Jasmine, ever the polite and unflustered young lady, said, “Thank you, Mr. Ramirez.”

“Don’t mention it,” Abelard replied, glancing at Jasmine a bit more thoughtfully. With a smile, he added, “She’s more like Thorne, isn’t she?” Charlene nodded, “That’s right.”

Abelard chuckled, “Whether she takes after Thorne or you, she’s going to be just fine.”

Charlene listened, her eyes lowering in a gentle smile, choosing not to reply.

Abelard continued, “So, has my troublesome son made peace with you yet?”

Charlene shook her head with a slight grin, “If anything, the tension’s gotten worse.”

Abelard laughed, “Well, that’s just dandy.”

He seemed entirely unfazed, saying, “He’s had it too easy for too long. A little lesson won’t hurt him; in fact, I’m looking forward to it.”

After that, Abelard and Charlene chatted about other topics.

Once dinner was over, Charlene and Abelard spent another hour or so in conversation before parting ways.

After taking Jasmine to see a movie and meeting up with Abelard, Charlene spent most of the following days at home, diving into the materials Kenton had given her.

While Charlene was engrossed in her research, Jasmine behaved well, only occasionally stepping out with Carl and his friends, but mostly keeping herself occupied in her room.

However, Jasmine made sure to video call Thorne every day.

Whenever Jasmine called Thorne, Vesta was often present.

It wasn’t that Charlene was intentionally eavesdropping on their conversations; it was more that Jasmine, aware of Charlene’s dislike for Vesta, would take her tablet outside to chat, rather than staying in her room. After a few intense days of focused work, Charlene finally had a breakthrough.

It was the first time since receiving Kenton’s materials that she felt her ideas were so clear.

That day, she worked tirelessly from morning until night, so absorbed that she didn’t even respond when her family called her for lunch.

Seeing how busy she was, Maisie brought her meals upstairs.

Noticing the food getting cold and Charlene still not having eaten, Jasmine urged her, “Mom, you should eat.”

Charlene murmured an absent-minded “Mmm,” her eyes glued to the computer screen, seemingly unaware of

her own response.

Jasmine pursed her lips, calling out to Charlene a few more times before she finally got her to eat.

Dinner was much the same.

Charlene was so engrossed she didn’t even have time for meals. Jasmine had initially wanted Charlene to help her with her bath, but after calling out several times with no success, she went downstairs and asked Nadine for help. After her bath, she returned to find Charlene still at her computer, so Jasmine climbed into bed by herself.

She drifted off, waking up to the morning light filtering through. Groggy, she wandered over to Charlene with her stuffed animal in tow, “Mom, did you not sleep at all?”

Charlene replied absent-mindedly, “No, you go back to sleep. Don’t worry about me.”

Jasmine paused, clearly awake now. “Mom, aren’t you tired from not sleeping?”

Charlene simply replied, “No.”

Seeing Charlene frown, as if annoyed by the interruption, Jasmine thought about asking if she was hungry but

decided against it. She quietly went to brush her teeth instead.