Charlene had to agree.


    With fewer points of contention between them, filing for a contested divorce could also get the papers signed quickly. However, she had a trip to the research facilitying up, and both her departure and return dates were uncertain. As the intiff, if she missed the court date, her case would be dismissed. Given the circumstances, an uncontested divorce was the better option. At least with that route, they would have more flexibility in choosing a date to go to city hall after the cooling-off period, which might lead to a smoother process.


    She had assumed that if Thorne had the time, he would contact her immediately. That''s why she hadn''t bothered reaching out to him yesterday when she heard nothing. After all, if he was busy, pestering him would be pointless. But now...


    Charlene looked up at Thorne, a slight frown creasing her brow. In a contested divorce, the defendant wasn''t required to appear in court. She could let Thorne file as the intiff, but...


    Stewart knew she was considering filing suit and understood her hesitation. "Still haven''t decided?" he asked.


    Charlene shook her head. Stewart sympathized with her dilemma. Thorne was hopelessly biased toward Vesta and the Hawkins family. They couldn''t guarantee that if Thorne were the intiff and Charlene was unable to attend the hearing, he wouldn''t try to alter the terms of their agreement at thest minute. If that happened, her absence would put her at a significant disadvantage.


    Charlene didn''t actually want anything from Thorne. She had already conceded custody of Jasmine and didn''t care about his assets, but she couldn''t stomach the thought of the Hawkins and Spencer families benefiting from her walking away empty-handed.


    Thorne''s settlement offer was generous, and Stewart agreed that they couldn''t let it fall into the hands of the Hawkins and Spencers. He sighed and patted Charlene''s shoulder sympathetically.


    Charlene watched Thorne, saying nothing more. Perhaps sensing her gaze, Thorne looked over at her. Seeing that she was still watching him, a faint smile touched his lips, his eyes seeming to ask if she had something to say. Charlene coolly averted her gaze, refusing to look at him any longer. Thorne watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to the meeting.


    The meeting continued, and Thorne stayed until the very end before getting up to leave. As he departed he politely addressed Charlene and Stewart. "The project is progressing exceptionally well I have great confidence in our future


    coboration. Thank you both for


    your hard work."


    Though annoyed with him, Stewart had to respond with equal politeness. "You''re too kind, Mr. Henderson."


    Thorne didn''t say anything more, but he gave Charlene onest look before turning and walking out. Watching him go, Stewart frowned. "Is there some kind of internal problem with this project at The Henderson Group?" he wondered aloud.


    While he had just beenining that Thorne looked idle, he knew that if Thorne were truly free, he would have contacted Charlene about the divorce immediately. So, even though Thorne''s presence at the meeting seemed unnecessary, it was possible he was observing or evaluating something they weren''t aware of.


    Charlene had been thinking the same thing. She shook her head. "I don''t know. I haven''t heard anything from the people I''ve been in contact with."


    Stewart''s frown deepened. "Keep an eye on it," he said in a low voice. If something was brewing, they needed to be prepared.


    Her mind shifting back to work, Charlene agreed. "Right."