Dalton didn''t notice Charlene''s reaction. Hearing his mother mention York, he thought to himself that if York had been there, at least he would have had someone


    to talk to.


    The party broke up around ten o''clock. As he was seeing them out, Abrd said earnestly, "Charlene, you and Stewart shoulde visit more often when you have time. You''re always wee here."


    "I will," Charlene promised.


    Dalton stood by, watching coldly. It was bing increasingly clear that his parents liked Charlene even more than he''d thought—perhaps even more than they liked Stewart.


    After Charlene and Stewart left, he couldn''t hold back any longer. "Dad, Mom, I know Charlene is capable, but she''scking in integrity. You shouldn''t—"


    "Is that so?" Mrs. Ramirez interrupted with a smile. "On the contrary, your father and I find her to be a very principled woman. The more we see of her, the more we like her." As she said this, she looked at Dalton with a hint of regret. If it weren''t for her son''s poor judgment, he and Charlene might have had a chance. Charlene may have been married before, but she was exceptionally talented, with a good personality and excellent character-practically wless. If only she could have such an outstanding daughter-inw.


    Dalton, oblivious to his mother''s thoughts, rubbed his temples. "Mom, I''m serious. She isn''t who you think she is. She''s extremely calcting, not at all the innocent person she pretends to be in front of you."


    Abrd immediately guessed the reason for his son''s animosity. "You''re saying this because something happened between Charlene and that Ms. Hawkins, and you think it was Charlene''s fault?"


    "They didn''t have a conflict, but she-"


    Abrd and his wife both suspected it had something to do with Thorne. Abrd just smiled. "What you see isn''t always the truth. Your mother and I stand by our opinion. I hope youth try not to let your emotions cloud your judgment and make a rational assessment."


    Dalton couldn''t believe his parents were so thoroughly impressed with Charlene that they wouldn''t even listen to him. At that moment, he realized just how sophisticated Charlene''s methods were-far more than he had ever imagined. But it made sense. How else could she have managed to keep Stewart on her side, use him to meet so many influential people, and build strong rtionships with them, all while effortlessly capturing Thorne''s attention? Even people like his parents and Hickey had beenpletely fooled.


    Thinking this, his expression darkened.


    ...


    Charlene was unaware of Dalton''s thoughts. The next day, she went to The Henderson Group for work as usual. As it happened, Moran was there to discuss


    business with Thorne. He spotted Charlene on his way to Thorne''s office.


    As he was leaving with Thoer,


    he nced back at Charlene, who was focused on her work in a conference room. A thought, suddenly struck him, and he lowered his voice. "Oh, right, I forgot to ask. Did you two go file the divorce papers?"


    "No," Thorne said tly.


    "Not yet?" Moran was surprised. "You''ve been back for days. Why haven''t you done


    it? Are you both too busy?"


    "We''ve decided not to get divorced for the time being."