Chapter 54
“How about this coffee?” asked Coy.
Thorne glanced at the coffee cup on his desk with disdain. “Take it away and get me a glass of tap water, will you?”
Coy nodded. “Sure thing.”
At noon, Stewart went out for a business lunch, leaving Charlene to dine alone in the company cafeteria.
Though polite, her colleagues kept their distance. It didn’t seem to bother Charlene much.
After lunch, she plunged back into her work. As the clock ticked past five, she approached Patton, her project manager. “I think I’ve pretty much nailed it. Do you want to take a look?” “What?” Patton was initially confused, but as he perused the documents Charlene handed over, his confusion turned into utter disbelief. “You… you’ve finished everything?”
It was a workload that Raleigh, the previous team leader, had scheduled over a fortnight to finish. And Charlene had deciphered and finished it all in less than a day? “Yep,” Charlene confirmed.
Patton was speechless, especially when he realized Charlene had done an exceptional job and that her work also provided him with fresh perspectives he hadn’t considered for his tasks. The news spread. Soon, other colleagues crowded around, equally stunned by Charlene’s feat.
Recovering from his shock, Patton eyed Charlene incredulously. “Are you for real just an undergrad?”
Charlene took a moment, then replied, “I didn’t go after a master’s.”
Impossible! How could an undergraduate outperform a team of seasoned Ph.Ds and master’s graduates?
Patton asked, “Why didn’t you go for your master’s? Financial issues at home?”
But looking at Charlene, that didn’t seem to be the case. With her skills, she shouldn’t have to worry about tuition fees.
Charlene lowered her gaze. “No, it’s just some personal reasons.” She smiled and added, “Maybe I’ll consider further studies later.”
After a brief chat and solving a few more work-related queries for her colleagues, Charlene left the office around seven.
Stepping out, she found Stewart waiting for her at the door. “Making a mark on your first day, winning everyone’s approval. That’s classic you.”
Charlene grinned. “Dinner on me?”
Stewart raised an eyebrow. “What else did you think I was waiting here for?”
Laughing, they left the office together.
Twenty minutes later, as they were about to enter a restaurant, a kid darted past, causing Charlene to stumble back and almost fall, if not for Stewart’s quick reflexes, catching her by the waist. Just as she was releasing a sigh of relief and about to say thanks, Charlene spotted Thorne and Moran in the distance. They saw her
too.
Thorne paused in his tracks. Moran raised an eyebrow.
With pursed lips, Charlene averted her gaze and gently pushed Stewart away. Unaware of Thorne and Moran, Stewart asked worriedly, “Did you hurt your ankle?” Charlene shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
“That’s good. Let’s go then.”
Without giving Thorne another glance, Charlene followed Stewart inside.
Observing Charlene’s reaction, Moran was incredulous. “That was your wife, right?”
Thorne remained silent.
Moran snorted, “She ignored us completely and was all chummy with Stewart. Is this some new strategy to win you back? Trying to make you jealous?”
Before Thorne could respond, Moran burst out laughing. “She’s overthinking this.”
Thorne didn’t reply, stating, “Let’s go.”