Chapter 412
After their round of golf, Charlene Ross and Darius still had other plans for the afternoon.
Thorne Henderson and Vesta Hawkins had joined them midway but seemed to sense that Charlene’s group had somewhere else to be. Not wanting to intrude, Thorne offered, “We have some things to take care of, so we’ll leave you all to it.”
Darius and Abelard Ramirez didn’t try to persuade them to stay. “Alright then. Next time, let’s all get together again,” Darius said with a smile.
Thorne nodded, still smiling, and left with Vesta.
Stewart Ferguson had actually been worried Thorne and Vesta might tag along for lunch or tea, so seeing them make their exit on their own accord put him at ease. He leaned over to Charlene and murmured, “At least he knows when to bow out.”
Charlene smiled. “He does.”
A little ways down the path, after they’d left the others behind, Thorne broke the silence. “You look a bit down.”
Vesta had indeed been feeling glum after her lackluster performance twice in a row, no less. And it didn’t help that Darius and the others seemed so taken with Charlene.
Even though she knew they were only charmed by Charlene’s surface, it still left a sour taste in her mouth. But she didn’t say any of this out loud. Instead, she forced a wry smile. “I made a fool of myself more than once today. I have to admit, it’s a little discouraging. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn.”
“You’ve got strengths of your own. Don’t let a minor setback get to you,” Thorne told her.
His words did help lift her spirits a little.
Watching Charlene handle herself that afternoon, Vesta had to admit she was impressed. Charlene was quick on her feet, always thinking two steps ahead of something Vesta hadn’t quite expected.
And she could tell Thorne was also surprised by Charlene’s performance, maybe even seeing her in a new light.
But that was as far as it went. Thorne didn’t seem any more interested in Charlene because of it. On the other hand, he clearly wasn’t bothered by Vesta’s less-than-stellar showing. In his eyes, her appeal hadn’t faded a bit.
Truth was, neither of them had any plans after golf. Vesta realized Thorne had only suggested leaving because he noticed she was upset and didn’t want her to feel worse.
With that thought, the gloom lifted from her heart.
That afternoon, a little after three, Charlene finally made her way back to the Ross estate after having tea with Darius and the others.
Jasmine Henderson spotted her coming in and ran over for a hug. “Mom, you’re home!”
“I am,” Charlene replied.
Jasmine hadn’t been thrilled when she’d learned her Mom was going out that morning and hadn’t brought her along. Still, she seemed in good spirits now. Apparently, even without her mother around, Jasmine had enjoyed her day at the estate.
Jasmine was just about to say something when her phone rang.
Seeing the caller, she quickly answered, “Dad?”
Whatever Thorne said made her nod enthusiastically. “Okay, I got it.”
After hanging up, Jasmine turned to Charlene. “Mom, Dad’s taking me out. He’s sending someone over to pick me up.”
Charlene’s expression remained calm. She didn’t try to keep Jasmine from going. “Alright. Have fun.”
In truth, Jasmine was a little reluctant to leave her mother, but Thorne had promised to take her somewhere she’d been wanting to go for ages.
So when Thorne’s driver arrived at the Ross house, Jasmine hopped in and left without a fuss.
Once she was gone, Charlene headed upstairs to take care of her own work.
On Tuesday, Charlene filled in for Stewart and went to Henderson Technology for a meeting.
When she arrived, Josh personally came down to greet her and Chester.
“Ms. Ross, this way, please,” Josh said politely.
Charlene nodded, following him. She assumed the meeting would be held in one of the conference rooms.
To her surprise, Josh led her straight to Thorne’s office.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar place; she’d worked as Thorne’s secretary before and had been “fortunate” enough to set foot in his office a few times.
It hadn’t even been a year since she was last here, but it already felt like a lifetime ago.
Thorne was inside, sorting through paperwork. When he saw her enter, he looked up and stood, greeting her with courtesy. “You’re here. Please, have a seat.”