"Alright."


    Charlene and Jasmine quickly got into the car.


    From the passenger seat, Jasmine waved at Thorne. She didn''t settle back into her


    seat until the car had pulled out of the vi''s driveway and Thorne''s figure disappeared from view.


    Her eyes shifted back to Charlene.


    It had been a chaotic day at PrimeStar Technologies, and Charlene had been mmed with work. Coupled with severe menstrual cramps, herplexion was noticeably pale.


    Jasmine, of course, noticed.


    Seeing that her mother was this exhausted but still drove all the way out to pick her up, Jasmine''s mood instantly brightened. She couldn''t help but call out in a sweet, coaxing voice, "Mom..."


    Charlene kept her eyes on the road. "Hmm?"


    The gentle tone of that single hum was incredibly soft.


    Jasmine smiled happily. "Nothing. Drive safe."


    "I will."


    That evening, the Ross family banded together to make an entire feast of Yaleborough''s signature snacks. The house felt as lively as a holiday, and Jasmine''sughter echoed continuously through the halls.


    The next day.


    After dropping Jasmine off at school, Charlene headed straight to PrimeStar Technologies.


    Someone wasing in to discuss a potential partnership today, and they had explicitly requested to meet with Charlene.


    Over the past year, Charlene''s business acumen had be widely recognized. When clients specifically asked for her, Stewart Ferguson never thought twice about it and simply went off to handle his own tasks.


    When the guests arrived, Charlene pushed open the conference room doors to find a group of stylish, professional young women. She politely extended her hand toward the one in charge. "Director Lancaster, I presume? It''s a pleasure."


    Corinne Lancaster leaned backzily on the sofa, her gaze raking over Charlene. After a few seconds, a smirk touched her stunningly beautiful features. Setting her coffee cup down, she didn''t bother to stand. Remaining seated, she offered a limp handshake. "So, you''re Charlene Ross?"


    Charlene took a seat opposite her. "I am. Have we met before, Ms. Lancaster?"


    Corinne chuckled. "We haven''t, but your name certainly precedes you."


    Given Corinne''s tone, it was tantly obvious this wasn''t meant as apliment.


    Charlene''s expression remained perfectly neutral. "I heard the Lancaster Group is looking to partner with us on a new project. I''m curious to hear yourpany''s requirements."


    "Requirements? Oh, we have plenty of those."


    Corinne didn''t borate. She simply gestured for her assistant to hand over the proposal file to Charlene, beforenguidly picking up her coffee cup once more.


    Charlene took the document and skimmed through it.


    A few momentster, she set the file down. "We are fully capable of handling the scope of work detailed here, and our pricing is reasonable."


    The document only provided a broad


    overview. Corinne lowered her coffee cup and shot a look at her assistant. The assistant immediately began discussing the finer details and core demands of the agreement with Charlene.


    The discussionsted a little over ten minutes.


    Throughout the entire conversation, Charlene noticed Corinne watching her with a mocking, half-smile on her lips.


    Charlene acted as if she didn''t see it.


    When the ten minutes were up, the assistant gave Corinne a subtle look and nodded. Corinne pulled a tissue to dab delicately at the corner of her mouth smiling. "I''d long heard that Ms. Ross was exceptionally O talented. Seeing it in person today, t seems the rumors were entirely


    justified."


    It sounded like apliment, but Charlene clearly saw the undisguised derision in Corinne''s eyes.


    Charlene essentially understood that this woman hade looking for a fight. She knew of the Lancaster family.


    But since the Lancasters had relocated most of their assets abroad over the years and rarely spent time in Starfall City, she didn''t know much about them or their inner circle.


    This was her first time meeting this ''Director Lancaster,'' and she had absolutely no idea how she had managed to offend her.


    Feigning ignorance of Corinne''s


    tant mockery, Charlene casually issued an eviction notice. "You tter me, Director Lancaster. Unfortunately, I have another


    meeting to attend, so I''m afrael


    can''t entertain you any longer. If you''re genuinely interested in moving forward with PrimeStar, please prepare a more detailed proposal, and we can schedule another time to discuss the


    specifics."


    Corinne wasn''t stupid—she knew exactly what Charlene meant. Charlene was fully


    aware they had no real intention of partnering with PrimeStar.


    She let out a sharpugh. "Casually rejecting a potential partnership on behalf of PrimeStar... Ms. Ross, you really do have quite the temper and quite the ego, don''t you?"