"Early?"


    "Yes, around eight o''clock, I believe."


    Dalton fell silent, his gaze drifting across the crowded room to where Thorne stood. Thorne was deep in conversation and looked perfectly settled, showing no signs of leaving. So, Dalton thought, he has no intention of going to the Neural Nexus Tech g at all.


    Just then, Thorne noticed him and raised his ss with a small smile. Before they could exchange more than a nce, Stewart and Charlene made their way over to Dalton.


    "Mr. Ramirez, our apologies. We should have been here to greet you," Stewart said. Dalton pulled his attention away from Thorne. "Mr. Ferguson, Ms. Ross, not at all."


    They had barely begun to exchange pleasantries when Granger arrived. "My apologies," Granger said. "I had a few things to take care of and got herete."


    Compared to his polite but cool demeanor with Dalton, Stewart''s attitude toward Granger was noticeably warmer. "It''s no problem at all, Mr. Harden. Having you here is an honor for PrimeStar."


    Dalton noted that Granger had also skipped the Neural Nexus Tech g. While it made business sense for him to prioritize PrimeStar, given the close partnership between theirpanies, Dalton found it strange. He''d heard that Granger and Vesta were good friends. Surely, a friend would show up to support her when she needed him and Thorne to lend her event some prestige.


    Granger had been incredibly busytely. He had canceled an important meeting just for a chance to see Charlene, rushing to make it before the PrimeStar g ended. He was surprised, however, to see Thorne still there sote.


    Seeing Granger, Thorne walked over. "You made it."


    Granger smiled, tapping his ss against Thorne''s. "I did."


    With so many guests to attend to, Stewart and Charlene were being pulled in a hundred directions. After a brief chat, Charlene said, "Mr. Harden, Mr. Henderson, Mr.


    Ramirez of you''ll excuse us, we have to mingle. Please forgive us if we''ve been neglectful hosts."


    "Of course," Granger said with a smile.


    Thorne nodded. "Don''t worry about us."


    "Go on, you''re busy," Dalton added.


    Granger''s eyes followed Charlene for a long moment before he turned back to Thorne and clinked their sses again. "Are you heading out soon? If not, we could grab a drink."


    "Sounds good," Thorne replied.


    Then, Thorne turned to Dalton with a smile. "Mr. Ramirez, care to join us?"


    "Of course. It would be my pleasure," Dalton said, his own smile not quite reaching


    his eyes. It was settled. Thorne and Granger weren''t going anywhere near Vesta''s party tonight.


    He had seen the way Granger watched Charlene leave, but he didn''t dwell on it. His attention was focused more on Thorne, who, in contrast, showed no lingering interest in his wife in fact Charlene had treated Thorne with the same professional distance. Dalton found the whole situation deeply ironic.


    Charlene and Stewart, busy with their duties, were oblivious to these undercurrents.


    They had no time to pay them any special attention.


    Gaylord was also in attendance that


    evening. He had been keeping an eye on Thorne since he arrived, but since he had no contact with Vesta, he waspletely unaware that the Neural Nexus Tech g was even. happening tonight. As a result, he saw nothing unusual about Thorne spending the entire evening at PrimeStar''s event.