“Drama? What kind of drama? And where can I see it?”

“It’s the traditional theater performance in Starfall. You probably won’t like it.”

Gaylord’s eyes darkened with intrigue. “Don’t be so sure. I might have grown up abroad, but I’ve always been interested in cultural experiences from back home. Just never had the chance.”

Charlene sighed, realizing she had to fill him in.

After hearing her out, Gaylord quickly hopped onto his Neural Nexus Tech and bought tickets online.

A bit later, a friend reached out to him. “Mr. Hearst, how about we hang out tonight?”

“Sorry. I’ve got plans already.”

Meanwhile, after finishing her chat with Gaylord, Charlene was swamped with work until lunchtime. As she glanced at her calendar, she suddenly remembered Daisy’s birthday was coming up. She pondered for a moment before dialing Granger.

Granger had always wanted to get closer to Charlene. Now that he knew Gaylord was into her, he was even more eager. But apart from work and Daisy, their paths rarely crossed. With no current projects needing him to visit PrimeStar, he found it hard to come up with reasons to see her.

Seeing her call, he paused before getting out of the car and picked up the phone.

Charlene spoke first. “Mr. Harden, am I interrupting?”

“Not at all,” he replied, his tone softening. “Is there something you need?”

“About Daisy’s birthday, I wanted to make her a gift myself. But I’m worried she might not like it, so I wanted your opinion.”

Granger felt a warm glow when she showed concern for Daisy. “Daisy adores you. She’ll cherish anything you make with love.”

Charlene agreed, knowing Daisy’s nature. But still…

“Could you give me something more specific?” she asked.

Granger paused, then asked, “Can you bake a cake?”

“Yes,” Charlene replied. “Alright, I’ve got it.”

“Thank you. If you run into any issues, feel free to reach out.”

“Will do.”

After hanging up, Granger finally exited the car and headed into the restaurant. By the time he arrived, Thorne, Vesta, and Moran Albright were already there.

Moran teased, “What took you so long?”

Granger chuckled. “Just had a call.”

Vesta observed Granger, noticing how unusually cheerful he seemed. Ever since Janetta started working at his company, she’d tried inviting him out a few times. He’d always declined, citing other commitments.

Once or twice, she bought it. But after so many times…

Was it because she’d pushed him too much towards Leah Spencer, and now he thought she’d try setting them up again?

That evening around six, Charlene was finishing dinner with the Ross family. Just as she was about to head out with Helena to catch the play, her phone buzzed with a call from Kenton Wagner.

Kenton asked, “Are you at the Ross family’s place?”

“Yeah,” Charlene replied.

“Something urgent came up that needs your attention. Get ready, someone will pick you up in ten minutes.”

Charlene sighed. “Alright.”

Helena, hearing about Kenton’s request, told Charlene to go ahead and handle her work. She and Maisie could catch the show on their own.

Right on time, Kenton’s car arrived at the Ross family doorstep.

Once in the

car,

Charlene learned

that the government project she’d helped initiate was behind schedule. Kenton was swamped and couldn’t

leave his other responsibilities.

she was the next best person

Since

familiar with the core technology, he

needed her to oversee the progress.

At the base, her phone was promptly collected for security reasons. For the next couple of days, she was

on her feet, constantly busy.

By the third day, around lunchtime, as she walked into the base’s cafeteria, York approached her with a purposeful stride.