With Jasmine on break and bored, she decided against a trip and instead went with Thorne to The Henderson Group the next morning. It wasmon knowledge throughout thepany that Thorne was married and had a child, and some employees had even seen Jasmine on previous visits. Still, her arrival with Thorne that morning stirred a fresh wave of curiosity.


    Most people had gotten so used to seeing Thorne as a bachelor that they often forgot he was a father. Besides, his supposed rtionship with Vesta was a much more widely known topic of conversation in the office than his marriage. As several people shot furtive nces her way, Jasmine remainedpletely unfazed, calmly focused on her tablet.


    Thorne, who was on a call, noticed a stray lock of her hair and reached out to smooth it back into ce. The simple, affectionate gesture made it clear to everyone watching just how good their rtionship was. Within minutes, the office grapevine was buzzing with the news that Thorne''s daughter had arrived.


    When Charlene, Stewart Ferguson, and Gaylord Hearst arrived at The Henderson Group and heard the news, both Charlene and Stewart paused imperceptibly. Gaylord had a simr reaction. He knew Thorne was married and had a daughter, but he had never actually met the girl.


    Stewart leaned in and whispered to Charlene, "Don''t tell me... we''re about to run into them, are we?" Before she could answer, he added, "It might be a good thing if we do. That way..." their rtionship could finallye to light. The thought of the shockwave it would send through thepany was thrilling.


    Charlene didn''t say a word. She wondered if Thorne knew she wasing to The Henderson Group today. Although he hadn''t seemed concerned about their connection being exposed during theirst two encounters, she had to ask herself... was he really that unworried? Even if he brought Jasmine to the office, he would probably have someone keep a close eye on her to make sure they didn''t cross paths.


    Their colleagues didn''t overhear Stewart''s whisper, simply assuming from their closeness that they had a strong rtionship. Just then, someone at The Henderson Group brought up the topic of Mr. Henderson''s ex-wife. Every time Jasmine appeared, it sparked a new round of spection about the mysterious woman.


    "Mr. Henderson''s daughter looks so much like him, and she''s gorgeous. I bet his ex- wife is a real beauty."


    "She has his temperament, too. So many of us were staring at her, but she wasn''t intimidated at all. She has this cool, aloof vibe that''s just adorable."


    Stewart arched an eyebrow and shot Charlene a yful look as he listened to to the others discuss Jasmine Charlene, for her part, remained expressionless. The office gossip quickly died down aso everyone got back to work.


    Meanwhile, Thorne had just begun to tackle some documents when Dalton Ramirez and his assistant arrived. The moment Dalton stepped


    into the office, he saw Jasmine


    sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in aic book.


    He stopped short. Jasmine looked up as Thorne rose to his feet. "Wee, Mr. Ramirez," Thorne said, then turned to his daughter. "Minnie, say hello to Mr. Ramirez."


    Jasmine got up and stood politely. "Mr. Ramirez," she greeted him.


    Dalton gave a silent nod. "Hello." He pulled his gaze away, about to speak to Thorne, but then paused and looked back at Jasmine. For some


    reason, he found her strangely familiar.