Chapter 771

Dr. Wagner's friend looked at him and smiled. "If someone makes you openly admit you dislike them, they must be truly awful."

Since Dr. Wagner and Charlene hadn't gone far, Vesta and Raleigh clearly heard the remark.

When Vesta had offered a polite greeting, Dr. Wagner had iced her out completely, acting as if she didn't exist. Raleigh's expression was already grim, but seeing Dr. Wagner and his friend deliberately mock Vesta made his blood boil.

He figured Charlene must have fed them a bunch of lies to make Dr. Wagner and the stranger humiliate Vesta to her face.

Even so, he was furious. He couldn't believe a respected figure like Dr. Wagner would condemn a young woman without knowing the full story.

Staring at their retreating backs, Raleigh's gaze turned somber.

He couldn't wait to see if Dr. Wagner would feel any remorse for hurting an innocent girl once he discovered Charlene's true colors.

Just as he was about to march up and expose Charlene right then and there, Vesta spoke up, her tone subdued. "Let's eat somewhere else."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away.

Raleigh froze for a second before hurrying after her. Seeing her pale face, he

assumed she was devastated and humiliated by Dr. Wagner's misunderstanding. He was about to offer comfort when Vesta beat him to it.

"I know you wanted to help, and I appreciate the thought. Thank you," she said softly. "But I'm fine."

She managed a tight smile. "Didn't you want steak? There's a good place next door. My treat."

Anyone could tell she was forcing the smile. To Raleigh, it was obvious she was just putting up a brave front so he wouldn't worry.

His heart ached for her even more. He wanted to tell her he had a way to expose Charlene to Dr. Wagner, but remembering Thorne's involvement, he hesitated and kept his mouth shut.

Seeing that Raleigh wasn't going to insist on confronting Dr. Wagner, Vesta let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

But...

Since Dr. Wagner was Charlene's mentor, he undoubtedly knew the entire history between the two women.

Whenever she had run into him in

the past, he had never brought up the drama. Though he had always been distant, he had he had never blatantly displayed his dislike for her like he

did today.

His uncharacteristic bluntness was a clear message: he knew everything she had done to Charlene.

He probably saw right through her intentions, too.

...

After lunch, Charlene hitched a ride back to The Henderson Group in Dr. Wagner's

car.

During the drive, she tapped away on her phone, sorting out some work matters. When they arrived outside the building, Charlene stepped out, phone in hand: She said goodbye to Dr. Wagner and was about to head inside when he rubbed his temples, rolled down the window, and handed out the purse she had left on the seat.

At that exact moment, the rest of the

team wa C

n«

returning from lunch and

spotted Dr. Wagner in the

swnow ca

The vehicle sped off before anyone could say hello, leaving the group stunned.

They turned to Charlene in disbelief. "Was... was that Dr. Wagner? Did you just get lunch with him?"

Charlene nodded. "Yeah."

"Holy crap!"

Raleigh, who had just returned, witnessed the entire exchange.