Jasmine dashed over, her eyes lighting up. "Wow, so much good food! And milkshakes!"


    Thorne nodded, a small smile ying on his lips. "Yeah, figured you guys wereing, so I had them whip up a little something."


    As he talked, his eyes wandered over to Charlene, but noticing she wasn''t paying attention, he shifted his focus. to Carl and Nadine. He gave them a friendly nod and gestured for everyone to take a seat. "Make yourselvesfortable," he said.


    Thorne had this way about him-an aura thatmanded attention. Irma had just finished saying hello, and Nadine and Carl found themselves naturally gravitating towards the seats beside Jasmine, ready to dig into the treats Jasmine and Thorne were handing out. Once the kids were settled and munching away, Thorne handed a te to Charlene. "Want to give it a try?"


    With Irma watching, Charlene took the te, offering a polite, "Thanks."


    She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised to find it was strawberry-vored, just the way she liked it.


    When the conversation turned to their ns for a ski trip, Irma remarked to Thorne, "You should join Charlene and the kids. Skiing can be a handful, especially with three kids to watch over. I''ve got Abbey and the house staff here, so don''t worry about me." Charlene opened her mouth to protest, but Thorne was quick to reply, "Got it."


    Jasmine beamed at the idea of Thorne joining them.


    After spending a bit more time in the room, Charlene and the kids decided it was time to head out.


    Thorne tidied up his papers and joined them as they left the hospital room.


    They were taking two cars. Jasmine, Nadine, and the rest piled into Charlene''s car, excited chatter filling the


    air.


    When they got to the ski resort, Thorne knelt down to help Jasmine with her gear, fixing her jacket and goggles. Just then, his phone buzzed. He stepped aside to take the call, spoke quickly, and then said, "I''ll be thereter. Curious, Jasmine spoke up, "Dad, who was that on the phone?"


    Thorne didn''t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Would you rather have lunch with me or with your mom and the others?"


    Jasmine blinked, a bit taken aback. "Huh? Aren''t we all eating together?"


    Thorne shrugged. "I''ve got some things to handle."


    Charlene and Nadine overheard but kept their thoughts to themselves.


    Thorne ruffled Jasmine''s hair affectionately. "Let''s not worry about that now. Go have fun skiing; we can decideter."


    "Okay!"


    The three kids wandered off, chatting excitedly. Charlene adjusted her goggles, then turned to Thorne. "Still not settled the divorce, huh?"


    Thorne shook his head. "Not yet."


    He paused, then added, "If you need some cash in the meantime, I can have some sent over to your ount." Charlene wanted to discuss something else, but before she could, Jasmine called for her. "Mom,e on!" Charlene let it go, ready to join the kids, but her phone rang just then. It was Vernon.


    11:01


    "Someone from The Henderson Group reached out," he said. "Wanted to discuss a potential coboration."


    The Henderson Group was under Thorne''s leadership now. Years of experience told Vernon that Thorne wouldn''t offer help without a reason. He was calling Charlene to figure out Thorne''s angle and whether there were any hidden pitfalls in the deal. Charlene didn''t respond to Vernon right away. She lowered her phone, casting a questioning nce at Thorne.


    11:01


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