Chapter 726
“Alright p>
Charlene and Jasmine quickly got into the car.
From the passenger seat, Jasmine waved at Thorne. She didn’t settle back into her
seat until the car had pulled out of the villa’s driveway and Thorne’s figure disappeared from view.
Her eyes shifted back to Charlene.
It had been a chaotic day at PrimeStar Technologies, and Charlene had been slammed with work. Coupled with severe menstrual cramps, her complexion was noticeably pale.
Jasmine, of course, noticed.
Seeing that her mother was this exhausted but still drove all the way out to pick her up, Jasmine’s mood instantly brightened. She couldn’t help but call out in a sweet, coaxing voice, “Mom p>
Charlene kept her eyes on the road. “Hmm p>
The gentle tone of that single hum was incredibly soft.
Jasmine smiled happily. “Nothing. Drive safe p>
“I will p>
That evening, the Ross family banded together to make an entire feast of Yaleborough’s signature snacks. The house felt as lively as a holiday, and Jasmine’s laughter echoed continuously through the halls.
The next day.
After dropping Jasmine off at school, Charlene headed straight to PrimeStar Technologies.
Someone was coming in to discuss a potential partnership today, and they had explicitly requested to meet with Charlene.
Over the past year, Charlene’s business acumen had become widely recognized. When clients specifically asked for her, Stewart Ferguson never thought twice about it and simply went off to handle his own tasks.
When the guests arrived, Charlene pushed open the conference room doors to find a group of stylish, professional young women. She politely extended her hand toward the one in charge. “Director Lancaster, I presume? It’s a pleasure p>
Corinne Lancaster leaned back lazily on the sofa, her gaze raking over Charlene. After a few seconds, a smirk touched her stunningly beautiful features. Setting her coffee cup down, she didn’t bother to stand. Remaining seated, she offered a limp handshake. “So, you’re Charlene Ross p>
Charlene took a seat opposite her. “I am. Have we met before, Ms. Lancaster p>
Corinne chuckled. “We haven’t, but your name certainly precedes you p>
Given Corinne’s tone, it was blatantly obvious this wasn’t meant as a compliment.
Charlene’s expression remained perfectly neutral. “I heard the Lancaster Group is looking to partner with us on a new project. I’m curious to hear your company’s requirements p>
“Requirements? Oh, we have plenty of those p>
Corinne didn’t elaborate. She simply gestured for her assistant to hand over the proposal file to Charlene, before languidly picking up her coffee cup once more.
Charlene took the document and skimmed through it.
A few moments later, she set the file down. “We are fully capable of handling the scope of work detailed here, and our pricing is reasonable p>
The document only provided a broad
overview. Corinne lowered her coffee cup and shot a look at her assistant. The assistant immediately began discussing the finer details and core demands of the agreement with Charlene.
The discussion lasted a little over ten minutes.
Throughout the entire conversation, Charlene noticed Corinne watching her with a mocking, half-smile on her lips.
Charlene acted as if she didn’t see it.
When the ten minutes were up, the assistant gave Corinne a subtle look and nodded. Corinne pulled a tissue to dab delicately at the corner of her mouth smiling. “I’d long heard that Ms. Ross was exceptionally O talented. Seeing it in person today, t seems the rumors were entirely
justified p>
It sounded like a compliment, but Charlene clearly saw the undisguised derision in Corinne’s eyes.
Charlene essentially understood that this woman had come looking for a fight. She knew of the Lancaster family.
But since the Lancasters had relocated most of their assets abroad over the years and rarely spent time in Starfall City, she didn’t know much about them or their inner circle.
This was her first time meeting this ‘Director Lancaster,’ and she had absolutely no idea how she had managed to offend her.
Feigning ignorance of Corinne’s
blatant mockery, Charlene casually issued an eviction notice. “You flatter me, Director Lancaster. Unfortunately, I have another
meeting to attend, so I’m afrael
can’t entertain you any longer. If you’re genuinely interested in moving forward with PrimeStar, please prepare a more detailed proposal, and we can schedule another time to discuss the
specifics p>
Corinne wasn’t stupid—she knew exactly what Charlene meant. Charlene was fully
aware they had no real intention of partnering with PrimeStar.
She let out a sharp laugh. “Casually rejecting a potential partnership on behalf of PrimeStar… Ms. Ross, you really do have quite the temper and quite the ego, don’t you p>