Chapter 123

Charlene subtly touched her nose and then, as if nothing had happened, dropped her hand and took a small step back, increasing the space between them.

Thorne seemed oblivious to her actions and, after opening the invitation, casually commented, “Her 70th birthday bash?”

Charlene simply nodded. She didn’t ask him if he was free like before, nor did she plead for him to make some time to attend. She just said, “Could you let my folks know for me?”

It was unclear if Thorne had noticed her lack of inquiry about his availability that evening.

He glanced at her, then set the invitation aside carelessly, saying, “Got it.”

Without another word, he turned and headed into the bathroom.

Charlene watched his retreating figure, put away the hairdryer, and then went to give Jasmine a bath in her room.

After bathing Jasmine and drying her hair, nearly an hour had passed.

Jasmine clung to her arm, snuggling close and asked if she could sleep with her that night.

Given the current state of things with Thorne, what was stopping her?

Charlene returned to the master bedroom, gathered her things, and on her way out, informed Thorne, “I’m crashing in Minnie’s room tonight.”

Thorne, deep into his book, just hummed in response, neither asking questions nor raising any objections.

The next day, after breakfast and dropping Jasmine off at school as per her request, Charlene headed back to the office.

Her grandmother’s birthday was drawing near, and with over a month consumed by work, Charlene hadn’t yet found the time to buy her a gift.

At lunch, Charlene called Connie Snyder, asking her to come shopping for a birthday present that evening.

Connie immediately agreed upon hearing it was for her grandma’s birthday.

The invitation for Tiffany hadn’t been sent out yet.

After hanging up, Charlene tried calling Tiffany. The call went through, but no answer.

Charlene knew Tiffany wasn’t fond of her, or any of the Ross family, for that matter.

Tiffany’s silence on the phone could very well be intentional.

However, out of respect for Irma, Charlene went through with all the necessary steps.

After the call naturally ended, Charlene dialed again. This time, the call was deliberately cut off.

It was clear Tiffany was avoiding her calls.

Charlene wasn’t bothered. She was merely following protocol.

She texted Tiffany, explaining the reason for her call and asking when she might be free to receive the invitation.

After sending the message, Charlene didn’t wait for a reply, choosing instead to focus on her tasks.

That evening, after dinner with Connie and a long, fruitless search for the perfect gift, Connie suddenly suggested, “There’s a charity auction the day after tomorrow. Maybe you could find something there?” “But I don’t have an invite…”

Connie appeared a bit troubled. “The invites for that auction were sent out half a month ago. It’s indeed tough to get one now, but maybe…”

was clear Connie was hinting at asking Thorne for help.

After parting ways with Connie around 9 pm, Charlene eventually decided to head back to Thorne’s villa.

Upon her return, she found Thorne had already arrived home and was busy in his study.

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