Chapter 545

Thorne’s gaze lingered on Charlene for two or three seconds before he finally looked away. He seemed to be engaged in a serious conversation, but Dalton noticed where Thorne’s attention truly lay-always drifting back to Charlene.
Whenever Charlene finished chatting with Stewart and moved on, Thorne’s eyes would search the crowd for her again and again.
Charlene herself, meanwhile, was entirely focused on helping Stewart greet the guests. She didn’t notice Thorne watching her, not even once.
Dalton, on the other hand, felt a surge of anger rise up inside him as he watched all this unfold.
When Thorne finally drew his eyes away, he turned his head and locked eyes with Dalton. Thorne offered a polite nod and a friendly smile.
Dalton’s expression darkened, and the people around him immediately noticed. “Dalton, is something wrong?” one of them asked.
He took a breath and forced himself to calm down, pushing the heat of his anger back down. “It’s nothing,” he replied.
Thorne, for his part, nodded in return. He wanted to speak up for Vesta, to defend her, but he knew he wasn’t in any position to do so.
So even though he felt sorry for Vesta, all he could do was keep quiet, just as he always did whenever he saw something between Thorne and Charlene that didn’t sit right with him.
But if Thorne ever crossed a line-
Dalton’s jaw tightened as he glanced at Vesta.
At that moment, Vesta was still smiling, as if she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Thorne’s behavior. But that was impossible.
Vesta paid more attention to Thorne and Charlene than anyone else—more even than Dalton did. She saw every glance, every subtle gesture, more clearly than anyone.
Her hand trembled slightly around her wine glass. The practiced smile she wore was starting to falter.
Just then, her phone rang, breaking her reverie.
After answering, her expression changed slightly. “Okay, I understand. I’ll be there right away,” she said, her voice tight.
Her words immediately caught Thorne’s attention. As soon as she hung up, he stepped closer. “What happened?” he asked.
“My grandmother—she was out for a walk and someone knocked her over. She’s on her way to the hospital now. I’m worried. I need to go check on her.”
“I’ll go with you,” Thorne said without hesitation.
Vesta froze for a moment, feeling an unexpected ache in her chest. She’d thought he’d be reluctant to leave the party, that he wouldn’t come with her to the hospital.
Then Thorne added, “Let’s tell Mr. Ferguson before we go.”
Okay.”
They made their way across the room. Charlene and Stewart were in the middle of a lively conversation with Mr. Sullivan and Hickey, along with several other influential guests.
Vesta had attended events like these countless times with Thorne. She was no stranger to standing among the city’s elite. But in all those years, she’d never truly been part of their circle. After the initial greetings, she was always on the sidelines never really included in their S conversations-let alone the center of attention. s
But now, as she followed Thorne over, she saw Charlene chatting easily with Mr. Sullivan and Hickey The admiration in Mr. Sullivan’s eyes was unmistakable, and е
Hickey Starfall’s city
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Secretary fooked at Charlene with genuine fondness, as if she were a promising young protégé. s
Watching this, Vesta was struck by the realization that Charlene now stood as an equal among these powerful
men. She wasn’t a silent accessory to someone else’s presence—she belonged here.
Half of PrimeStar was Charlene’s, after all. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ.net
With her current status, Charlene might not quite be on the same level as Mr. Sullivan and Hickey, but she had enough clout to sit at their table and talk real business with them. She had earned her place. s