Chapter 882

Contemplating exactly why Thorne couldn’t step in to save them, Charlene’s face immediately surfaced in Jacques’s mind.

He still remembered her clearly.

He just never could have imagined that she was secretly married to Thorne. And he definitely hadn’t expected the deeply tangled, bitter history she shared with his own family…

The Hawkins family and the Spencers were lost in their own spirals of anxiety, but Vesta couldn’t find the energy to care.

Facing Thorne’s continued dead silence, she finally snapped out of her daze and picked up her phone, shooting off a standard holiday greeting text to both Moran and Granger.

Granger saw the text the moment it landed in his inbox.

It was the first time Vesta had reached out to him since the scandal blew up.

Given the pure venom between Charlene and Vesta, it was obvious the two women would never find peace in this lifetime. Because of that, even if Thorne actually went through with marrying Vesta one day, Granger knew he would never, ever be friends with her.

Without a second thought, Granger dismissed the notification and completely ignored her text.

Moran, on the other hand, was currently bored out of his mind. He blinked in mild surprise when Vesta’s message popped up on his screen.

Seeing her name didn’t exactly fill him with joy. Still… thinking of Thorne, he frowned slightly and tapped out a quick, polite response: *Thanks. Happy holidays to you too!*

The moment his reply came through, Vesta immediately dialed his number. Moran answered it. Before he could even say hello, Vesta’s voice chimed through the speaker. “It’s the holidays! You’re not out having fun?”

“Nope.” Moran let out a dramatic sigh. “None of you guys are heading out. Where am I supposed to go by myself?”

Vesta’s eyes narrowed slightly as she caught his phrasing. She forced a light laugh. “So you’re staying in today. What about tomorrow or the day after?”

“Haven’t decided yet,” Moran replied, perking up slightly. “Why? Did you and Thorne finally make plans?”

“No,” Vesta said.

Moran sounded deeply skeptical. “You guys still haven’t figured something out? Seriously?”

“Seriously. Why would I lie to you?”

Moran sighed heavily. “Alright, then…”

Vesta chuckled softly. “I just called because I figured you were probably bored to tears. I’ve got to run now, but let’s catch up another day.”

“Sure thing,” Moran agreed.

As soon as the call disconnected, the rigid tension in Vesta’s spine finally released.

Ever since Dr. Lucas’s gala, Thorne had utterly avoided her. To say she hadn’t been panicking would be a massive lie.

She desperately needed some shred of reassurance.

The fact that she still had unhindered access to The Henderson Group, and that

Moran was still treating her with the same casual friendliness as before…

Thinking about this, a wave of relief finally washed over her.

nes

If Thorne truly intended to dump her and sever all ties, there was absolutely no way he wouldn’t have given strict orders to his company and close friends like Moran.

Since he hadn’t issued those orders, it meant there was still a very real chance for her.

The rest of the Hawkins family and the Spencers had clearly noticed she was on the phone with Moran.

They also knew she was still able to walk right into The Henderson Group without any security issues. That single fats was exactly why, they W continued to cling to the desperate hope that Thorne would swoop in and save them, despite him ignoring Vesta for days.

Vesta held her phone tightly, hesitating for a moment before swiping over to Granger’s contact info.

The screen was completely blank. Granger hadn’t replied.

Staring at the empty message thread, Vesta understood with absolute clarity-he wasn’t going to text her back.

Between her and Charlene, he had already decisively picked Charlene’s side.

She just wondered… if a day ever

came where he was forced to

choose between Charlene and

Thorne, would he still be so

unwavering in his loyalty to

Charlene