LOGINAfter giving it some thought, she laughed quietly and said, "Alright." They followed the throng. Vibrant fireworks burst over the river as soon as they got to the railing, causing the throng to gasp and giggle, but the loud noises of the explosions soon drowned them out. While others made wishes beneath the glittering display, many were preoccupied with taking pictures with their phones. "Want me to record a video for you?" he offered, observing Charlene watching in silence. Charlene gave a headshake. "No need; I'm just enjoying the view." York did not follow up.Vesta turned to look at them at that moment. York stood out despite their distance of many meters thanks to their tall stature and unique appearance. They were slightly acquainted, having met York a few times previously. Vesta was debating whether to tell Thorne, who was holding Jasmine, about it and approach them when she spotted Charlene, who had been briefly hidden by York. Vesta's joy dimmed when she saw Charlene. How com
Jasmine loved Christmas so much. She and Hermon used to decorate the Christmas tree at home each year. They would walk through the busy streets on Christmas Day, taking in the joy of everyone around them. However, those beloved Christmas customs had diminished since Jasmine and Thorne relocated overseas. She had actually given up on Christmas completely. She was making an effort to move on. Jasmine was, after all, her daughter, whom she had reared for so many years after carrying for nine months. Now, as she stood in the middle of the thronging masses, memories came flooding back, evoking feelings she had previously dismissed.Charlene looked around and said, "Ms. Ross?" York was the place. With a courteous nod, she said, "Mr. Watson." "What brings you here on your own?" With a smile on her face, Charlene said, "Just out to pick up some greenery for the house." In fact, York had seen Charlene standing by herself in the crowd; her look and silhouette seemed to be mired in loneliness. S
They desired to speak with her briefly. "Charlene..." Henley began. "Mr. Hawkins, are you here to announce to everyone about you and Charlene?" Stewart asked with a laugh before Charlene could reply. "Mr. Ferguson, I have something to discuss with Charlene, if you could just—" Stewart didn't even let Charlene speak before he stepped in. "If Mr. Hawkins wants to let everyone know about you and Charlene, by all means, go ahead." Henley's smile wavered a little, but he quickly forced a laugh. Henley did not want to irritate Stewart.Thus, he and Laverne were forced to depart with a dejected sigh. However, he told Charlene, "I'll give you a call later, don't forget," before leaving. Charlene chose not to answer. She just didn't give a damn. She was most definitely not going to answer the phone. "I'd love to just let it all go up in flames," Stewart said, clearly irritated. Charlene had similar feelings. However, she had yet to uncover any evidence that would absolve her of the Thorne even
Their eyebrows furrowed slightly as they looked at Thorne, Charlene, and then Vesta. "Been a while since you played chess?" Thorne asked abruptly during the quiet. Without looking up, Charlene simply replied, "Yeah," as she concentrated on undermining his plan. She had essentially given up playing chess since becoming married to him. "You seem a bit rusty," Thorne remarked. Charlene remained focused on the board and did not respond. The circumstances were not favorable to her. There appeared to be a promising path close to Thorne's side, but in fact, he had put traps there, waiting for her to fall for them so he could surprise her. After giving it some thought, Charlene moved away from his traps. At last, the board started to clean up. Thorne was now at a disadvantage.Thorne smiled and arched an eyebrow, pausing for a long moment before continuing. Once again, the game became tense. Charlene lost by a slim margin after a few more exchanges. "Pity," said Campbell, "but compared to the
Vesta started to pay more attention to Charlene's predicament. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched Charlene handle the difficult situation Thorne had put up in unexpected ways. It sank like a stone as she heard Quintin's applause. Charlene was staring at the chessboard in front of her with serious concentration. For now, things were stable, but she sensed that victory was almost... She stopped and looked at Thorne. Thorne took the initiative. Charlene stopped her hand in its tracks."This is really impressive," said Campbell, grinning. I never imagined that I would see a chess battle this captivating in such a setting, especially between two young players. Very impressive. The noise annoyed Quintin, who yelled, "Keep it down!" Campbell stopped talking. After a few tense minutes, Charlene finally moved to gradually level out the tilted board once more. Thorne replied with another piece two minutes later. After returning the piece she was holding to the board, Charlene declared, "I
That's when Thorne said, "Alright." Calm and collected, Charlene took a seat across from him. Vesta immediately recovered her composure after the initial shock. After saying hello to Campbell and the others, she went back to Thorne's side. Granger, the Hawkins family, and the Spencer family were not the only ones who were taken aback. Campbell and York were equally surprised. York and Campbell knew virtually little about Charlene, despite the fact that Hickey had introduced her to everyone earlier at the art gallery. They noticed how calm and kind Charlene was, and they didn't think she would be interested in the limelight.They reasoned that she wouldn't offer to play chess in such a situation, even if she were capable of doing so. Charlene had captured Quintin's attention even though he didn't know her. She gave him the impression that she came from a respected household because of her striking appearance and her composed, courteous manner. He even believed that she would be the ide
That is, she was responsible for caring for Jasmine every weekend. Thorne's visits to Jasmine have been more regular in recent years, for unknown reasons. If Thorne was unable due to personal or truly unavoidable circumstances, it was up to Charlene to step in and take Jasmine under her wing. Charl
Jasmine had requested Charlene drop her off at school the next day, and Charlene had granted her every request. They hadn't seen one another in ten days since their retreat at Sapphire Springs Resort. Charlene thus spent the night at the villa. master She did not, however, go back to the master bed
Chapter 68Patton summoned Charlene over for help, and she averted her eyes. She quickly turned away, no longer preoccupied with Thorne's situation. Moran saw her as she turned around. Vesta had drifted over to Henley at that point, leaving Thorne alone. Moran approached and gently pushed Thorne's
They came to the exhibition with the express purpose of networking and establishing relationships. Naturally, Henley and Laverne were compelled to watch Thorne while networking following his arrival. They wanted to witness his reaction when he saw Charlene. They soon discovered that Thorne had no r







