Chapter 774

Neither Charlene nor Thorne objected, so they piled in, bringing Gaylord along.

Once they were settled in the car, the coordinator smiled at Charlene. "Why didn't Mr. Ferguson travel with you?"

"He had another business trip. He'll be arriving a bit later."

It was late by the time they reached the hotel. Charlene, Gaylord, and Thorne stepped into the elevator together.

Charlene and Thorne were on the same floor, but Gaylord wasn't.

When Gaylord stepped off first, it left Charlene and Thorne alone in the enclosed space.

They exchanged a brief glance. Charlene met his eyes for a second before looking away. Thorne remained silent.

It wasn't until the doors chimed and opened on their floor that Thorne finally spoke. "Good night."

"..."

Charlene didn't reply. She just dragged her suitcase down the hall and swiped her keycard.

Stewart had just landed, Dr. Wagner had his own arrangements, and they all had early morning events to attend. Charlene unpacked her things, took off her makeup, and went straight to bed.

The next morning, she texted Stewart, finished getting ready, and stepped out of her room. Stewart's room was on the same floor, and he was walking out just as she did. Seeing her, he smiled. "Dr. Wagner said he might skip the Tech Innovators Salon, so we shouldn't wait up for him."

Charlene nodded. She was about to reply when Thorne walked toward the elevators from the opposite end of the hallway.

Stewart tensed. "..."

Thorne, however, offered an easy smile. "Morning."

"...Morning," Stewart replied stiffly.

The three of them rode the elevator down in complete silence.

A moment later, the doors opened to let Gaylord in.

Normally, standard attendees didn't have access to the exclusive Tech Innovators Salon, but Gaylord had clearly pulled some strings.

He stepped in, paused when he saw the three of them, and then moved inside.

Charlene had put effort into her appearance today. Her styling wasn't overly complex, but she looked undeniably stunning. Gaylord didn't hold back. "You look beautiful today."

Charlene knew he was interested in her, and she felt a bit awkward receiving a compliment like that with Thorne standing night there, even though Gaylord had no idea about

her marriage. Still, she offered a

polite, "Thank you."

Regardless of their current situation, she was still Thorne's wife. Yet, hearing another man openly flirt with her, Thorne didn't flinch.

Gaylord then struck up a conversation with Charlene and Stewart. Thorne stood

quietly in the corner, minding his own business.

The venue for the salon was already packed.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were swarmed by people eager to

say hello. Thorne seamlessly broke away from the group.

At the salon, Charlene was undeniably the star of the show.

She was highly regarded in her own right, and while Dr. Wagner hadn't arrived yet, many of the industry and event organizers were highe personal friends or close

heavyweights, committee judgeon et

acquaintances.

They were immediately swept into conversations.

The room was filled with the top minds in the industry-the kind of people you rarely saw gathered in one place, even at the Base. Both Charlene and Stewart were thrilled, eagerly mingling and exchanging ideas with the tech giants. .net

Dr. Wagner had mentioned he might not show up, but halfway through the event, he

made an unexpected entrance.