Jasmine in a couple of years.
Even back then, he thought she resembled Thorne, and seeing her now, the resemblance seemed even stronger. The Hendersons warmly greeted the Fergusons, “Mr. And Mrs. Ferguson, Stewart.”
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Darleen’s attention shifted to Jasmine.
Stewart had met Charlene after she became Kenton’s student.
Darleen was fond of Charlene, thinking she and Stewart were well-matched in age and achievements, and she had hoped they might end up together.
However, Stewart had quickly informed her that Charlene was already in love with someone else, and, before she could even process that, Charlene had gotten married.
Darleen was aware of the situation between Charlene and Thorne, including the fact that Jasmine was Charlene’s daughter.
Seeing Darleen’s gaze on Jasmine, Irma smiled and introduced, “This is my great-granddaughter, Minnie.”
Darleen smiled warmly and affectionately ruffled Jasmine’s hair. “She’s adorable.”
Jasmine obediently greeted Darleen, then glanced at Stewart, unable to shake a sense of familiarity.
Irma chuckled, “Minnie, why are you staring at Stewart?”
Jasmine shrugged, “Stewart looks… really familiar.”
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Stewart was at a loss for words, but Jasmine looked at
him and said, “I feel like I’ve heard Stewart’s voice
somewhere before…”
During Christmas, Charlene had put him on
speakerphone for hours while discussing some business, Jasmine had been there too.
Of course, she found his voice familiar.
But Stewart didn’t say that out loud. He just chuckled and said, “Really?”
Jasmine nodded. “Yeah.”
Stewart shrugged. “Maybe my voice is just pretty common.”
Thorne overheard the conversation and touched his nose, chuckling to himself.
Stewart was perplexed. What was so funny?
As more guests arrived, the Henderson family had to attend to other people, so Stewart and his group tactfully moved on.
There had been rumors floating around their social circles that Thorne was already married with children. But no one really knew if it was true or not.
As the guests kept coming, they were surprised to see a little girl who looked remarkably like Thorne, holding his hand and calling him “Daddy.” Only then did they realize that Thorne indeed had a child.
Whether Thorne was truly married or perhaps even divorced was still a mystery, as the Hendersons didn’t volunteer any information and no one dared to pry.
Dalton had met Jasmine before.
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He’d just never mentioned it to anyone.
So when his close friend, Kelvin Scott, saw Jasmine, he was taken aback and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, Thorne is actually married and has a kid this big already! Does this mean Vesta will be a stepmom? With Vesta being such a catch, being a stepmom is kind of-
Kelvin was about to say that Vesta was settling, but when he considered the disparity between the Hawkins and Henderson families and Thorne’s own merits, he quickly shut his mouth.
Sure, marrying a divorced man with a kid might be a step down for someone like Vesta, but given Thorne’s
standing, even with a past marriage and a child, Vesta would still be marrying up.
Besides, Thorne had a daughter, not a son.
A daughter wouldn’t inherit.
Vesta just needed to give Thorne a son, and everything would be set.
So whether Thorne had been married before or not really didn’t matter to Vesta!
Meanwhile, another guest approached Darleen, saying, “Stewart is still so young, and PrimeStar is doing so well. Darleen, your Stewart is truly remarkable.”
Hearing praise for Stewart, Darleen beamed but remained humble, saying, “Oh, it’s just luck.”
This led someone to bring up Charlene, saying, “Stewart isn’t getting any younger, right? I hear he and Ms. Ross from his company get along well. Any chance we’ll hear wedding bells soon?”
Stewart and Charlene weren’t in that kind of relationship.
But Darleen didn’t clarify, simply smiling and saying, “Well, that’s up to them to decide.”
To anyone listening, it sounded like Darleen was ready to start planning the wedding the moment Charlene and Stewart made up their minds.
Granger and Moran were present at Irma’s birthday party as well.
They weren’t far from Darleen and overheard the conversation about Charlene.
Even though Charlene and Stewart had been close for the past six months, Moran never thought Charlene would actually marry into the Ferguson family.
After all, with PrimeStar’s success, a man like Stewart, with his background and skills, could have his pick of women. Why would he choose Charlene, who had been married before, had a child, came from a modest background, and didn’t have any outstanding abilities?
But listening to Darleen, it seemed she was open to Charlene joining the family.
Moran looked at Granger in shock. “Is the Ferguson family out of their mind?”
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As the conversation continued, he pondered aloud, “Or perhaps they have no clue about Charlene’s past?”
Many had assumed that Charlene and Stewart were an item.
Since learning that Charlene was also a student of Kenton, Granger had observed her interactions with Stewart. He noted that there was no romantic spark between them.
He wasn’t sure if Darleen’s comments were because she genuinely hoped to be with Stewart or if there was another reason behind it.
But regardless, with Charlene’s current achievements, even if she had been married or had a child, she was certainly worthy of anyone.
He responded, “They probably know.”
Moran’s eyes widened, “Then why would they still-“
Before he could finish, he abruptly stopped, as if a thought had struck him, and said, “So Charlene has really fallen for Stewart and no longer loves Thorne?”
Without waiting for Granger to respond, Moran had a sudden realization and continued, “No wonder when Thorne wanted the divorce, she was so calm and didn’t even fight for custody of Minnie. I thought she was plotting something to win Thorne back. Turns out she had already moved on, and if she had fought for Minnie, marrying into the Ferguson family might not have been so easy-“
Granger just gave a noncommittal shrug.
Moran was genuinely surprised that the Ferguson family was willing to accept Charlene.
A little while later, Thorne approached, and Moran couldn’t resist sharing, “Granger and I overheard Stewart’s mom chatting with others. Sounds like she’s all for Charlene joining the Ferguson family.”
“I bet she’ll marry into the Ferguson family pretty soon after your divorce.”
Thorne raised an eyebrow, clearly amused, “Oh? Is that so?”
Moran insisted, “That’s what Darleen seemed to imply. You can ask Granger.”
Thorne glanced at Granger.
Granger nodded slightly, “Yeah, that’s what it sounded like.”
Thorne chuckled, nodding in acknowledgment but said nothing further.
Just then, Kendal arrived, one of the last to show up.
Seeing Kendal, Thorne gave Granger a pat on the shoulder and turned to greet him, “Kendal.”
Kendal, however, bypassed Thorne and handed his gift to Irma, exchanging a few pleasantries before smiling at Jasmine, “Minnie, come give Grandpa Kendal a hug.”
Jasmine obliged, embracing Kendal.
Kendal beamed, “Our Minnie is such a sweetie.”
Jasmine looked up at Kendal and asked, “Grandpa Kendal, didn’t Mom come with you?”
She had already asked Thorne about Charlene. Thorne had mentioned that Charlene was busy and wouldn’t attend.
Seeing Kendal there, who seemed quite close to Charlene, yet not seeing her, Jasmine couldn’t help but inquire.
Guests unfamiliar with the situation were very curious about Jasmine’s mother.
Hearing Jasmine’s question, many, including Dalton, looked over, eager to uncover the mystery of Jasmine’s mother.
Kendal replied kindly, “No, your mom had some business and couldn’t make it.”
Jasmine sighed, “Alright.”
Since Jasmine referred to Kendal with a surname and not just “Grandpa,” it hinted that Jasmine’s mother wasn’t part of the Underwood family.
This left the guests, especially those like Dalton who were in the dark, speculating that Thorne and Jasmine’s mother might be divorced, and they had just kept it a secret from Jasmine.
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After Irma’s birthday, news quickly spread through the elite circles of Starfall that Thorne was married and had a six-year-old daughter.
Vesta had no shortage of admirers.
Even when it was known she was with Thorne, many men just couldn’t give up hope.
When they learned that Thorne was indeed married and had a daughter, Vesta’s secret admirers were heartbroken for her, feeling she deserved better.
The morning after Irma’s birthday, quite a few of them showed up at Neural Nexus Tech, trying to convince Vesta to leave Thorne.
Edwin and the others stepped in to help, eventually “rescuing” Vesta from the situation.
Word of this quickly spread throughout Neural Nexus Tech.
An employee couldn’t help but comment, “We all knew Director Hawkins was popular since Valentine’s Day, but who would’ve thought it was this crazy?”
“No kidding.”
Everyone at Neural Nexus Tech knew that Thorne and Vesta had a strong relationship.
But the fact that Thorne had been married and had a child was news to them.
Someone couldn’t help but gossip, “Director Hawkins, Mr. Henderson… did he really get married and have a daughter?”
Vesta laughed, “Yes, he did.”
Seeing Vesta so unfazed, someone asked, “And you’re okay with that?”
Vesta smiled, “We get along really well. Minnie is very close to me, and we have a great relationship.”
Since it was work hours, the gossip soon died down.
Around 5 PM, Vesta was still busy when Jasmine came bounding over, “Ms. Hawkins!”
Vesta scooped her up with a smile, “Little Minnie, you’re here!”
Jasmine nodded, “Yeah!”
“I still have a bit of work to finish. Can you sit tight for ten minutes, and then we’ll head over to The Henderson Group to see your dad?”
Jasmine obediently agreed, “Okay!”
When Jasmine first ran into the room, the employees were all curious to know whose child she could be. But as they watched how she talked to Vesta, they quickly figured it out.
Besides, Jasmine did bear a striking resemblance to Thorne.
Earlier in the day, when Vesta mentioned she got along well with Thorne’s daughter, Jasmine, not everyone believed her. But seeing how happy Jasmine was to see Vesta, it was undeniable.
It’s often said that being a stepmom is tough.
Though Thorne and Vesta weren’t married yet, it seemed only a matter of time.
Someone couldn’t help but admire, “Director Hawkins, even kids are charmed by you. That’s impressive!”
Vesta chuckled, “It’s not as dramatic as you make it sound. Minnie has a wonderful personality, and our good relationship is a joint effort. It’s not all me.”
Looking at Jasmine, someone commented, “Mr.
Henderson’s daughter is really beautiful. She’s going to grow up to be a stunner.”
“Absolutely.”
As they watched Jasmine, some employees couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d seen her somewhere before, aside from her resemblance to Thorne.
They also wondered what kind of woman could have been with Thorne to have such a lovely child as Jasmine…
Curiosity aside, they knew better than to pry.
About twenty minutes later, Vesta finished her work and said to Jasmine, “Minnie, Auntie’s ready. Let’s go find your dad.”
Jasmine slung her backpack over her shoulder, happily taking Vesta’s hand, “Okay!”
Vesta gently reminded her, “Minnie, say goodbye to everyone.”
Jasmine waved, “Goodbye, everyone!”
Her sweet demeanor won everyone over, and they quickly responded, “Goodbye, come visit us again!”
Jasmine chirped, “I will!”
As they watched them leave, Edwin remarked, “Seeing how Mr. Henderson sent his daughter over to support Director Hawkins, it’s clear he’s serious about dispelling any doubts about their relationship. Mr. Henderson really cares about Director Hawkins.”
“Indeed, Director Hawkins is quite lucky.”
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Charlene, Stewart, and Quincy from Neural Nexus Tech had this little group chat going on.
Today’s events were just too juicy to keep to himself, so Quincy couldn’t resist spilling the tea to his friends at the first opportunity.
Charlene and Stewart honestly didn’t care much about how many admirers Vesta Hawkins had or how crazy those admirers got over her.
In the afternoon, when Quincy mentioned, “Hey, Mr. Henderson’s daughter showed up at the office today to see Director Hawkins. Remember when Director Hawkins said she got along really well with Mr. Henderson’s daughter, and we all kind of doubted it? Well, seeing Mr. Henderson’s daughter around made us realize she genuinely likes her,” Charlene paused her furious typing.
It wasn’t that the news of Jasmine Henderson being close to Vesta bothered her.
It was just that she suddenly realized if the word got out about Vesta and Jasmine being chummy, her uncle and grandma might not be kept in the dark for long.
Sure, she knew this day would come eventually, but still- Seeing the look on her face, Stewart could guess what was on her mind.
With a dismissive chuckle, he said, “The buzz about Jasmine is only spreading because Thorne Henderson has that kind of clout. But who is Vesta, really? At most, she’s like a sidekick to Thorne. Besides the folks at Neural Nexus Tech and her legion of admirers, who in the wider circle would care about how she’s getting along with Thorne’s daughter?”
As he mused, Stewart suddenly laughed, “If people discovered that you were also the professor’s student, that you masterminded the company’s CUAP and our latest projects, and that you’re actually Jasmine’s biological mom, that would really blow their minds. The fact that Vesta is playing stepmom? That’s nothing in comparison!”
Charlene felt surprisingly calm inside. But still…
She paused for a moment and said, “I think my uncle and grandma have already figured out about Jasmine cozying up to Vesta.”
They probably just pretended not to know to spare her feelings.
Stewart agreed.
He lightly patted her shoulder in reassurance: “It’s a good thing they’re prepared. By not saying anything, they’re showing that in their hearts, you’re more important than Jasmine. Your happiness is what matters most.”
Charlene smiled, “Yeah, I know.”
Talking about this made Charlene think about the progress of her divorce from Thorne.
Honestly, when she’d signed the divorce papers Thorne had given her, she thought it would be finalized quickly.
But it’s been dragging on for months.
She’d asked Thorne countless times, and he kept saying it was nearly done, but…
Knowing Thorne was even more eager to wrap up the divorce than she was, she felt at ease waiting for his notice.
But now…
Thinking about it, she called up Padgett to ask about the divorce proceedings.
Padgett checked in with her every week about the divorce status, and when Charlene brought it up, he said, “Tomorrow’s my day to touch base with Thorne’s lawyer. I’ll get back to you once I hear from them?”
“Alright,” Charlene replied, pausing briefly before continuing calmly, “If they come back with the same vague answers, tell their lawyer I’m willing to walk away with nothing. I don’t need anything Thorne offered me just have them draft a new agreement for me to sign as soon as possible.”
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Padgett paused, clearly incredulous. “Walking away with nothing? Are you sure about that?”
Thorne was being pretty generous, offering her a fortune so vast that she could live lavishly for the rest of her life and still not spend it all.
Padgett couldn’t quite wrap his head around why she would want to give up such easy money.
Charlene replied, “I’m sure, but I have one condition.”
She never really planned on taking his money. Even if she turned it down, she wouldn’t feel like she was missing out.
But…
When Irma had that fall and ended up in the hospital, Thorne, in his gratitude for Charlene visiting Irma, not only handed her a check for twenty million dollars but also gifted her three townhouses in the community where Helena lived.
Although Thorne had given her those townhouses later on, they were still included in the divorce settlement.
So, even though the deeds for the townhouses were in her name, and she technically owned them, as long as the divorce papers weren’t finalized, the properties didn’t truly belong to her.
If she walked away with nothing, she wouldn’t get those townhouses.
And if she didn’t secure those townhouses, after the divorce, Thorne might just hand them over to the Hawkins family or the Spencer family.
And knowing the Spencer family’s reputation, if they got those townhouses, they’d likely move right into her grandmother’s neighborhood and make her life a living hell…
With that thought in mind, she told Padgett, “I just want those three townhouses. I don’t need him to give them to me. I can pay for them.”
Over the past couple of months, she’d earned a significant amount of money, enough to afford the townhouses.
Padgett understood Charlene’s stance.
Even though it seemed like a raw deal to him, she was firm in her decision, and he didn’t try to persuade her otherwise.
With this change of plans, Padgett quickly got in touch with Thorne’s lawyer to inform them of Charlene’s intentions.
About half an hour later, just as Charlene was getting ready to head out for dinner, Thorne called her.
Realizing he was reaching out to discuss the divorce, Charlene answered, “Hello?”
“Have you had dinner yet?” Thorne asked from the other end.
Charlene hesitated. “… Not yet.” Cutting to the chase, she said, “I assume your lawyer has already briefed you on my decision.”
“He did,” Thorne replied. “If that’s what you want, I’m okay with it. However, after Grandma found out about our divorce and reviewed the settlement, she insisted that any changes be discussed with her first. Once she approves, I’ll proceed.”
Charlene knew Irma cared about her, and the old lady would definitely be interested in how the assets were divided in their divorce.
She responded coolly “Let’s not tell her. We’ll just finalize the divorce papers first.”
“Smart move.” Thorne chuckled. “You’ve gotten sneaky
Charlene sighed, rubbing her temples. She wasn’t in the mood for his banter.
“Let’s do it next week,” she said. “Monday, we’ll go.”
“That won’t work.” Thorne’s voice carried a hint of exasperation, “Grandma’s so fond of you, she’s worried I might take advantage of you. When she found out about the divorce, she made me sign an agreement. If we alter the settlement without informing her, she has the right to claim half of my assets.”
Charlene stopped in her tracks. “When did this happen?”
“Over Christmas.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
He chuckled. “I never thought you’d want to change the agreement.”
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Thorne asked again, “So, have you talked to Grandma?”
Charlene just stared blankly. She didn’t even need to think about it. Irma would never agree to let her walk away with nothing after the divorce.
She sighed and asked, “If we don’t change anything in the divorce agreement, when can we get the paperwork done?”
Thorne replied, “Should be within this year.”
It was only March now, still months away from the end of the year.
Waiting a few months wasn’t impossible for her.
But…
Thorne continued, “Any other questions?”
Charlene didn’t say anything and just hung up.
As soon as she ended the call, her phone rang again.
It was Granger Harden calling.
He said that Daisy had come down with the flu and wouldn’t be able to leave the house for a couple of days. Their weekend plans would have to be postponed.
Charlene, hearing this, said, “No worries, we can reschedule when Daisy’s feeling better.” She was genuinely concerned about Daisy and added, “Let me know if she improves, okay?”
Granger chuckled, picking up on her concern, and said, “Will do.”
After that, they ended the call.
Charlene decided she needed to develop a new model for the previous project as soon as possible.
Over the weekend, Charlene was mostly home, buried in
Come Monday Charlene arrived at the office, spent some
me reviewing documents, and when the clock hit the Aww she headed to the interview room.
By the time she interviewed the fourth candidate, the person walked in, didn’t see Stewart, and lingered at the doorway, asking, “Isn’t Stewart here?”
Charlene looked up and replied, “He’s not here”
The candidate looked her over from head to toe and, raising an eyebrow asked, “So you’re Charlene?”
“That’s me.” Charlene didn’t bother asking how he knew her name she had a pretty good idea of what he was getting at. “Since he’s not here, do you still want to continue with the interview?”
The candidate hesitated for a moment, gave her another look, and finally sat down, saying, “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Charlene noted his nonchalant demeanor and asked directly: “How would you like to proceed?”
He seemed a bit taken aback as if Charlene didn’t strike him as someone who would ask such a question.
He raised an eyebrow, “I can choose how this goes?”
Charlene replied, “Sure, let’s hear it.”
The candidate pulled out a laptop from his bag, fiddled with it for a moment, then handed it over to Charlene while he leaned back, legs crossed, casually sucking on a lollipop.
Charlene glanced at the screen, seeing a long string of code.
After a brief review, she didn’t say a word and simply started making changes.
In no time at all, she turned the laptop back to him and said, “There you go.”
He glanced at her, still chewing his lollipop, and then looked at the screen. After just a few seconds, he froze, staring at Charlene in disbelief.
The code he’d written was of top-notch quality.
Yet, Charlene had managed to revise it in such a short amount of time.
Her modifications had elevated the code’s structure, efficiency, and scalability to a whole new level!
How was this even possible?
Sure, being proficient in coding doesn’t define everything, but to be this skilled? He hadn’t met anyone like her before.
Filled with excitement, he leaned forward, hands pressed against the table, eyes gleaming, “Your name’s Charlene, right? Love the name. Where did you graduate from? How long ago? What projects have you led? Mind sharing?”
He was leaning a bit too close, so Charlene leaned back, creating some distance. She asked, “Do you still want to continue with the interview?”
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“Of course!” With that, the man extended his hand toward Charlene and introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Gaylord Hearst, nice to meet you.”
Charlene shook his hand. “I know,” she replied. She had his resume right in front of her.
Looking at him, she asked, “So, are you interviewing me, or am I interviewing you?”
Gaylord chuckled, “Either way works for me.”
According to Gaylord’s resume, his strength lay in algorithms. Charlene probed into his skills in data cleaning, feature engineering, and hyperparameter tuning, and also tested his ability to come up with innovative solutions when faced with new challenges.
By the time they finished talking, quite a bit of time had passed.
Charlene was convinced of Gaylord’s strong professional abilities.
Especially considering he had switched fields midstream.
In fact, he had been in the Al field for just over a year, not even two.
To have developed such deep expertise in such a short time was truly exceptional.
If he kept up this momentum, his future would be limitless.
Charlene closed the resume and asked him a personal question, “Your resume says you grew up in Country Goldland. What made you decide to come back here to work?”
Charlene had previously asked if he was interviewing her or vice versa. In reality, during their conversation, Gaylord had also gained a deeper understanding of Charlene’s professional capabilities.
He had already recognized her superior programming skills when she streamlined his lengthy code. Now, after their conversation, he realized that Charlene’s overall capabilities were almost intimidatingly impressive.
Gaylord answered her directly, “Because your programming language CUAP and the new project Infinite CM, especially PrimeStar Technologies’ latest project Infinite CM, showed me so many possibilities. Plus, the domestic Al market is so dynamic compared to the stagnant waters of Goldland.”
After answering, he persisted, “Since you’ve asked your questions, is it my turn now?”
Before she could respond, Gaylord stood up, walked over to her, and asked, “Do you have a boyfriend? What kind of boyfriend do you like? Do you think I’d be a good fit?”
Charlene was speechless.
Others in the interview room tried to stifle their laughter. Charlene calmly replied, “No comment.”
With that, she added, “Your interview is over. You may leave now.”
Seeing Charlene rise to leave, Gaylord assumed he’d been hired and followed her, saying, “I can start work immediately, and I won’t even ask for a salary.”
Charlene ignored him and walked out the door.
In the afternoon, Stewart returned and asked her, “Did you find anyone suitable in the interviews today?”
“There were a couple of promising candidates,” she said, handing over two resumes.
Stewart looked over at them and paused when his gaze landed on Gaylord’s. “Is it him?”
Charlene looked up. “You know him?”
“Yes,” Stewart replied. “He’s the heir of the Hearst family. I heard he was doing well in finance until two years ago when, out of the blue, he switched majors and drove his family crazy. After all, they’ve got a slew of businesses waiting for him to take over.”
Stewart continued, “I heard he ran away from home recently, and his family’s been looking for him. I had no idea he’d slipped back home on his own.”
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Charlene looked at Stewart with an expression that was hard to read.
Stewart glanced over the papers and asked, “The resume looks impressive, but how’s the actual talent?”
“Quite remarkable. He’s been at it for less than two years, yet he’s already outpacing most PhD students.”
“Really? Sounds like a prodigy to me,” Stewart mused. “Are you thinking of keeping him on?”
“I am considering it, but…”
“You’re worried he’ll just up and leave?”
“Exactly.”
Even though she could tell Gaylord was genuinely interested in CUAP and Infinite-CM, there were other unpredictable factors about him.
“We can always try him out for a bit. If it doesn’t work, we let him go.”
Charlene nodded, “Alright.”
Meanwhile, Gaylord entered the arcade, his striking features, broad shoulders, and long legs commanding immediate attention.
A number of young women were tempted to approach him, but Gaylord’s tightly pressed lips and the aura of aloofness he exuded kept them at bay.
It wasn’t long before his phone buzzed in his pocket.
As soon as he answered, the voice on the other end joked, “How did the interview go? Did you charm that Charlene girl? Do you think she bought your ‘love at first sight’ act? Hahaha!”
“If you ask me, you should play it up a bit more, have her wrapped around your finger-“
Gaylord, his expression stoic, was about to respond when he noticed Vesta at the arcade entrance.
Seeing her, he said into the phone, “I’ll have to call you back.”
“There you are,” Vesta said as she approached him. “You disappeared without saying anything, and it scared your sister out of her wits. We thought something had happened to you. Honestly, you’re…”
She stopped short of calling him reckless, noticing the defiant look in his eyes.
“I know why you came back,” Vesta continued. “If you’re here for PrimeStar’s technology, I’m all for it. But if you’re planning to toy with Charlene’s feelings to teach her a lesson for my sake, I won’t support it. My issues with her are mine alone; I don’t want you getting involved.”
Gaylord met her gaze, silent, not even bothering to ask how she found him.
Vesta noticed he was staring at her for a bit too long. She touched her face with a smile, teasing, “Is there something on my face?”
He shook his head and looked away. “It’s nothing.”
“About what I said,” Vesta started again.
“I have to go,” Gaylord interrupted. Without another word, he turned and walked away, his long strides carrying him swiftly out of sight.
“Gaylord, don’t do anything foolish!” Vesta called after him, following as best she could.
Gaylord didn’t answer and took the elevator down.
When he reached the ground floor, he saw Thorne sitting in a car nearby.
He paused, and Thorne grinned, “Long time no see.”
Gaylord glanced at him, then back at Vesta. “Take care,” he said abruptly. “Goodbye.”
Before Vesta could respond, he got into his car and drove off.
Watching him leave, Vesta frowned in concern.
The next day, Charlene arrived at the office to find a bouquet of flowers on her desk.
Before she could react, someone mentioned, “The new guy in R&D, Gaylord, sent those.”
Charlene, unfazed, simply said, “Alright, noted.”
She casually set the flowers aside and focused on her work.
Chapter 340
That morning, Charlene hadn’t been at her desk for long when she received the official acceptance notification from the Al Journal.
A little while later, Stewart came over to discuss work. When he found out her paper had been accepted, he wasn’t surprised.
With Kenton’s endorsement, it was almost guaranteed. If Kenton believed it was solid, Charlene’s paper was sure to make it through.
After they wrapped up their conversation, Charlene checked the time. “Want to grab lunch together?” she suggested.
Stewart rubbed his forehead, a bit of weariness in his voice. “Got plans.”
Charlene looked up, curious. “What’s up?”
Stewart pursed his lips, a bit exasperated. “…It’s a blind
date. Arranged by my granddad.”
Charlene chuckled at that. “You’re 28 and this is your first blind date? You’ve had a good run.”
Stewart just shrugged, not saying much.
Truth be told, his family wasn’t really pushing him to get married. But since the girl was the granddaughter of his grandfather’s old friend, he found it hard to say no.
Charlene nodded. “Go on then. I’ll just hit the cafeteria myself.”
“Alright,” Stewart agreed.
Half an hour later, Stewart arrived at the restaurant-a cozy little place perfect for couples.
He hadn’t been there long when his date arrived too.
As she settled in, Moran Albright strolled in with his own date. He immediately noticed Stewart sitting not too far away, though Stewart was facing away and didn’t spot him.
Moran raised an eyebrow and led his date to a table right behind Stewart.
Stewart was speaking softly, but Moran was close enough to catch snippets of the conversation. It was clear this was a blind date.
Moran’s date noticed his attention wandering and was about to speak when he held a finger to his lips,
signaling her to stay quiet.
Excited by his discovery, Moran discreetly snapped a picture of Stewart and his date, then sent it to the group chat with Thorne, Granger, and Vesta.
“Guess what?” he typed. “Hint: this is a couple’s restaurant.”
Granger had just finished up some work and was about to head out for lunch when he heard the ping of a new message. He opened it, glanced at the picture, and immediately guessed that Stewart was on a date.
Despite seeing the message, he didn’t respond. Maybe he just didn’t feel like it.
Vesta and Thorne also remained silent.
Eager to share the gossip, Moran nudged the group again: “??? Where is everyone? It’s lunchtime. Aren’t you around?”
Still, no word from Granger.
Finally, Vesta chimed in.
“Saw it.”
Moran perked up and messaged back: “Smart as ever, know what’s going on?”
Vesta had already guessed Stewart’s situation the
moment she saw the photo. She chuckled and replied, “Blind date?”
“Bingo!” Moran confirmed.
Vesta smiled at his enthusiasm but chose not to say anything more.
A few days earlier, Vesta hadn’t attended Irma’s birthday party. However, she’d heard that Darleen was quite taken with Charlene, saying if Charlene and Stewart were ever ready, she’d be happy to arrange a wedding for them.
When she first heard that, Vesta thought it sounded pretty far-fetched.
She figured Darleen must not really know Charlene. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said something like that at Irma’s party.
It was clear Darleen was probably in the dark about Charlene and Thorne’s history. Once she knew Charlene had been married before, Vesta doubted she’d be so
keen on welcoming her into the family.
Seeing as Thorne and Granger still hadn’t joined the chat, Moran tagged them both.
When they continued to stay silent, Moran asked Vesta, “Thorne’s not with you?”
Vesta replied, “Nope, he’s on a business trip this morning.”
“Okay,” Moran acknowledged.
He had just replied when Thorne sent a message saying, “Got it.”
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