Dalton remained silent, lost in thought.

Stewart, on the other hand, seemed to make it his personal mission to put Dalton in an awkward spot.

Truthfully, the money didn’t matter much to either of them; it was just pocket change. As they ate, the talk gradually turned to more serious topics. Charlene sat quietly eating her Caesar salad, only chiming in when needed. Dalton noticed this and was a bit surprised. Charlene’s comments were always insightful and added value to the discussion.

She seemed to have some real skills, he thought. Initially, Dalton assumed that Charlene was just trying to cozy up to Stewart, playing the subordinate role. But during this dinner, their dynamic seemed to be the opposite. Perhaps, he mused, this was Charlene’s secret weapon in keeping Stewart so captivated. After all, if she wasn’t talented, how could she hold Stewart’s interest so tightly?

As the meal wound down, Charlene excused herself to the restroom. On her way back, she bumped into Thorne, who was just stepping out of the adjacent men’s room. Thorne glanced at her but seemed unsure of what to say.

Charlene had no intention of making small talk either. She was about to walk past him when she remembered something. “When can we finally sort out the divorce papers?” she asked.

She knew he was eager to get it done, probably more so than she was. So she hadn’t bothered to ask before. But it had been a while now.

Thorne replied. “It’ll take a little more time.”

“No specific date?”

“I’ll let you know once it’s set.”

Charlene nodded, ready to leave when Thorne added, “My grandmother knows about the divorce now.”

Charlene shrugged. “That’s probably for the best.”

At least there’d be no more awkward matchmaking attempts. No more pretending for her.

“Yeah,” Thorne agreed.

They walked in silence for a bit, side by side. Suddenly, someone came barreling around the corner.

Charlene and Thorne quickly stepped aside to dodge a collision. Despite their efforts, Charlene was still bumped and ended up pressed against Thorne. He instinctively steadied her by wrapping his hand around her waist.

“Sorry!” the person called out, rushing into the restroom.

As soon as she realized what happened, Charlene tried to pull away from Thorne’s embrace, but just then, Dalton appeared from around the corner.

He stopped abruptly, taking in Charlene pressed against Thorne and Thorne’s arm around her. “You two-”

Thorne released Charlene immediately.

Charlene stepped aside, putting distance between herself and Thorne. Without meeting either man’s eyes, she turned and walked away.

Dalton watched her go and then turned his attention back to Thorne.

Thorne gave a casual smile. “Mr. Ramirez, just heading to the restroom?”

Dalton’s voice was cool. “… Yes.”

With a nod, Thorne walked away as well.

Dalton stood there, lips pressed into a thin line.

He never really thought about Charlene and Thorne in the same context. All he knew was they had crossed paths at Neural Nexus Tech, though they’d barely spoken, given Charlene’s relatively low rank at PrimeStar. Then there was that recent gala.

Thorne had approached Charlene at the gala just because of Vesta, right? They didn’t have any other connection, or so he thought. But the scene he just witnessed made him question everything.