Although Vesta had rarely joined their gatherings over the past three months, Moran still believed that she and Thorne must be seeing each other constantly. So, when he saw them immediately engrossed in their own conversation during a rare get- together, he couldn''t resist teasing them.


    Vesta''s eyes flickered for a second, but she quickly recovered, smiling as she said candidly, "We don''t see each other every day. In fact, Thorne and I haven''t seen much of each other at all recently."


    She said it because she knew that sometimes, telling the in truth was the most effective form of misdirection. Even if he believed her, he would probably just assume they were busy with their own things, not that their rtionship was in trouble.


    As expected, Moran justughed. "Alright, alright, I''ll leave you two alone. Carry on, then."


    Soon, the conversation shifted to other topics.


    ***


    That night, when Charlene got home from work and was about to take a shower, she received a message from Granger. He told her that Daisy was back in Starfall and missed her, hoping they could meet up.


    Charlene saw the message and, checking her schedule, realized she was free for lunch the next day, so she agreed.


    The following day, she arrived at the restaurant on time. Daisy genuinely adored Charlene. Despite not having much contact over the past six months, there was no awkwardness between them. The moment Daisy saw her, she ran over. "Ms. Ross!"


    Daisy had grown a bit taller. Charlene bent down to give her a warm hug and handed over the gift she had brought.


    After that, Daisyunched into a non-stop stream of stories, sharing all the interesting things that had happened to her recently. Charlene sat beside her, listening attentively.


    Granger quietly passed them the menus. After they ordered, Daisy, who had talked until her throat was dry, was about to take a sip of water and continue when Granger shot Charlene a silent, amused smile. Charlene simply smiled back and gently stroked Daisy''s cheek.


    The mealsted for a while, but Charlene had othermitments, so she prepared to leave right after they finished.


    Daisy was reluctant to see her go. Before Charlene left, she ran up and hugged her again. "Charlene, when I have more time, I''e back to see you and we can have dinner again."


    Charlene smiled. "Of course."


    They were talking inside their private dining room, but the door was already open. Just then, Leah and the rest of the Spencers happened to be walking past.


    The Spencers all knew who Daisy was. They paused, surprised to see Granger, Charlene, and Daisy together. They were especially struck by how close Daisy seemed to be with Charlene.


    However, they didn''t let their minds


    wander. After all, Granger and


    Thorpe had been best friends since childhood. It was only natural for


    him to be on good terms with


    Thorne''s wife. What else could it be?


    Seeing Granger, who she knew disliked her, made Leah''s already sour mood worse.


    She quickly turned and walked away.


    When they got home, Leah was still stewing. Vesta noticed but wasn''t particrly concerned, only asking casually, "What happened?"


    "We ran into Granger," Georgina answered offhandedly.


    At the mention of his name, Vesta''s expression cooled slightly.


    Georgina didn''t notice and


    continued, "Charlene and Granger''s niece were there too. The three of them were having lunch together, just them it seemed. They all looked pretty chummy."


    Vesta, who had been taking a sip of water, paused.


    Georgina had just been making a casual observation. After she said her piece, she picked up the remote and started flipping through TV channels.


    Vesta lowered her eyes. She knew her family''s dismissive reaction was simply because it had never urred to them to think of Charlene and Granger in that way. If only they knew...