Chapter 177
Thorne barely glanced up from his phone when he heard her, muttering a distracted, “Sure”
Seeing him agree, Charlene felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Irma had been chatting with the butler, missing the exchange entirely, but the sight of them talking brought a warm smile to her face.
After dinner, Irma had someone bring Charlene her medicine.
Thorne excused himself from the dining room to make a call.
Charlene, having finished her medicine, was just stepping out of the dining room when the sound of a car engine caught her attention. “Did he leave?” she wondered aloud.
Irma huffed, clearly annoyed, “Yes, off in such a hurry. Who knows what he’s up to.”
Charlene frowned, suspecting he might be off to Neural Nexus Tech to help Vesta again, despite his promise to
chat with her later.
She hoped he would return that evening. But Thorne didn’t come back.
The following days were hectic over at Neural Nexus Tech.
After breakfast, Charlene and Stewart headed straight to the Neural Nexus Tech entrance to meet up.
Vesta and her team were already there when they arrived.
Stewart raised an eyebrow,
“We did,” Quincy replied You’re early. Didn’t you pull an all-nighter?”
“But we had to get an early start to keep up with the schedule. It’s been intense.”
Stewart didn’t bother commenting further, and Charlene focused on her work.
An hour later, as Charlene was about to head to the restroom, Thorne appeared. This time, it didn’t seem like he was there for Vesta.
After a brief greeting with Vesta near the
rence room, he headed their way.
Stewart asked, “Mr. Henderson, what brings you here?”
Thorne responded, “I took some time to review the system you’ve been working on. It looks impressive, but I have some ideas I’d like to discuss with you both.”
Stewart glanced at Charlene, who excused herself, “Sorry, I need to run to the restroom. You guys start without
me.”
Nods were exchanged, and Charlene left.
Returning from the restroom, Charlene was nearly back to Thorne and Stewart when a sharp cry of “Director Hawkins” echoed from the conference room, followed by a commotion.
As Charlene turned to look, Thorne’s expression darkened, and he rushed towards the conference room. He brushed past her so forcefully that Charlene nearly stumbled, her shoulder aching from the impact. Stewart quickly steadied her, “You okay?” Holding her shoulder, Charlene shook her head, “I’m fine.”
As she spoke, she saw Thorne emerge from the conference room, supporting a woozy Vesta, before they both disappeared from sight.
Quincy, worried, asked, “What happened to Director Hawkins?”
“She fainted,” Edwin replied. “Probably from all those late nights catching up to her.
Remembering Thorne’s reaction, Stewart’s face soured, “She won’t die!”
Seeing Stewart’s anger, Quincy attempted to lighten the mood, “Stewart, Mr. Henderson was just worried about Director Hawkins, no need to-” Stewart cut him off sharply, “Shut it!”
Quincy fell silent.
Charlene, trying to ease the tension, smiled, “It’s not that bad anymore. The pain’s almost gone.”
Stewart pressed his lips together, “Want to head home and rest?”