Chapter 863
Charlene gave a polite nod to the rest of the boardroom before turning on her heel and walking out.
Gaylord immediately fell into step beside her.
Once the sleek elevator doors slid shut, sealing them in quiet privacy, Gaylord couldn’t stop his eyes from lingering on her profile.
Catching his stare in the reflective chrome doors, Charlene glanced over. “What is it?”
Gaylord shook his head. “Nothing.”
His mind was still spinning with everything Corinne Lancaster had loudly declared at Dr. Lucas’s gala.
He didn’t believe for a second that Charlene had used underhanded tactics to force Thorne into marriage.
But Corinne’s claims that Charlene had harbored a secret, unrequited crush on Thorne since childhood, and that Thorne had never loved her back? He suspected that part was entirely true.
If it was true, her absolute willingness to walk away and file for divorce now spoke volumes. Her chilling indifference in the boardroom today proved it. Did that mean her love for Thorne was completely dead?
But if she was truly over her husband, why was she still keeping everyone else at arm’s length? She had consistently shut down every subtle advance from him, York Watson, and Granger Harden.
Was it simply because none of them were her type?
Or had that toxic marriage drained her so completely that she couldn’t even fathom the idea of opening her heart to someone new?
Gaylord knew that even if he asked, Charlene wouldn’t give him a straight answer. So, he kept his mouth shut.
He was a patient man. He could wait until she was ready to let down her walls, confident that when that day finally came, he would have his answer.
Meanwhile, later that evening.
After clocking out of work, Vesta once again drove to Thorne’s ultra-exclusive neighborhood.
Wearing a surgical mask to hide her face, she paused when the security guard asked for her name and the residence she was visiting She hesitated for a fraction of a second before saying her last name was Hawkins, then gave Thorne’s villa number.
Thanks to the explosive gossip circulating online, every single staff member in the neighborhood had heard the sordid details of the love triangle between Thorne, Charlene, and Vesta.
Hearing her last name, the guard on duty immediately pieced together her identity.
Despite his internal disgust at dealing with an alleged homewrecker, the guard followed protocol and dialed the video intercom for Thorne’s estate.
The Butler’s stern face appeared on the screen a moment later. “There’s a Ms. Hawkins here claiming to be a guest of Mr. Henderson. Should I grant her access?”
Knowing his employer’s social circle perfectly well, the Butler didn’t need to guess which ‘Ms. Hawkins’ was at the gate.
His expression hardened into a glare. “No. We aren’t expecting any guests by that name.”
As the Butler reached to cut the feed, Vesta shoved her car door open and marched right up to the camera, demanding with a voice
dripping with ice, “Do you honestly
think Theng wont find out you’re v doing this?”
The Butler didn’t even flinch at the threat. “And if he does? If you’re truly that influential, Ms. Hawkins, you can have him fire me yourself.”
Without giving her another second to speak, he abruptly terminated the connection. Vesta’s eyes flashed with venom.
She had always hated that old man. In the past, whenever she visited Thorne here, the Butler had treated her coldly and would instantly tattle to Irma Henderson, ensuring she rarely ever got to stay long.
She had anticipated that he would try to lock her out tonight, but that wouldn’t matter if Thorne was actually out.
If Thorne was home and knew she was out here in the dead of night, he would absolutely cave and let her inside.
“Ms. Hawkins,” the guard’s voice broke through her seething thoughts. “You’re holding up the line. There are cars waiting behind you. I’m going to have to ask you to move.”
Refusing to give the guard the satisfaction of a response, Vesta spun around, climbed back into her driver’s seat, and pulled her car out of the entrance lane. Parking a short distance down the dark street, shë puffed out her phone and dialed Jasmine.