"I told him," Vesta said.
"And Thorne-?" Leah started.
Vesta gave her a brief rundown of the conversation.
"That''s it? Is that... all?" Leah asked, her voice trailing off in disbelief.
"That''s all."
Leah froze for a moment before the reality of the situation sank in. "So... he doesn''t want to help us?"
Maureen Spencer and the others remained silent. Thorne''s reluctance was as good
as a no.
Leah couldn''t help but voice their shared fear. "If Thorne won''t help, then... then we
They would have to raise the money themselves. As for how, that would mean selling off some of their properties to cover the emergency. The liquid capital they''d had on hand was already invested right before Christmas.
Maureen''s expression had been grim, but she''d sinceposed herself. "This is just a temporary setback," she said calmly. "There''s still a chance for Vesta and Thorne. Things will turn around."
Leah bit her lip. "But... but..."
But Thorne seemed to be growing more and more indifferent toward Vesta. In contrast, he was reportedly getting closer to Charlene. Rumor had it that he''d spent Christmas with the Ross family, a first for him, and that Charlene had even stayed with him at their marital home over the holiday.
Now, when her sister went to him for help, hepletely ignored her. Under these circumstances, was there really any chance left for them?
Rhoda, knowing her daughter better
than anyone, understood her
worries. She offered a sly smile. "Charlene is just one person. She can''t have both Thorne and Stewart, can she? All we feed to do is orchestrate a situation that leaves Charlene and Stewart no choice but to be together."
Previously, Maureen had suggested Vesta try to have a child with Thorne to win him back. What she hadn''t said aloud was that if that path failed, pushing Charlene and Stewart together would achieve the same result.
Leah''s face lit up. "Of course! Why didn''t I think of that?" She turned to Maureen with a grin. "Aunt Maureen, you''re a genius!"
Maureen lowered her gaze and took a sip of her tea, saying nothing.
***
Thorne had offered to rmend some talented professionals, but by the next day, there was still no word from him. Vesta had no choice but to contact him again, sending a message around noon.
He didn''t reply until that evening. [What kind of specialists are you looking for?]
While Vesta herselfcked the expertise to solve the technical challenges at Neural Nexus Tech and Hawkins Technology, she knew exactly what kind of core talent bothpanies desperately needed. She quickly replied with the details.
After she sent her message, a long silence followed before Thorne''s reply finally came: [Got it.]
Staring at his curt response, Vesta
fought the urge to keep pushing.
Given their current situation, she
knew the more she reached out, the more annoyed he would be. Conversely, if she yed it smart and gave him space, his guilt over the situation with Charlene might make him more patient with her, which would work to her advantage, at least until Charlene and Stewart''s rtionship was set in stone.
With that in mind, she didn''t send another message. Instead, she sent onest polite text, thanking him for his help.
Upon hearing that Thorne had agreed to rmend people, Leah couldn''t help but suggest, "Vesta, you should use this as an opportunity! Invite him to interview the candidates with you. It would be a perfect chance for you two to connect."
ve
Vesta didn''t answer. She was aware that Thorne and Charlene had spent a lot of time discussing professional topics over the past year. She didn''t know the extent of Thorne''s knowledge about Charlene''s capabilities, but she had a sinking feeling that if it were Charlene, she might have been able to solve the technical problems at bothpanies all by herself, they had both studied Al, but here she was,pletely helpless. If she couldn''t even handle interviewing a few specialists without Thorne holding her hand, she could only imagine what he would think of her.