Thorne and Granger hadn''t seen each other in a while and rarely kept in touch, so they had a pleasant chat about their respectivepanies.


    Dalton Ramirez, however, had no intention of befriending them and didn''t want to waste time on pleasantries. After a brief exchange, he made an excuse and walked away.


    His attention then shifted to Charlene Ross and Stewart Ferguson, who were busy entertaining guests.


    He noticed that Stewart was treating Charlene just as he always had. To his surprise, as the g was winding down, Stewart even asked Charlene to see Thorne and Granger out.


    It was as if Stewart hadpletely disregarded their conversation the other day!


    Could he really trust Charlene that much?


    Dalton''s expression darkened.


    Unaware of Dalton''s thoughts, Charlene politely escorted Thorne and Granger from the banquet hall. "Thank you both so much foring. I hope we were able to make you feel wee."


    Granger smiled. “Not at all, we understand you have a lot to manage.”


    "Thank you for your understanding," Charlene replied, then exchanged a few more polite words with Thorne, who responded in kind.


    Granger watched their formal back-and-forth, both of them treating the other with the professional courtesy of business partners. He nced at Thorne.


    Noticing his gaze, Thorne asked, "What is it?"


    Granger was about to say he wanted to talk—to ask about his feelings for Charlene -but before he could speak, Thorne''s phone rang.


    After taking the call, Thorne said, "Something''se up that I have to handle. Let''s get together when we have time."


    "Sure," Granger agreed.


    Thorne left in a hurry. Granger hade specifically for Charlene, but he''d barely had a chance to speak with her all evening.


    He watched her from a distance, busy with her duties, and stood in silence for a long moment before finally turning to leave.


    Meanwhile, Dalton considered approaching Stewart again about Charlene and Thorne, but remembering how unconvinced Stewart had been before, he decided against it.


    But if he ever caught Thorne and Charlene together again, he would make sure to get proof.


    At the Neural Nexus Tech g, news traveled fast within the upper echelons of society.


    Before long, the word that Thorne had attended PrimeStar Technologies'' g spread through the room, reaching the ears of the Hawkins and Spencer families.


    Though their expressions soured,


    they maintained their smiles when questioned. by guests. "The


    Henderson Group and PrimeSt


    have a very close partnership right now, and they''re taking it very seriously. Thorne mentioned he might not be able to make it over here after their event. We


    understand he has many important matters to attend to."


    "I see..."


    Thorne used to bring Vesta Hawkins to all major events, but now he wasn''t even attending the Neural Nexus Tech g in person. This led many to specte that his rtionship with Vesta was on the rocks.


    However, the exnation from the Hawkins and Spencer families dispelled their doubts. After all, the coboration between The Henderson


    Pand Primeselne


    was indeed crucial, and it made sense for Thorne to prioritize it.


    Even so, with Thorne''s likely absence and the early departure of Dalton and Moran Albright, many guests felt there was little reason to stay. The crowd began to thin, and half an hour before the g was scheduled to end, the hall was already nearly empty.