Chapter 436
“Nothing much.” Vesta smiled, checked her watch with practiced calm, and said, “It’s about time. Let’s go.”
“Alright,” Thorne replied.
After bidding farewell to the others in the conference room, he turned and left with Vesta.
Charlene stayed behind with the rest of The Henderson Group’s tech team, continuing their work.
Ever since Sybil’s medical scare, Charlene had all but moved into the Ross family home, worried about Helena’s health.
That evening, after finishing her tasks at The Henderson Group, Charlene returned to the Ross home for dinner.
No sooner had she finished eating than her phone buzzed with a new message.
It was from York.
[I’m heading back to base tomorrow.]
Charlene read the message but didn’t reply.
Perhaps guessing she wouldn’t respond, York sent another message after a short wait.
[See you in a month.]
He was letting her know-once her divorce was final, he would officially pursue her.
Charlene understood his meaning, but still left the message unanswered.
She set her phone down and reached for a book on the table, only for her phone to ring again.
This time, it was a call from Irma Henderson.
As soon as Charlene picked up, Irma’s voice poured through the line. “Charlene, I’ve heard about what happened with your mother. This is such a big deal-why didn’t you or your grandmother tell me?”
Charlene hesitated, at a loss for words.
Irma pressed, clearly anxious. “Fay—your grandmother’s doctor-told me that she took the news really hard and her health declined all of a sudden. How is she now?”
“She’s doing a bit better these last couple of days. Her spirits are up compared to before.”
Irma let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. That’s good to hear.”
Then she hurried on, “Charlene, don’t worry about your mother. I’ll do everything I can to help. I’ll find the best doctors for her.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Charlene replied. “But I’ve already reached out to a top specialist. They’ll be coming tomorrow to examine my mom personally.”
“Is that so? Well, good, let’s see what they say.”
“Alright.”
Irma fell silent for a moment, her voice tinged with sorrow. “Your mother really is…”
So unlucky.
Charlene understood the unspoken
sympathy. Before she could
respond, Irma, worried about upsetting her, quickly added, “Fay told me that if your mom’s condition is managed well, there’s still hope. Charlene, try not to worry too much, okay?”
“I know. I’ll try.”
They chatted for a while longer before ending the call.
Afterward, Irma sat with her phone, uneasy and full of pity for Charlene. On impulse, she dialed Thorne.
He answered almost immediately. “Grandma?”
“You-you really are…”
Hearing her tone, Thorne realized she was upset, though he couldn’t think of
anything he’d done recently to provoke her. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just in a bad mood and needed to scold you to feel better.”
Thorne raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Irma had intended to give him a piece of her mind, but now that she had him on the line, she found herself at a loss for words. After a disgruntled “hmph,” she hung up.
Thorne set his phone down. Jasmine, still eating dinner, looked up and asked,
“Was that Great-Grandma? Is something wrong?”
“Your great-grandma’s in a bad mood. She called just to yell at me,” Thorne replied.
Vesta, listening nearby, chuckled. “Maybe she just misses you.”
“Hardly,” Thorne said wryly. “She gets annoyed just seeing me.”
…
The next day, when Charlene and Helena arrived at the hospital, Irma was already there.
The specialists arrived right on time.
Leading the group was an elderly woman, even older than Irma and Helena.
“Is that… Dr. Quintin?”
Quintin was one of the world’s
foremost experts on organ failure-anoveldrama
living legend in the field. She’d
retired years ago; even the most powerful people found it nearly impossible to secure her help. Most of the top specialists in the country had once been her students.
When Charlene had mentioned she’d contacted a renowned expert, Irma had
never imagined it would be Quintin herself.
To be honest, seeing Dr. Quintin walk through that door left Irma genuinely stunned.