Rhoda, not thinking much of it, said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Everyone''s here, we can all help you figure it out."


    Leah hesitated for another moment before finally blurting it out. "It''s... it''s about that diamond Thorne bought for over four billion dors. A-a while ago, I heard from Jasmine that Thorne actually gave it to Charlene... for her birthday."


    Everyone in the room, including Rhoda, had been consumed with thoughts of Thorne and Charlene''s divorce. They weren''t paying much attention to what Leah was about to say.


    Her words hung in the air, followed by a stunned silence. They all thought they had misheard.


    When reality set in, Rhoda frowned and snapped, "How is that possible? Leah, don''t spread rumors!"


    "I''m not lying, it''s true!" Leah insisted. "Why would I joke about something like that?!"


    As soon as Leah spoke, they knew it had to be true. It was just... they never imagined her secret would be something so monumental. That diamond—Thorne had bought it for Charlene.


    Laverne was the first to recover. "Even if Thorne did buy the diamond for Charlene, it doesn''t necessarily mean anything. Maybe it was part of some deal between them."


    "Right, right," Rhoda quickly agreed.


    That was everyone''s initial thought. But then, they remembered the recent encounters with Thorne and Charlene. They had all heard how much Thorne despised her, how he wouldn''t even tolerate being around her for the sake of their children. Yettely, his attitude toward her had been gentle, even proactive, while Charlene seemed the colder one. Not only that, but he had been in frequent contact with her, from finding a doctor for Helena to publicly carrying Charlene upstairs and staying in her room for so long...


    None of that would have been possible before.


    Furthermore, no matter how busy Thorne was, surely he could have carved out half a day to finalize a divorce. They had They had all


    considered this before but dismissed it, convinced


    that he was desperate to marry Vesta.


    But what if his attitude toward Charlene had changed? What if he was now hesitating?


    If that were the case, then his


    frequent business trips, conveniently


    timed during their divorce.


    finalization period, might not be a


    coincidence. They might be.


    deliberate.


    Laverne had thought of this too. A


    She turned to Lean, "You said


    new question formed et


    Jasmine told you? Does... does Vesta know about this?"


    Leah usually only saw Jasmine through Vesta. If Leah knew, then Vesta must—


    "She knows," Leah confirmed. "But she didn''t seem to think it was a big deal."


    Everyone paused. Maureen''s hand tightened around her ss, a minute change that went unnoticed.


    Laverne''s expression shifted. "How long have you two known?" she asked.


    "We found out the day after we learned Thorne had hired that doctor for Helena."