Chapter 540

The Albright family was one of the most prominent names in Starfall, so it was hardly surprising to Charlene that Moran had received an invitation. She greeted them with effortless poise as they entered. “Mr. Harden, Mr. Albright, welcome.”
Though Moran occasionally crossed paths with Charlene at social events, it had actually been a long while since they’d exchanged even the most basic of pleasantries.
Granger, on the other hand, barely acknowledged her. When he noticed Charlene’s polite but distant demeanor, he couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow. She was moving through the room with the grace and assurance of a true hostess, greeting guests with practiced ease, which made his brow arch even higher.
It had been some time since Granger had last seen Charlene as well.
He was just about to speak when his eyes landed on Thorne and Vesta across the ballroom.
Moran noticed them too. His eyes widened in surprise. “Thorne and Vesta are here already?”
Granger felt a flicker of surprise himself. He glanced over, about to look away, when Thorne and Vesta spotted them as well.
Thorne offered them a friendly smile. Vesta had been smiling too, but as soon as she met Granger’s gaze, her expression cooled a few degrees.
Moran waved to them, about to pull Granger along, but Granger stayed put and motioned for him to wait. Turning to Charlene, he said, “I’ve been following the news about PrimeStar lately. Congratulations on everything.”
In just six months, PrimeStar had achieved remarkable success-Charlene and Stewart had pulled off something truly impressive.
Charlene’s smile was genuine. “Thank you.”
Moran had heard about PrimeStar’s latest financial results as well. Hearing Granger offer his congratulations, he thought nothing of it; after all, Charlene was one of the company’s key figures, and it was only natural for Granger to acknowledge that.
Just then, Teague, who had been working closely with PrimeStar, arrived, exuding his usual warmth. “Ms. Ross, congratulations!”
“Thank you, Teague. You’re too kind.” Charlene shook his hand, exchanged a few words and ther turned back to Granger. But seeing she was needed elsewhere, Granger spoke first. “Go ahead, don’t det us keep you. We’ll head over there.” s
“Alright.”
As they made their way toward Thorne and Vesta, Moran grinned. “You’re early today. When I first spotted you, I thought I must be seeing things.”
“Had nothing else going on, so I figured I’d come by early,” Thorne replied, raising his glass as Granger and Moran each took a drink from a passing tray. They clinked their glasses together.
Vesta lowered her eyes at Thorne’s words, falling quiet.
With no one else around, Moran
couldn’t help but lower his voice and
ask, “You and Charlene haven’t
finalized the divorce yer but when you started the paperwork, was she pretty cooperative?” s
Thorne nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“No reason.” Moran glanced toward Charlene, watching her expertly play the hostess while other PrimeStar guests treated her as if she were the company’s co-owner. He turned back to Thorne and murmured, “She really looks the part tonight like she’s already stepped into the role of PrimeStar’s leading lady. Are you sure she doesn’t plan to marry Stewart once the divorce goes through?” s
Thorne just gave a small, unreadable smile. “I wouldn’t know. If you’re that curious, why don’t you ask her yourself?”
Moran went silent. He and Charlene barely spoke-how could he just ask her something like that?
Still…
An idea seemed to occur to him. He turned to Granger. “Granger, you get along with both her and Stewart these days. Have you heard anything?”