Chapter 750

Thorne didn't offer any grand praises about having read her published papers or claim that the award was well-deserved.

After his brief congratulations, he seamlessly shifted the conversation to Jasmine, and the two adults maintained a casual, lighthearted chat with their daughter.

After dinner, Charlene said her goodbyes and got into her car.

Sitting in Thorne's passenger seat, Jasmine watched Charlene's taillights disappear down the street, a conflicted look on her face.

Thorne noticed. "What's wrong? Did you forget to tell Mom something?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No... I just wonder when Mom will be done with work so she can move back home."

She liked the current arrangement well enough—she could visit the Ross family whenever she pleased and return to the Hendersons to be with Thorne just as easily. Still, deep down, she desperately wanted her mother back under the same

roof.

But Charlene always claimed she was too busy and that moving back was inconvenient.

Hearing this, Thorne kept his tone neutral. "If you want to know, just ask her directly next time."

Jasmine sighed. "...I know."

But if her mother couldn't give her the answer she wanted, asking was pointless.

...

The next day.

Charlene returned to PrimeStar Technologies. She and Stewart had just wrapped up a meeting and were walking out of the conference room when Stewart's phone rang.

He answered it casually.

A second later, he stopped in his tracks, an amused brow arching upward. He shot Charlene a knowing look before speaking into the receiver with a drippingly polite tone. "Well, if it isn't Director Lancaster. What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the honor of this sudden call?"

Whatever was said on the other end

was

brought a mocking glint to Stewart's eyes. "A collaboration? You must be joking, Director Lancaster. I was under the impression you looked down on PrimeStar. What prompted this sudden change of heart?"

Charlene halted beside him, immediately understanding the situation.

After listening to the response, Stewart held Charlene's gaze and continued, "We're incredibly flattered that you'd consider working with us. However, Charlene is currently handling the bulk of our company's projects. If you're serious about a partnership, you'll need to

coordinate with her directly. I've got pressing matters to attend to, so I'm

afraid I have to cut this short."

He paused, adding with faux helpfulness, "Do you have our internal directory? Should I give you her number?"

On the other end of the line, Corinne practically choked on his thinly veiled sarcasm.

Her face darkened, but she forced a stiff laugh. "I have it. No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Ferguson."

She promptly ended the call.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Stewart turned to Charlene. "Care to guess who that was?"

"Yeah."

"Word on the street is their new project hit a massive technical wall. The team they hired has been spinning their wheels for ages with zero progress. They're on a brutal deadline, so..."

Charlene nodded in understanding.

With that, Stewart excused himself to handle other business.

Charlene returned to her office and worked for a while before Chester knocked on the door. He informed her that Corinne was waiting in the lobby, requesting a meeting about a potential partnership.

.net

Knowing full well about the bad blood between the two women, Chester asked, "Should I send her up?"

Charlene replied flatly, "No. I won't be seeing her, and PrimeStar won't be working with her."

Chester nodded. "Understood."

Downstairs in the lobby, Corinne's expression turned incredibly sour when the receptionist relayed that Director Ross was 'unavailable.'