The following morning, after handling a few urgent tasks at PrimeStar, Charlene and Gaylord headed over to The Henderson Group for a meeting.
It had been a while since they had stepped foot in the building.
The moment they walked in, a few familiar employees couldn''t resist pulling them into some light office gossip.
"Did you guys catch the news about Mr. Henderson and Ms. Hawkins a few days ago?"
Charlene lowered her gaze. "I saw it."
"Ever since that ident, they''ve been practically inseparable! In fact, he actually brought her to work with him for the past two mornings. She''s sitting up in his office right now."
Charlene offered a polite smile, choosing not toment.
After a few more minutes of idle chatter, they got down to business.
At noon, Charlene stepped out for lunch with her boss, Mr. Windsor. The moment they stepped out of the car, she immediately spotted Lloyd Henderson getting out of a vehicle nearby.
Before Charlene could react, Mr. Windsor noticed him too.
While lower-level employees might not recognize him, an executive like Mr. Windsor certainly did. He hurried over with a sycophantic smile. "Secretary Henderson! A pleasure to see you, it''s been far too long."
Lloyd recognized him and offered a polite handshake. "Ah, Mr. Windsor. Good to see you."
Only then did his gaze shift to the woman standing nearby.
He paused for a second before a warm smile spread across his face. "Charlene. It''s been a while."
Charlene nodded respectfully. "...Lloyd."
Hearing her drop his formal title and surname entirely, Lloyd''s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but he didn''t correct her. Instead, he gave her shoulder a gentle, paternal pat.
"You look a bit thin. I hear you''ve been working yourself to the bely. Make sure you take care of your health. Don''t push yourself too hard."
"I will. Thank you, Lloyd."
Hearing Charlene casually address one of the city''s most powerful men by his first name nearly made Mr. Windsor''s jaw hit the pavement. He had absolutely no idea she was connected to him:
Just then, the person Lloyd was scheduled to meet arrived.
Noticing the timing, Charlene spoke up. "We won''t take up any more of your time. Have a good lunch."
"Let''s grab a meal together soon," Lloyd offered.
"Absolutely."
It was purely a polite exchange; she had no real intention of scheduling a lunch with him.
Seeing that Lloyd''s guest was clearly a heavy hitter, Mr. Windsor didn''t dare linger.
It wasn''t until they were a good distance away that he finally blurted out, "Ms. Ross, you know Secretary Henderson? And you two seem incredibly close!"
Putting his political weight aside,
Lloyd was Thorne''s father! Yet Charlene had addressed him so casually, as if she were speaking to beloved family member rather than a terrifying authority figure.
In Western corporate culture, hearing a junior employee call a titan like that by his
first name implied a deep, almost familial bond.
But judging from the warmth of that
praction, she genuinely had a
profound connection with the man. So why did she and Thome always like absolute strangers
Even when Thorne seemed to take a bizarre interest in her a while back, the air between them was always frigid, as if they could never bridge the gap.
The rest of the PrimeStar team, including Gaylord, had overheard Mr. Windsor call
him ''Secretary Henderson'' and instantly connected the dots.
Everyone knew the Hendersons were practically royalty in Starfall City.
Unable to contain his shock, one of the team members finally asked, "Mr. Windsor,
is Secretary Henderson actually Mr. Henderson''s..."
Mr. Windsor nodded emphatically. "Yes. That''s his father."
A collective gasp rippled through the group. "Wow, that was really him?"
While the others marveled at the encounter, Gaylord slowly turned his head, his piercing gaze locking firmly onto Charlene.
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