That morning, Charlene hadn’t been at her desk for long when she received the official acceptance notification from the Al Journal.

A little while later, Stewart came over to discuss work. When he found out her paper had been accepted, he wasn’t surprised.

With Kenton’s endorsement, it was almost guaranteed. If Kenton believed it was solid, Charlene’s paper was sure to make it through.

After they wrapped up their conversation, Charlene checked the time. “Want to grab lunch together?” she suggested.

Stewart rubbed his forehead, a bit of weariness in his voice. “Got plans.”

Charlene looked up, curious. “What’s up?”

Stewart pursed his lips, a bit exasperated. “…It’s a blind date. Arranged by my granddad.”

Charlene chuckled at that. “You’re 28 and this is your first blind date? You’ve had a good run.”

Stewart just shrugged, not saying much.

Truth be told, his family wasn’t really pushing him to get married. But since the girl was the granddaughter

of his grandfather’s old friend, he found it hard to say no.

Charlene nodded. “Go on then. I’ll just hit the cafeteria myself.”

“Alright,” Stewart agreed.

Half an hour later, Stewart arrived at the restaurant-a cozy little place perfect for couples.

He hadn’t been there long when his date arrived too.

As she settled in, Moran Albright strolled in with his own date. He immediately noticed Stewart sitting not too far away, though Stewart was facing away and didn’t spot him.

Moran raised an eyebrow and led his date to a table right behind Stewart.

Stewart was speaking softly, but Moran was close enough to catch snippets of the conversation. It was clear this was a blind date.

Moran’s date noticed his attention wandering and was about to speak when he held a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

Excited by his discovery, Moran discreetly snapped a picture of Stewart and his date, then sent it to the group chat with Thorne, Granger, and Vesta.

“Guess what?” he typed. “Hint: this is a couple’s restaurant.”

Granger had just finished up some work and was about to head out for lunch when he heard the ping of a new message. He opened it, glanced at the picture, and immediately guessed that Stewart was ona date.

им

Despite seeing the message, he didn’t respond. Maybe he just didn’t feel like it.

Vesta and Thorne also remained silent.

Eager to share the gossip, Moran nudged the group again: “??? Where is everyone? It’s lunchtime. Aren’t you around?”

Still, no word from Granger.

Finally, Vesta chimed in.

“Saw it.”

Moran perked up and messaged back: “Smart as ever, know what’s going on?”

Vesta had already guessed Stewart’s situation the moment she saw the photo. She chuckled and replied, “Blind date?”

“Bingo!” Moran confirmed.

Vesta smiled at his enthusiasm but chose not to say anything more.

A few days earlier, Vesta hadn’t attended Irma’s birthday party. However, she’d heard that Darleen was quite taken with Charlene, saying if Charlene and Stewart were ever ready, she’d be happy

arrange a wedding for them

When she first heard that, Vesta thought it sounded pretty far-fetched.

She figured Darleen must not really know Charlene. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said something like

that at Irma’s party.

It was clear Darleen was probably in

the dark about Charlene and Thorne’s history. Once she knew Charlene had been married before, Vesta doubted she’d be so keen on welcoming her into the family.

Seeing as Thorne and Granger still hadn’t joined the chat, Moran tagged them both.

When they continued to stay silent, Moran asked Vesta, “Thorne’s not with you?”

Vesta replied, “Nope, he’s on a business trip this morning.”

“Okay,” Moran acknowledged.

He had just replied when Thorne sent a message saying, “Got it.”