Quincy’s face was all smiles as he was the first to greet, “Director Hawkins.”

Vesta returned the smile with a nod, then turned to them and said, “Thorne is treating my team to dinner at the diner downtown. Mr. Ferguson, Quincy, would you like to join?” She deliberately left Charlene out of the invitation.

Quincy was naturally keen to accept. He glanced at Stewart and then at Charlene.

Stewart promptly responded, “We appreciate the gesture, Ms. Hawkins, but we’ve got our own plans.”

Vesta frowned, insisting, “Mr. Ferguson…”

She hadn’t expected Stewart to steadfastly refuse, despite her repeated attempts.

Her gaze then shifted to Charlene, who was sipping water quietly on the side. Catching Vesta’s look, Charlene responded with a chilly stare.

esta withdrew her gaze.

Aside from her looks, Vesta couldn’t fathom what Charlene had that made Stewart so protective of her.

Was she exceptional or outstanding in any way?

With Stewart’s refusal, Vesta simply smiled, maintaining her composure, and said, “Alright, maybe next time then.” With that, she turned and left without another glance at Charlene or Quincy. Quincy felt somewhat ignored.

“Ms. Hawkins can be quite aloof at times,” he commented.

Though Vesta did have the credentials to be proud, Thorne, the real big boss, always showed them courtesy and politeness whenever they met.

Stewart shrugged, “It’s obvious.”

Vesta acted as if she ran Neural Nexus Tech all by herself.

Even without Thorne’s backing, her self-esteem seemed sky-high.

Thorne, probably informed by Vesta that they wouldn’t be joining for dinner, came over later to cordially shake hands with Stewart, saying, “Then we’ll be off. Mr. Ferguson, please do join us next time.” “Of course,” Stewart replied.

Thorne offered a smile, glanced at Charlene, then turned to leave with Vesta and the others waiting at the doo After lunch, Charlene and Stewart returned to Neural Nexus Tech.

It was a while before Vesta and her team returned.

By 6 PM, Charlene and Stewart had finished their work for the day and were ready to head out, as nothing urgent was left and there was still plenty of time to handle everything. But it seemed Vesta and her team were still busy, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. Quincy mentioned, “Heard they’re pulling an all-nighter.”

Stewart simply responded, “Oh.”

Charlene said, “Let’s head out.”

Stewart offered, “Dinner’s on me.”

Charlene shook her head, “No thanks, I’ve got other plans.”

Tema had requested her presence back at the family home for dinner.

Upon arriving home, to her surprise, Thorne and Jasmine were already there.

Charlene hadn’t expected Thorne to return, thinking he might stay back at the office with Vesta.

Noticing her arrival, Thorne gave her a quick glance before going back to his laptop.

At dinner, Thorne sat next to Charlene. Seeing him engrossed in his phone, she suddenly spoke up, “Got a moment later? There’s something I need to discuss with you.”