Chapter 502
Charlene could tell Jasmine didn’t want to talk to her. As soon as they finished ordering, Thorne turned to Charlene, his tone casual, “Minnie has a really important competition out of state next Thursday. Will you be able to make it?”
Jasmine jumped in immediately, her eyes bright with hope. “Yeah, Mom, will you come with me to the competition that day? Please?”
Traveling out of state meant it would take at least two days, round trip.
Right now, PrimeStar, Axiom Flux Technologies, and The Henderson Group all had urgent matters waiting for Charlene’s attention. She wasn’t sure if she could spare the time.
She hesitated, searching for the right words. But before she could say anything, Jasmine saw the look on her face and already knew what was coming.
Jasmine had lost count of how many times Charlene had told her she was too busy with work, promising she’d come along “if she had time.”
But in reality, even on weekends, even when Jasmine visited her great- grandmother, even when they lived under the same roof, Charlene rarely spent any time with her.
Thinking of this, Jasmine anxiously twisted her fork back and forth on her plate. Before Charlene could speak, she dropped her gaze and mumbled, “When I went to the last training meet out of state, all the other kids had their parents with them. Only I…”
At first, when Jasmine found out Thorne couldn’t go, it hadn’t bothered her much.
After all, she was used to going on trips with the family’s housekeeper for company.
But when she saw the other kids at the competition, their parents cheering them on from the sidelines, never leaving their side, the loneliness hit her all at once.
She realized how much it hurt. Almost instantly, she called her mom, but Charlene never answered. Thankfully, her dad picked up.
Charlene listened, her lips parted, unable to utter a word.
Her silence said it all—she wasn’t going to make any promises. Jasmine’s nose stung, and she pressed her lips together, turning away so she wouldn’t have to look at her mother.
In the past, no matter how busy she was, Charlene would have done everything in her power to be there for Jasmine’s competitions.
But now…
She had told herself she needed to let go of Jasmine, to put some distance between them. Yet seeing Jasmine so hurt and disappointed made Charlene’s heart ache.
Still-still…
She drew a quiet breath and turned away, unable to meet Jasmine’s eyes After a long pause, sh she
at Thorne. You can’t make obed
either
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ét
Thorne shook his head. “After your grandmother’s accident, I postponed a lot of Work But next Tuesday’s my.
s
Charlene frowned, her hands clenched in her lap, lost in thought.
اور
Jasmine watched her parents volley the responsibility back and forth, and her eyes immediately filled with tears.
She dropped her fork onto the table with a clatter, turning to glare at them. “If
you’re both too busy, then forget it! I’ll go by myself!”
Before anyone could react, she spun around and ran for the door.
To be honest, Charlene had never seen Jasmine this angry before, not in all her years.
For a moment, Charlene just stared, stunned.
When she snapped out of it, she instinctively got up to chase after her.
But Thorne was faster.
He reached Jasmine before she could grab the door handle, scooping her up in his arms.
Jasmine glared at him, still fuming. “Let me go.”
But Thorne stayed calm, gently pinching her cheek. “When have I ever missed
one of your competitions when I could help it?”
Jasmine’s sobs slowed a little. She
burrowed into Thorne’s shoulder, clinging to his shirt and saying nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Charlene, who had
stood up but now stood frozen, watching as Thorne held ther daughter. s
Jasmine knew perfectly well-her hurt and disappointment wasn’t really about Thorne.
She was only lashing out at him out of frustration.
The one she was truly angry at was Charlene.