Chapter 836
Since the Wi-Fi had been perfectly fine prior to the blowup, and no audio jamming was in place, the sudden blackout during their confrontation was incredibly
suspicious.
“Was it a glitch, or did someone anticipate the disaster and prep the block?” Stewart mused.
Gaylord shook his head. “Hard to say. The online posters claim the connection and audio only restored long after we left.”
By then, they had reached the upper floor. Their team was already waiting in the conference room, so they dropped the subject.
But the moment they walked in, every single eye locked onto Charlene.
The team had clearly seen the viral news.
They had known she was married with a child, and there had been endless speculation about her husband’s identity. But never in a million years did they suspect it was Thorne Henderson!
PrimeStar frequently collaborated with The Henderson Group, and Thorne had even visited their offices in person. Yet, no one had caught even the slightest hint of a marital connection between him and Charlene.
Beyond that, they had always assumed Stewart’s profound respect for Charlene stemmed strictly from her technical brilliance. Now they realized she was literally their boss!
And to top it off, she was the sole mastermind behind the CUAP project!
Staring at Charlene, the PrimeStar team was a swirling mix of awe and sheer shock.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Charlene knew instantly that they had seen the headlines.
Her expression remained totally impassive. “Let’s begin the meeting.”
The room scrambled to attention. “Y-yes, right away!”
Meanwhile.
The moment Jasmine arrived home, she bolted out of the car and raced upstairs. Thorne’s car pulled into the driveway right on her heels. Spotting her retreating figure, he stepped out and followed her up to the second floor.
Outside the locked bedroom, Latonia stood wringing her hands in distress. When she saw him, she sighed. “Sir, Minnie is—”
Thorne held up a hand, stepping past her to rap softly on the wood. “Minnie?”
Dead silence answered him.
Before he could try again, the Butler appeared at the top of the stairs, clutching a phone. “It’s Secretary Henderson, sir.”
Thorne took the receiver. “Dad.”
“Yes,” Lloyd Henderson’s stern voice echoed through the line “I’ve heard about the circus enline. Handle it immediately. The Henderson Group is bound to take a hit.”
“I’m already on it,” Thorne replied. “I’ve alerted the PR team at the company. We’re
holding an emergency meeting shortly.”
“Good,” Lloyd said gruffly.
The scandal had the potential to damage Lloyd’s own reputation as well. Had the audio and internet not been mysteriously cut at the gala, the full, unfiltered truth would have caused an absolute catastrophe.
It wasn’t just a simple case of a billionaire having an affair. His mistress was deeply entangled in a toxic family feud with his wife a
family whose morals were
fundamentally rotten.
Thorne had always been exceptional. He’d never given Lloyd or Claudia a single reason to worry.
Yet, Lloyd also knew his demanding career had kept him from being an attentive father during Thorne’s formative years.
As a parent, he felt he owed his son.
Because of that guilt, even with his political career momentarily threatened, he couldn’t bring himself to fiercely reprimand the younger man.
But when it came to Vesta and her parasitic family…
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thorne, cut ties with the Hawkins family. End it.”