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    Just as Jta was lost in thought, Thorne arrived.


    After Thorne made his rounds greeting the Hawkins and Spencer families, Vesta introduced him to Jta, saying, "This is my cousin Jta." Thorne nced at Jta, shed a polite smile, and greeted, "Hello."


    Jta had only seen Thorne in Vesta''s social media posts before. Now that she met him in person, she could see why Vesta was drawn to him.


    Sure, there had been plenty of charming suitors vying for Vesta''s attention, all aplished in their own right. Butpared to Thorne... Whether it was personal achievements, education, family background, or even looks and demeanor, Thorne outshone them all by a mile.


    Many of Vesta''s previous admirers were truly impressive, but now Jta realized what it meant to meet someone truly exceptional.


    And she had to admit, Thorne and Vesta looked perfect together.


    However, recalling the rumors about Thorne and Charlene, Jta lowered her gaze and muttered softly, "H-hi." After Thorne finished his greetings with the Hawkins and Spencer families, he settled onto the couch.


    The word had spread sincest year-Vesta''s Starfall boyfriend had effortlessly ushered the Hawkins family into the elite social circle of Starfall. It was the talk among the upper echelons of Y City, where the Hawkins family was well-connected. Today, some old friends from Y City hade to visit Katie Hawkins.


    They had been skeptical about the Hawkins family''s sudden rise in Starfall, given that Vesta, despite her brilliance, was still part of a mid-tier family in Y City. Marrying into the top tier seemed a stretch, let alone entering the elite of Starfall. But after seeing the Hawkins'' new mansion and meeting Thorne in person, they were finally convinced.


    Noticing their astonished nces toward Thorne, Vesta casually mentioned, "They''re friends of the Hawkins family."


    Thorne nodded and responded warmly, shaking hands with each guest as they greeted him.


    Once Thorne arrived, they moved to the dining room for dinner.


    Jta was nearing thepletion of her master''s degree.


    Laverne had brought her to Starfall to find a job and hoped Vesta could help Jta find a suitable partner there.


    Thorne was kind and courteous to everyone from the Hawkins and Spencer families.


    After dinner, seeing that Thorne seemed to be in a good mood, Laverne couldn''t resist bringing up the subject.


    Jta wasn''t interested in working there. She also didn''t want to bother anyone. She blurted, "You don''t have


    to-"


    Before she could finish, Thorne turned to her with a smile, "It''s no trouble." He paused, looked at her, and asked, "Jta, right? Do you have any particr aspirations regarding your career?"


    Jta was taken aback by how seriously Thorne seemed to consider her.


    Was it because he truly cared for Vesta, extending that care to her family?


    During dinner, she had overheard Leah talking about how Thorne, feeling jealous of all the attention Vesta received, had transferred a significant portion of hispany''s shares to her to fend off other admirers. 12.52


    She thought that was already a significant gesture, but she hadn''t expected Thorne to take such an interest in her, a rtive he''d just met.


    She had heard that Thorne and Charlene hadn''t officially divorced yet. Thorne and Vesta weren''t even married, and when Leah had yfully called Thorne her brother-inw, Jta had found it a bit premature. But she never imagined Thorne would help her so directly and treat her like family. She was bewildered.


    Naturally timid, and not used to such attention, especially whenpared to Vesta, she found herself tongue-tied.


    Seeing Jta''s unease, Vesta gently tapped Thorne''s arm and said, "Don''t scare her."


    Thorne chuckled and replied, "Alright." Then he told Jta, "Just let someone know when you''ve made up your mind. No need to feel embarrassed." Jta quickly responded, "O-okay."