Chapter 406
Thorne hadn’t even had a chance to say anything before his phone started buzzing. He stepped outside to take the call, and by the time he returned, the waitress was already laying out plates of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and Caesar salads. Just like that, Moran’s awkward question was swept under the rug.
Right now, the author of the paper that engineers across the globe were scrambling to read was sitting right at their table.
As they dug into dinner, Professor Mack and his PhD students couldn’t help but flip through the main points and data in the paper, occasionally glancing up to pepper Charlene with questions.
It didn’t matter if they asked about something complicated in the research, or about some problem that had been stumping them for month Charlene answered every question, quick as a whip, her explanations clear and confident.
Vesta watched it all, but inside, she felt oddly calm. Seeing Charlene hold her own in a technical discussion with Professor Mack and his students, it really did look like she knew her stuff.
But… was that even possible?
If Stewart had the guts to list Charlene as the lead author on the paper, he must have made sure she was totally prepared.
Initially, when Stewart announced Charlene as the first author, Vesta had been genuinely shocked.
But if this research really was all Charlene’s work, as Stewart claimed, then wouldn’t that mean she was even more brilliant than her own advisor, Professor Kevitt Smith?
That just didn’t add up.
She wasn’t Stewart. Sure, there were plenty of geniuses in the world, but not everyone could be a Stewart.
So, most likely, the research was Stewart’s, but he wanted to give Charlene a boost by putting her name in the spotlight-
Once Vesta came to that conclusion, she shot Charlene a sideways glance, watching her chat animatedly with Professor Mack and the others. Then she looked away, expression cool and indifferent.
Maureen and Leah seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
Leah, who was never good at hiding her feelings, looked like she was about to explode. Seeing Charlene act like a real expert-actually giving Professor Mack advice-made her almost jump up and blurt out the “truth.” But since Maureen and Vesta kept quiet, Leah managed to bite her tongue.
Dalton, too, had doubted Charlene’s abilities. But seeing the focused, excited look on Professor Mack’s face as he talked with her, Dalton started to feel a little confused.
Was Charlene… really this good?
Dinner dragged on longer than expected. Before everyone left, Charlene and Professor Mack swapped emails and phone numbers.
Professor Mack, realizing how long he’d monopolized Charlene, apologized to Thome, “Sorry, Mr. Henderson. When I start talking shop, I just can’t help myself…
Thorne just smiled. “No worries. That’s what this dinner was for, so everyone could get to know each other. Makes it easier to work together in the future.”
As the group began to break up, Granger finally found a moment to approach Charlene. “Congratulations,” he said, smiling warmly.
Charlene smiled back, “Thank you.”
Moran saw Granger make a point of congratulating Charlene, but didn’t think much of it. He figured Granger was just being polite.
Thorne also noticed Granger talking to Charlene, but only glanced over before turning away, unmoved.
Vesta, on the other hand, pressed her lips together as she watched. Did Granger really believe Charlene was that talented? Was that why he liked her?
But… that couldn’t be it. Granger had shown interest in Charlene even before The Harden Group and PrimeStar started working together.
So, Granger’s feelings for Charlene had nothing to do with how skilled she was. Just then, Thorne’s voice sounded beside her. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Snapping out of her reverie, Vesta glanced at Charlene, who’d been the star of the evening, and at Thorne, who hadn’t paid Charlene a bit of attention all night. Vesta let out a soft chuckle, her mood suddenly light. “Oh, nothing.”
Whether Charlene was really a genius or not, Vesta thought, she still didn’t matter to Thorne.