"Thank you for your hard work."


    Sensing she had no desire to talk, Thorne said nothing more and left with Vesta. They had a dinner appointment. Afterward, Thorne had another business matter to discuss, and since Vesta had work to finish at her ownpany, she left first. As it happened, the Hawkins and Spencer families were also having lunch nearby.


    Seeing Vesta, Rhoda remarked, "Vesta seems to be in a much better moodtely." She wasn''t the only one who had noticed; Maureen and Katie Hawkins had seen it too.


    Leah chimed in with a smile, "Of course she is! A while back, Thorne was so busy with work that they barely had time to see each other. Now that his schedule has freed up, they can be together all the time. It''s only natural she''d be happier."


    The rest of the Hawkins and Spencer families had assumed the same reason for Vesta''s previous foul mood. Only Vesta herself knew the real cause of her unhappiness, but that was all in the past now. She didn''t say a word. Looking confident and serene, Vesta got into her car first, clearly in high spirits. The others smiled and followed suit.


    Charlene was unaware of the dynamics between Thorne and Vesta. For the next two days, she reported to The Henderson Group on schedule for work. During that time, she didn''t see Thorne or Vesta again.


    On the afternoon of the third day, their project finally achieved its goal, resulting in a breakthrough that exceeded all expectations. The moment the results came in, the R&D department at The Henderson Group erupted in cheers and gasps of astonishment.


    When Thorne received the news, he paused. "Oh is that so?" He immediately opened the report his team had prepared and began to read. He reviewed it carefully, and soon, a satisfied smile spread across his face. A unique sense of ease and tion settled over him.


    Coy, standing nearby, was stunned. As a boss, Thorne wasn''t difficult to work for. He wasn''t a cold person either-his coldness in the past had been reserved exclusively for Charlene. He had always treated his subordinates well and was even more attentive to Vesta, always greeting her with a smile. But this look of pure satisfaction, this rxed and joyous state-in all the years Coy had worked for him, he felt like he was seeing it for the first time.


    As Coy stood there, lost in thought, Thorne''s phone, which was sitting on the desk; began to ring. Coy nced down and saw it was a call from Vesta. Thorne, however, was still staring intently at hisputer screen, seemingly oblivious to the call. Coy knew how passionate Thome was about the field of Ale had heard that the results Charlene''s team achieved were astonishing, and the report likely contained many details that fascinated Thorne. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be sopletely captivated.


    The phone continued to ring for several seconds. Seeing that Thorne still hadn''t reacted, Coy cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "Mr. Henderson, your phone is ringing. It''s a call from Ms. Hawkins."


    "Mmm."


    Thorne, who clearly hadn''t registered a word Coy said, gave a nomittal hum, his eyes still glued to the screen. Coy paused, watching Thorne''s focused expression. The phone was still ringing. He tried again. "Mr. Henderson—"