hapter 50
Chapter 50
Charlene didn’t respond right away. She patted Sally’s head gently and said, “Can you keep it a secret that I brought you here today? Don tell Minnie, okay?”
Sally nodded eagerly. “Gotcha.”
The last time she hugged Charlene, Minnie had been all bristly about it. Truth be told, Sally was a bit scared of her and didn’t dare talk to her much. And it seemed Minnie still held a grudge because each time she saw Sally, she would puff up and glare.
Ahead, Thorne, Vesta, and Jasmine looked like the picture–perfect family. Charlene watched them and couldn’t help but think it was beautiful. She shifted her focus away.
After Thorne and Vesta left, Charlene finally exited the car
with Sally.
Jasmine’s teacher knew Charlene was Jasmine’s mom.
She saw Jasmine dropped off by her dad and another woman and thought Charlene was busy with something else. But then, seeing Charlene holding Sally’s hand, she was momentarily baffled. “Ms. Ross, you and Sally…”
“Mrs. Sullivan had an emergency and asked me to drop off Sally,” Charlene explained.
Oh, I see,” the teacher sighed in relief and added cautiously, “It’s just that… Jasmine just arrived at school, too, but…”
“I know.” Charlene gave a comforting smile.
The teacher was still confused, but seeing Charlene seemed to be in the know and not bothered, she didn’t press further. Leaving the preschool, Charlene barely got into the car when Stewart called, “What time will you get here?”
“In about ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
When Charlene arrived at PrimeStar, Stewart had been waiting for her at the entrance.
He greeted her with open arms, “Welcome back.”
Charlene smiled and shared a quick hug with him.
Meanwhile, Raleigh was leaning against a window in the company’s hallway and on a call.
He caught sight of the entrance and was instantly captivated by Charlene’s appearance. However, he quickly averted his gaze as Vesta’s call came through.
He chuckled, initiating the conversation, “Vesta, good morning. When will you be arriving at the office?”
Whatever Vesta said changed Raleigh’s expression.
Soon after, Raleigh returned to his desk, and his colleagues noticed he seemed off. “Raleigh, what’s up with you? Are you unwell?” Raleigh shook his head silently.
As people started pouring into the office, someone whispered excitedly, “Did you see? Mr. Ferguson brought a real knockout to the office.”
“Is she that stunning? Don’t pull my leg!”
“She is, truly. She’s radiant, even more gorgeous than a movie star!”
Raleigh’s mind immediately returned to the beautiful woman who had embraced Stewart at the entrance.
Then, another colleague interrupted, “And guess what? I heard she’s joining our company today as a new employee!”
Raleigh paused at this revelation. Vesta was his junior in college. After learning she was interested in working at PrimeStar, he immediately recommended her to Stewart, who seemed quite impressed with her at their first meeting.
It was supposed to be Vesta’s first day. He had called Vesta earlier to ask when she’d arrive, only to hear Stewart had suddenly dropped her for “personal reasons.”
As for what those personal reasons were…
Just as Raleigh was pondering this, Stewart walked in with Charlene by his side.
