Charlene had helped his father? With what? Abrd had never mentioned anything about it to him.


    "What was it?" Dalton couldn''t help but ask.


    "This doesn''t concern you," Abrd replied dismissively.


    Dalton fell silent.


    Just then, they heard another car arriving. It was Mrs. Ramirez, home from work, along with Kenton and Hickey.


    It was Charlene''s first time meeting Mrs. Ramirez, so she and Stewart stood to greet her. Although it was their first meeting, Mrs. Ramirez already knew a great deal about Charlene.


    She smiled and patted Charlene''s hand warmly. "I''ve been wanting to meet you ever since Abrd told me about you, and today I finally get the chance. You''re even more beautiful in person than on television."


    "You''re ttering me," Charlene said, a little embarrassed.


    Dalton''s frown deepened. He had no idea his mother even knew Charlene, let alone seemed to like her so much.


    As everyone took their seats, Mrs. Ramirez nced at her son, who was still lost in thought. She knew what he was wondering but, like her husband, had no intention of exining. "Don''t just stand there," she said. "Pour some tea."


    Dalton was speechless but obeyed. "Yes, Mother."


    tical


    Abrd had invited them not only to thank Charlene and Kenton for their help but also for a chance to get together. While they couldn''t discuss ssified information from the base, they could still talk about the current domestic and international politic and businessndscape Charlene, who frequently visited the base, was well-versed in these topics and could easily contribute to the conversation.


    Dalton had known Charlene was skilled in the field of Al, but they had


    never had a deep conversation.


    Given his family''s standing, he thought he had a firm grasp on such matters yet as he istened to Charlene converse with the others, he realized he was out of his depthpared to her. Even Stewart didn''t seem to be on her level.


    A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He noticed, however, that his parents and Kenton showed no surprise at all; they all seemed to know her quite well. As far as he knew, Hickey and his parents had almost no interaction with Charlene, so how could they be so familiar with her?


    He couldn''t figure it out. Watching Charlene''s calm andposed demeanor as she spoke with these powerful elders-neither arrogant nor deferential-he narrowed his eyes He might not know how she became so close with his parents and Hickey, but her bearing made one thing clear: Charlene was in a much higher league than he had ever imagined. It made sense, then, that Thorne, even with Vesta in the picture, had been so easily captivated by her.


    Mrs. Ramirez was very fond of Charlene. After a while, she sighed contentedly. "Among your generation, the most outstanding are you two and..." She paused, remembering Charlene''s rtionship with Thorne, but when Charlene didn''t seem to mind, she continued, "...and Thorne."


    Dalton could understand praising Stewart and Thorne, but why was Charlene included in that group?


    As Mrs. Ramirez spoke, she nced at her own son with a slight sigh. His brow, which had been furrowed since the beginning of the evening, had barely rxed.


    He wasn''t that bad, was he?


    The conversation was dominated by the elders, Charlene, and Stewart. Dalton barely got a word in, relegated to pouring tea and listening, feeling like a background character.


    Toward the end of the evening, Mrs. Ramirez smiled. "I haven''t seen York in a while.


    It would be even livelier if he were here."


    At the mention of York Watson, Charlene''s hand, which was raising her teacup, paused mid-air.