"And call your mother, too. Ask her if she''s free for dinner tonight."


    "Okay, I got it!" Jasmine replied.


    She was in the middle of a game at an arcade. After hanging up, she nned to call Charlene as soon as she was done but got so caught up in the fun that shepletely forgot. By the time she remembered, it was already past four in the afternoon.


    She quickly dialed Charlene''s number. "Mommy, are you free for dinner tonight?"


    Charlene was still at The Henderson Group, analyzing data with her team. Hearing the question, she assumed Jasmine was asking her to a mother-daughter dinner. Her eyes still fixed on the screen, she answered absently, "I am. Just send me the address when you have it, and I''ll head over as soon as I''m done here."


    "Okay!" Jasmine chirped.


    "Mommy''s still busy, so I have to go now. We can talk more tonight, okay?"


    Jasmine had been about to share stories from her day, but she reluctantly agreed. "Okay. Bye, Mommy."


    After hanging up, Charlene went right back to her work discussion,pletely unaware that her conversation had left the entire room stunned into silence. While most of the staff from Neural Nexus Tech and PrimeStar knew Charlene was married with a child, her colleagues at The Henderson Group had no idea.


    One of them couldn''t hold back any longer. "Ms. Ross, you... you have a child?" Without looking up, Charlene gave a slight nod. "Mm-hmm."


    Everyone else was speechless. She had a child, but as far as they knew, Stewart wasn''t married. So, the child... wasn''t his? The Henderson Group employees noticed that the others weren''t surprised by the news and realized they must have already known.


    When Charlene stepped away to use the restroom, one of them couldn''t resist asking a PrimeStar employee, "What''s the deal with your Ms. Ross? I thought she and Mr. Ferguson were a couple."


    Having worked together for a while, the teams were familiar with each other. The PrimeStar employee was hesitant to share too much gossip but offered a vague exnation. be honest we''re not entirely sure. We just know Ms. Ross is married, but... we heard she and her husband were nning to get a divorce. We don''t know if they went through with it..."


    This new information only deepened the shock for The Henderson Group staff. "Wow... I never would have guessed."


    They had genuinely believed Charlene and Stewart were together.


    Charlene was swamped. By the time she finished, the sky had already darkened, Seeing the address Jasmine had sent, she got in her car and left The Henderson Group. She called Jasmine on the way Minnie Mommy''s running a littlete. If you get hungry, go ahead aneborder first."


    "Mommy, I''m on my way too, so no rush!"


    "Okay."


    When Charlene arrived at the destination, she was about to get out of her car when she saw Thorne and Jasmine standing outside. She paused for a moment before stepping out. Jasmine spotted her and waved excitedly. "Mommy!"


    Charlene nodded, but before she could speak, the doors of the two cars parked beside Thorne''s opened. udia and Lloyd Henderson, Terence Henderson, Tiffany Henderson, and even Irma Henderson all stepped out.


    Seeing them, Charlene froze, instantly understanding the situation. She had assumed Jasmine had invited her on her own. In that instant, she was rooted to the spot.


    The entire Henderson family, Irma included, was just as stunned to see her there. They clearly had no idea she wasing either.