Chapter 862
Charlene reached out and met his handshake with a firm, even grip. “Not at all, Mr. Henderson. We just arrived ourselves.”
“Please, have a seat,” Thorne said, gesturing to the chairs.
Charlene gave a curt nod, sat down, and immediately steered the conversation straight to the business at hand.
Seeing the two of them dive into complex contractual terms with stone-cold professionalism—without a single trace of personal history bleeding through-the executives exchanged another round of baffled looks.
Gaylord had watched Thorne and Charlene discuss business in the past, of course.
But he had never known, nor even suspected, that Thorne was the husband she was quietly divorcing.
Watching them interact now felt entirely different.
In the past, when he had noticed their polite, icy distance, he had simply assumed it was lingering awkwardness from Vesta’s disastrous stint at PrimeStar Technologies.
But now…
Gaylord’s gaze shifted to Charlene.
She was utterly focused, treating Thorne like nothing more than a high-level client without a single distraction.
Was she truly that detached? Did she really have zero feelings left for the man? Frowning slightly, his eyes drifted over to Thorne.
The billionaire was just as intently focused on the contract, his tone even and cooperative. But there wasn’t a flicker of warmth or lingering affection in his eyes, either.
Sensing the heavy scrutiny, Thorne glanced up and looked his way.
Gaylord held his stare, his gaze just as challenging and cold as it had always been.
Thorne merely offered a faint, dismissive smile, gave a brief nod, and casually looked away.
It was the exact same arrogant dismissal he had always shown back when everyone thought he was completely devoted to Vesta and never once viewed Gaylord as a legitimate threat.
But what about now?
Thorne had to know that Gaylord was openly pursuing Charlene. Yet, he still didn’t seem to care in the slightest Was Thorne simply that arrogant, or was he so stuck on Vesta that he truly couldn’t care less who his soon-to-be ex-wife dated?
Gaylord tightened his jaw, forcing himself to shelve those thoughts.
Halfway through the grueling revision of the contract terms, Thorne stepped out of the room to take a phone call. Seeing Charlene absorbed in a dense stack of paperwork Gaylord unscrewed the cap of a water bottle and slid it across the mahogany table toward her. “Drink some water.”
Charlene accepted it, her eyes never leaving the page. “Thanks.”
The Henderson Group executives couldn’t help but notice Gaylord’s attentive
gestures. Many of them had worked with Charlene and Gaylord in the past and had
long suspected that he was carrying a torch for her.
f
Previously, they had assumed he was just trying to steal her away from Stewart. But after the bombshell at the gala, they now knew Charlene and Stewart were just close friends. More importantly, they knew Charlene was technically still Thorne’s wife. Was Gaylord
seriously trying to
ut the moves on.
the boss’s wife right under his nose, inside his own corporate headquarters?
After all, no matter what the rumors said, she was still married to their CEO.
A little over an hour later, the final details were locked in. Thorne stood up and extended a hand to Charlene. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Likewise.”
Glancing at his watch, Thorne offered a polite smile. “It’s almost noon. Would you care to join us for lunch?”
“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Henderson, but we have other commitments this afternoon,” Charlene declined without missing a beat. “Perhaps next time.”
It was likely just a mandatory corporate pleasantry anyway.
Hearing her rejection, he simply nodded. “Next time, then.”