Chapter 472
Jasmine Henderson was halfway through unwrapping the present Thorne Henderson had given her as she chatted with Charlene Ross upstairs.
Charlene listened, distracted, when her phone buzzed with a new message.
It was from Thorne.
[Something’s come up in Goldland. I need to head back tomorrow afternoon to deal with it. The divorce will have to be postponed another week.]
Charlene’s brow furrowed as she read the message. She quickly typed a reply.
[Can’t you wait until Monday morning to go back?]
Thorne responded almost immediately.
[I’ve tried. It’s not possible. Sorry.]
Charlene pressed her lips together, hesitating, then decided not to reply.
Maybe sensing she was annoyed, Thorne sent another message, trying to reassure her: [Even if I can’t make it back by next Friday, I promise I’ll be back before the following Monday. You have my word.]
With Thorne giving her a concrete timeline, Charlene felt a bit more at ease.
She put down her phone without replying again.
Thorne must have known she’d seen the message, and when she didn’t answer, he let it go and didn’t reach out again.
After chatting with Charlene for a while, Jasmine started to get sleepy, and soon drifted off.
Charlene tucked her in, then went to wash up.
She was exhausted after the long day. Once she’d showered, she climbed into bed and got ready to turn off the lights.
As soon as she settled in, Jasmine, perhaps sensing her mother’s presence, rolled over and snuggled into her arms, mumbling softly, “Mommy… Mommy…”
Thinking Jasmine was awake, Charlene murmured, “I’m here. Go back to sleep.” But Jasmine didn’t answer, and when Charlene looked down, she realized Jasmine was still fast asleep.
Even so, Jasmine clung tightly to her, little fingers clutching Charlene’s shirt.
The next morning, Thorne arrived right on time to pick up Jasmine.
Jasmine was already dressed and had her tiny backpack ready.
When she heard Thorne had arrived, she grabbed Charlene’s hand and pulled her downstairs.
Helena and Vernon Ross both knew Thorne was waiting outside, but they pretended not to notice-neither greeting him nor inviting him in.
When Jasmine said goodbye, they simply told her, “Have fun, Minnie.”
Jasmine tugged Charlene out the door, and Charlene followed, but only as far as the front steps. She let go of Jasmine’s hand there, not going any closer to Thorne.
Jasmine ran straight to her father. “Daddy!”
Thorne scooped her up, exchanging a few words with her before turning to Charlene. “I’ll bring Minnie back later. Sorry for the extra trouble these next few days.”
Charlene just replied, “I know.”
Thorne nodded. After Jasmine and Charlene waved their goodbyes, he carried Jasmine to the car and drove away from the Ross family home.
Back at work, PrimeStar Technologies, the Henderson Group, and Axiom Flux Technologies all had pressing technical issues that needed Charlene’s personal touch.
Even on weekends, Charlene barely had a moment to herself.
After Thorne and Jasmine left, Charlene accompanied Helena and Vernon to visit Sybil Ross at the hospital, but soon after, she went back upstairs to tackle her own workload.
Thorne’s flight was just after five in the afternoon. Around three, he dropped Jasmine back home before rushing to the airport.
News of Thorne’s whirlwind schedule-returning from Goldland only to jet off overseas again—had already reached both the Hawkins and Spencer families.
Georgina Spencer was clearly displeased.
“He’s already here. Would it really kill him to stay one more day and get the divorce papers signed? Why does he have to be in such a hurry?”
Leah Spencer pouted in agreement. “Exactly.”
Everyone knew Thorne was divorcing Charlene for Vesta Hawkins, and Vesta herself had promised Thorne would be back by
no later than the Monday after next to finalize things. sŵnovel
But as long as Thorne and Charlene remained married, there was always the chance something could change.
So even if Thorne couldn’t marry Vesta immediately after the divorce, both
families wanted the split to happen as soon as possible.
Vesta, of course, wanted nothing more than for the divorce to be finalized quickly.
But with things as they were, all she could do was wait.
Georgina, thinking about how Thorne had managed to carve out time from his hectic schedule and travel all the way from Goldland just for Jasmine’s birthday, felt a pang of resentment. “He really does dote on that daughter of his, doesn’t he?”
Vesta didn’t respond.
After all, she knew better than anyone just how much Jasmine meant to Thorne.
Sensing Vesta’s discomfort,
Georgina tried to reassure her. “Don’t
worry. Once you have a child with
Thorne, with the kind of relationship
you two have, he’ll definitely favor your child even more.”
Vesta managed a quiet, “Mm.”