Sure enough, when Charlene went downstairs, she found Thorne in the living room. Vernon and Helena were also awake and chatting with him. Hearing her footsteps, all three of them looked up.


    "Charlene, you''re up," Vernon said. "Breakfast is ready. You should eat before you go."


    Charlene nodded. "Okay."


    Thorne stood. "I need to step outside to reply to a work message. We can talk again next time."


    "Of course," Vernon replied quickly.


    Thorne gave Helena a polite nod, then walked out the front door. Seeing Vernon''s respectful manners and her grandmother''s slightly thawed but still reserved attitude toward Thorne, Charlene understood exactly why they had invited him in.


    It was only because he had been a great help when her grandmother fell ill. Since Thorne was going to marry Vesta, the rtionship between their families could never be truly close, no matter how cordial it appeared.


    After a quick breakfast and a goodbye to her grandparents, Charlene got into Thorne''s car with Jasmine, and they drove off.


    Not long after they set off, Thorne sent her a text. Before she could react, he exined, "It''s a list of activities on the ind. See if there''s anything you''d like to do."


    Before Charlene could reply, Jasmine leaned over. "Daddy and I want to go diving in the submarine! You can see everything underwater without an oxygen tank. Do you want to try it, Mommy?"


    Charlene was genuinely intrigued. "Yes, Mommy wants to try that too."


    Jasmine then rattled off a few other ns, from collecting shells and ying volleyball to catching their own fish for a barbecue. Then she asked, "Mommy, for tonight, do you want to stay in the treehouse or the underwater ss vi?"


    Instead of answering, Charlene asked, "What about you, Minnie?"


    "I want to stay in the treehouse tonight, and the underwater ss vi tomorrow night!"


    "Me too," Charlene agreed.


    The journey was long. After more than an hour in the car, they boarded a private speedboat, finally arriving at the ind close to noon Thorne hadn''t been exaggerating when he said it was deserted. Besides the three of them, the only other people were the ind''s staff.


    After lunch, Jasmine changed into her beach clothes, eager to start exploring. She


    grabbed a small bucket and, within minutes of stepping outside, had collected a pile


    of colorful shells. Charlene stayed by her side while Thorne followed a short distance behind.


    An hourter, the staff gave them the all-clear for the submarine dive. They changed their clothes and prepared to head Ho out The vessel was a small, private submarine, amodating only five or six people, with a fully transparent hull that offered a 360-degree view of the ocean floor.


    Charlene had been diving before, but this was her first time in a sealed submarine, and the experience waspletely different. Once inside Jasmine was thrilled to learn she could operate a mechanical w to catch fish. As they descended, she was mesmerized by the schools of colorful fish swimming past and eagerly began practicing with the controls. After several failed


    attempts, Thorne leaned over, gently


    cing his hand over hers to guide her.