Rhoda was all worked up. “I heard that ever since Irma got hurt a few days ago, Thorne, Charlene, and the whole Ross family have been pretty tight. Someone even spotted Thorne having dinner with that old lady from the Rosses yesterday. They’re not trying to rekindle an old flame, are they?”

“They never had a flame to rekindle,” Vesta replied calmly, clearly not a fan of Rhoda’s choice of words.

Seeing Rhoda so worked up, Vesta decided to explain, “Irma has always been close with the Ross family. Thorne needs to keep Charlene and the old Ross lady on his side, so they can visit Irma. That way, Irma won’t use her injury as leverage to force Thorne to break up with me.”

Rhoda was surprised to hear this.

When Irma had her fall, she had already kicked their families out of Henderson Group. Both families were anxious that Irma might demand Thorne’s breakup with Vesta as a condition to agree to the surgery. They feared Thorne might give in.

Now that Thorne and Vesta seemed fine, Rhoda had assumed that Thorne had managed to talk Irma into it. It turned out he had sorted things out through the Ross family instead.

With a sigh of relief, Rhoda asked, “So, that project Thorne gave to the Ross family-is that his way of saying thanks?”

“Exactly,” Vesta replied. “It’s both a thank-you and a way to draw a line.”

• Rhoda couldn’t help but admire, “Thorne really knows how to cover all his bases. No wonder he runs his businesses so well.”

Things were looking up, and Rhoda should have been pleased. But…

Something else crossed her mind, and her brow furrowed. “The Ross family already got that PrimeStar project thanks to Charlene. They’re showing signs of bouncing back. If they also get a project from Henderson Group, they might really come back to life.” Vesta’s expression turned cold. “They turned it down.”

“They turned it down?” Rhoda didn’t wait for Vesta’s response before she figured it out. “They’re trying to make Thorne owe them, so Charlene can keep some connection with him. Quite the crafty plan!”

With Thorne and Charlene on the verge of finalizing their divorce, Rhoda wouldn’t accept any monkey business. “We can’t let them pull this off-”

Vesta remained unfazed. “Don’t worry, Thorne will handle it.”

Reflecting on everything that had happened, Rhoda remembered that Thorne had never let them down.

If Thorne was open to giving out the project, he likely saw the Ross family’s attempt to overstep coming. Thorne was sharp, and he definitely had a plan to manage the situation.

With that thought, Rhoda felt completely at ease again.

After a pause, she suddenly asked, “By the way, have you visited Irma in the past few days?”

Vesta shook her head. “No.”

Rhoda seemed a bit disappointed. Vesta added, “During her recovery, there can’t be any slip-ups.”

Right now wasn’t the best time for her to show up. Besides, although Thorne had managed to keep Charlene

and Helena steady, ensuring Irma went through the surgery, her recovery would take time, and they’d still need Charlene and the Ross family’s support.

Vesta thought, “There’s no rush on my end.”