Chapter 459
Henley was called away by an urgent phone call—there was still important
business at the office.
Vesta looked unsettled. Maureen guessed that, aside from being overshadowed
by Charlene’s dazzling performance today, something else must have happened.
She asked, “At the press conference, how did Thorne treat Charlene?”
Vesta lowered her gaze. “He admired her.”
Maureen’s expression darkened.
In the past, Thorne had always ignored Charlene, never seeing any worth in her.
He had never once shown her the slightest bit of respect.
But now—
“Those technical achievements Charlene talked about at the press conference—
do you really think she developed them herself?”
Maureen hadn’t spent much time with Thorne, but from what her daughter had
told her, she knew Thorne was technically savvy himself, and he’d always
respected people with real expertise.
If Charlene truly had such skills, then Thorne’s sudden admiration would make
sense.
Before Vesta could answer, Leah blurted out, “Of course they’re not hers! She’s
just an undergrad—there’s no way she could pull that off. It must have been
Stewart—”
But Vesta cut her off, her voice quiet but certain. “I think they really are hers.”
Leah stared in disbelief. “That’s impossible! How could she—?”
But then again, Charlene had skipped three grades to get into college early, and
not just any college—the most prestigious university in the country.
Leah had also skipped grades and attended a top school, but even she had to
admit that it didn’t quite compare.
So, if Charlene wanted to do serious
research, she had the foundation for
it. Even if it was hard to accept,
Vesta couldn’t help but acknowledge
that both Charlene’s earlier papers
and the innovations she’d presented
today could very well be her own
work.
Maureen was thinking the same thing.
Back in school, Charlene’s academic brilliance had put a lot of pressure on Vesta.
Vesta clenched her fists. “If those results weren’t really hers, would she dare to
claim them so openly?”
Leah scoffed. “With her shamelessness? She’d dare anything.”
Maureen and Vesta chose to ignore her.
Vesta pressed her lips together. “I just don’t understand…”
Charlene may have skipped grades
to get into college, but back then she
hadn’t made much of a splash
academically. She’d graduated,
gotten married, had a child, and then
joined The Henderson Group.
Given all that, how could she possibly have developed such deep and
sophisticated technical knowledge?
Maureen could see what was
troubling her daughter. Once Leah
had left the room, Maureen said
gently, “Even if Charlene really is that
talented, your bond with Thorne is
deep. That’s not something that
changes overnight. And don’t
forget—you have your own
strengths. So, Vesta, don’t let this
get to you.”
Don’t let it get to her?
Vesta stayed silent.
After the press conference, Thorne had quickly regained his composure, treating
her just as kindly as ever. But was his heart truly as unmoved by Charlene as he
let on?
She remembered how, not long ago, Thorne had gone out of his way to collect
every paper Charlene had recommended to The Henderson Group’s technical
team. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.
If he really was as unfazed as he pretended, he wouldn’t have avoided talking to
her about anything that happened at the press conference. But since that day, he
hadn’t mentioned it once.