In the end, PrimeStar won the bid.


    The fact that The Hawkins Group didn''t win came as no surprise to either the Hawkins or the Spencer families. Still, watching so many major corporationspete only to see PrimeStare out on top left a bitter taste in their mouths.


    Losing the bid was a disappointment, but it wasn''t their only concern. The project Hawkins Technology was developing with Thorne''s help had hit another bottleneck, and continuing the research would require another injection of capital-money they no longer had. It wasn''t just Hawkins Technology, either; Neural Nexus Tech was facing the exact same predicament. If their funding dried up, all their current projects would be in jeopardy.


    But the truth was, they were fresh out of capital.


    Charlene remainedpletely unaware of the situation between Thorne and Vesta. After securing the government contract, she was busier than ever, even working through her Saturday.


    On Sunday, her only day off, Jasmine showed up at the Ross estate bright and early. Charlene had worked herself to exhaustion the day before and was sleeping in, but Jasmine didn''t wake her. Instead, the little girl waited quietly in the bedroom. When Charlene finally stirred, Jasmine snuggled into her arms.


    "Mommy, you''re awake! Are you hungry? Daddy''s downstairs. He said he wants to talk to you."


    The lingering sleepiness vanished from Charlene''s mind. Jasmine''s arrival was a surprise, as no one else from the Ross family was home. A little over ten minutester, she went downstairs to find Thorne in the living room, sipping a cup of tea.


    He looked up and greeted her calmly. "You''re up."


    With Jasmine present, Charlene simply nodded and asked the housekeeper to prepare something for her to eat. She could feel Thorne''s eyes on her the entire time. Before she could say anything, he spoke again.


    "I heard PrimeStarnded the government project a few days ago. Congrattions."


    Members of the Hawkins family had also been in the running. They had lost, yet here he was, congratting if his sentiment was


    her. Unsuene sat down across


    genuine


    from him and replied coolly, Thank you." Then she asked, "Jasmine said you wanted to see me?"


    "A friend of mine is very interested in you," Thorne began. "He has a project he''d like to propose as a three-way coboration between hispany, The Henderson Group, and PrimeStar. Would you be interested in having lunch to hear him out?"


    Knowing that alone might not be enough to sway her, he added, "He''s coborated with major tech giants around the world. Working with him could give you ess to thetest globat Al developments, not to mention connections to world-ss talent and cutting-edge technology."


    Truthfully, PrimeStar wasn''t short on projects. However, as a pioneeringpany at


    the forefront of technology, it needed to build a unique,poundpetitive


    advantage that was difficult to replicate something it currentlycked.


    She considered his offer for a moment before asking, "When?"


    "He just got into Starfall City yesterday and asked me to lunch. Care to join us?"


    "...Alright." It was already after ten, and she hadn''t eaten breakfast. "Just give me the address, and I''ll—"


    "I''ll wait for you," Thorne cut her off, his gaze steady.


    Charlene paused, then said evenly, "There''s no need. I can get there myself."