Thorne, I trust completely,” Georgina said coolly. “It’s just Charlene I’m worried about. She might stir up trouble. and pressure Thorne into making concessions.” Turning to Katie and Henley, she added, “Looks like you two will have to have a chat with her.”

Henley and Katie were of the same mind.

What the Hawkins and the Spencer families were plotting, Charlene and Stewart were blissfully unaware.

Exiting the elevator, they were heading to their private dining room when three imposing figures approached them.

Spotting the trio, Stewart thought, “Did I walk under a ladder today or something? Why do I keep running into trouble?” Charlene glanced at them.

Salton, Kelvin, and someone else…

He looked familiar, but Charlene couldn’t place where she’d seen him.

The trio, upon seeing Stewart and Charlene, cheerfully greeted Stewart.

“Mr. Ferguson, what a coincidence,” Dalton exclaimed.

Stewart forced a smile, replying, “Yeah, quite the coincidence.”

Dalton had called Stewart earlier in the day to invite him out for a meal to discuss a potential collaboration, but Stewart had declined. Now that they had bumped into each other, Dalton, seemingly ignoring Charlene, suggested, “Since we’ve met, why not join us?”

Kelvin chimed in with a smile, “Yeah, it’s been a while since we all had a meal together.”

“No, thanks,” Stewart replied with a polite smile. “I have some matters to attend to.”

He then turned to the other man, asking, “Mr. Watson, you’re free today?”

York Watson, his handsome face betraying no emotion, simply said, “Took a few days off.”

Stewart nodded, not wanting to linger, “We’ll have to take a rain check on that meal. We have an appointment.”

York nodded.

Stewart and Charlene then headed into their private dining room.

Once they were a distance away, York finally spoke, “Did anyone here offend him?”

Stewart’s demeanor, while not overtly dismissive, clearly conveyed that he wanted nothing to do with them.

Kelvin was clueless, “Not that I know of.”

Dalton frowned, choosing not to respond.

Inside their room, Kelvin took a sip of his tea and remarked, “Not to stir the pot, but Stewart’s really making waves. If he pulls off those two projects, we’re talking a major leap in his net worth.”

York commented calmly, “He’s always been sharp. Studied under Kenton, his field’s been booming, and he’s got talent. Success was inevitable for him.”

Then, looking at Dalton, he added, “Heard from Newbolt you had a thing for Stewart’s girl but moved on quickly.

you moved on, why the animosity? Did she do something?”

Dalton’s disdain for Charlene was evident earlier, not even sparing her a glance.

Mention of his fleeting infatuation with Charlene now irked Dalton to no end.

Irated, he replied, “Can we not talk about her? Let’s just order.”

York, unfazed, shrugged and changed the subject.