After greeting Malvina, Charlene scanned the room and realized she didn''t recognize most of the guests. She was, however, a bit surprised to see Dalton Ramirez there.


    Dalton was visiting Kenton and his wife on his family''s behalf. He had noticed Stewart was present but not Charlene, and had assumed she wasn''ting. He was surprised to see her arrive on her own. With the Ramirez family being busy today, he couldn''t stay long. After presenting his gift and exchanging a few pleasantries with the hosts, he took his leave.


    Charlene and Stewart, on the other hand, stayed for quite a while, even joining Kenton and his wife for lunch at a restaurant.


    For the next few days, Charlene spent time visiting rtives with the Ross family before taking two days to rx. As the holiday break neared its end, her work schedule began to fill up, and she found herself attending business functions with Stewart.


    One evening, while she and Stewart were in a private dining room discussing a potential coboration, Moran Albright happened to walk by. He was on his way to meet Thorne and Granger for dinner. Spotting Charlene and Stewart through the open door, he raised an eyebrow and paused for a closer look.


    A waiter, having just served a course, was about to close the door when he noticed Moran staring intently into the room. "Sir, can I help you?" he asked.


    The voices drew the attention of Charlene and Stewart. When they saw Moran, Charlene''s expression remained neutral, but Stewart offered a tight, humorless smile. "Well, Mr. Albright. Is there something you need?"


    Moran flicked a dismissive hand. "Nothing. Just passing through. Don''t mind me."


    With a smirk, he turned and walked away.


    When he reached his own private room, he found Thorne and Granger already there. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "Look at you two, right on time." Without waiting for a response, he jerked a thumb toward the hallway. "Guess who I just saw?"


    Thorne and Granger both calmly sipped their tea, offering no reply.


    "Seriously?" Moran protested. "Can''t you at least pretend to be interested?"


    Thorne was the first to set down his cup. "Who did you see?"


    "Charlene and Stewart," Moran said, getting himself a cup of tea. "They''re certainly dedicated, aren''t they? It''s still the holidays, and they''re already busy with work."


    Granger looked down at his cup, still silent. He had guessed Moran had seen Charlene the moment he spoke, but he hadn''t expected Stewart to be with her.


    Thorne''s expression was unreadable. "Oh? Is that so?"


    Moran pursed his lips. "PrimeStar Technologies is Stewart''spany, not hers. The way she''s so invested, you''d think they were running it like their own little family business."


    Thorne chuckled softly but didn''tment.


    Granger, however, set down his cup. "I think I''ll go say hello. Thorne, care to join?" He framed it as a


    professional courtesy, given their


    Henderson Group has a close coboration with PrimeStar. It would make sense for you to greet them as well."


    Thorne shook his head. "No, you go ahead."


    "Alright."


    Granger nodded and left the room. When Charlene and Stewart heard the knock


    and saw it was Granger, they were both a little surprised.


    "Moran mentioned you were dining here, so thought I''de over and say hello," Granger exined. His gaze the settled on Charlene this voice softening. "Merry Christmas.


    Charlene nodded. "Merry Christmas to you too."