However, Vesta quickly realized she had been overly optimistic. Thorne''s attitude toward her was a world away from what it used to be.


    Instead of simply giving them money as he had in the past, Thorne had his people investigate the situations at Hawkins Technology and Neural Nexus Tech, then helped them secure technical coborations and new investments. As for Thorne himself, he had vanishedpletely after that dinner.


    Both Henley and Vesta were left in stunned silence. Even Leah Spencer could see what was happening. Thorne was signaling that he no longer wanted to spend his own money on them.


    She couldn''t ept the change. "How could he do this to us?"


    The others looked equally grim. None of them had expected Thorne to handle things


    this way.


    Rhoda, seeing their somber expressions, forced augh. "Well, no matter what, he still helped us, didn''t he? Without him, we might not have secured any investment for the projects at all."


    While that was true, the way he helped felt more like a perfunctory gesture to get Vesta off his back. Even Rhoda knew that,pared to how generous he used to be, this felt downright cold.


    Seeing that everyone remained worried, she tried again. "In any case, at least he hasn''t broken up with Vesta. I think there''s still a chance to fix things, right, Vesta?"


    Vesta lowered her eyes, saying nothing. Honestly, she couldn''t read Thorne at all anymore. She had no idea what he was thinking.


    Besides, his change in attitude toward Charlene had started long ago, not just recently as the rest of the family believed. His feelings for Charlene were probably a lot stronger than any of them realized.


    Henley and the others knew Rhoda had a point. But Thorne''s withdrawal was so obvious, and his pursuit of Charlene so aggressive, that it seemed he had little affection left for Vesta. He was likely just putting off the breakup out of respect for their shared history.


    Thest time Thorne had to choose between them, he had used business trips to avoid finalizing the divorce with Charlene. Now, with the cooling-off period for their current divorce proceedings nearing its end, they all wondered what he would do if he truly didn''t want to leave Charlene.


    Charlene was oblivious to the anxieties of the Hawkins and Spencer families. She was incredibly busy, so much so that she had no time to think about anything else.


    One day, she had just finished a


    take a break when her phone


    meeting and was finally about to et


    buzzed. She paused when she saw the iing call.


    Stewart Ferguson, walking by, nced at the screen, which showed an unsaved number. "Who''s that?" he asked casually.


    Charlene didn''t answer. Instead, she declined the call.


    Stewart stopped in his tracks, a knowing look on his face as he pursed his lips. "It''s him, isn''t it?"


    Charlene nodded.


    "Right," Stewart scoffed. "Definitely don''t need to answer that."


    Gaylord Hearst was nearby. He hadn''t seen the number, but he could guess who it was from their tone. He nced at Charlene.


    Just then, her phone buzzed again. Charlene picked it up. It was Thorne again, but this time it was a text message.


    [Can we talk? It''s about the coboration with Andie Sanderson.]