Chapter 330
That day, Charlene decided to stay over at the Underwood family home to enjoy some tea and a friendly game of chess with Kendal. Jasmine seemed keen on heading back to the Ross family estate with her later in the evening.
In the afternoon, Charlene found a quiet moment to send Thorne a message, asking him to make sure Jasmine got home that night. But Thorne didn’t reply. Charlene figured he must not have seen it.
Yet, after dinner, even though Thorne himself didn’t show up, a car arrived right on time at the Underwood Mansion to pick up Jasmine. Once Jasmine was on her way, Charlene also drove off from the mansion.
Next week was Irma’s birthday, and Charlene had already decided she wouldn’t attend the celebration. Helena Ross agreed that it was probably best if they didn’t go. With their minds made up, that very evening, Charlene and Helena called Irma to let her know. Irma picked up Charlene’s call while she was still finishing her dinner. Her leg had healed quite well, and she was able to walk almost normally again. Glancing over at Thorne, she stepped out of the dining room, answering the phone with a cheerful tone, “Charlene, have you had dinner yet?”
“Yes, I have,” Charlene replied, putting the call on speaker so she and Helena could both speak to Irma. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Charlene got to the point, “Grandma, I’m sorry, but on your birthday, neither I nor Grandma Helena will be able to celebrate with you in person.”
Irma had already anticipated this. Though a bit disappointed, she completely understood. She chuckled softly and said, “That’s okay, dear, I understand. But remember, Charlene, don’t let us drift apart, alright? Whenever you get a chance, give me a call. And if you ever run into any trouble or need my help, just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to assist you. You hear me, Charlene?”
“I understand, Grandma. Thank you,” Charlene replied warmly. They chatted a bit more before hanging up.
With Irma’s birthday party approaching, Claudia had returned to the old family home just yesterday, and Terence Henderson was there too. Claudia had been asking about the situation between Thorne and Charlene, leading to Terence finding out that they were still in the process of finalizing their divorce but weren’t officially divorced yet.
Considering Charlene’s good relationship with her grandmother, it seemed only natural that she would attend her grandmother’s long-awaited birthday celebration, especially since she and Thorne were still legally married. But…
Watching Irma’s retreating figure, Terence couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, is my sister-in-law coming to Grandma’s birthday party?”
With Jasmine having finished her meal and left the dining room, Thorne continued to eat leisurely. Upon hearing Terence’s question, he simply said, “Why don’t you ask Grandma?”
Terence paused. So, Thorne didn’t know either? Or maybe Charlene’s call to Grandma was precisely to discuss
this?
If Charlene were planning to attend the party, she wouldn’t need to call Grandma specifically to talk about it. So….
Terence was quite fond of Charlene. He glanced at Thorne, tempted to ask if he was truly certain about proceeding with the divorce. However, considering that even their grandparents, father, and mother refrained from meddling in Thorne’s decisions, Terence decided it wasn’t his place to intervene.
After Irma returned from her phone call, Terence asked with concern, “Grandma, what did my sister-in-law say?” Irma glanced at Thorne, who continued his meal with the same calm demeanor, showing no reaction at the mention of Charlene’s name. She replied, “She called to apologize, saying she won’t be able to come celebrate my birthday in person.”
Sensing Irma’s unspoken message, Thorne remained unfazed, quietly placing a piece of food on her plate. Irma gently pushed her plate aside, letting Thorne’s chopsticks miss their mark.