Chapter 99
When Charlene realized it was Vesta who answered the call, she wasn’t the least bit surprised.
After all, she and Thorne were so close, practically inseparable.
So what if she answered Thorne’s phone?
Calmly, Charlene spoke up, “I’m looking for Thorne.”
Vesta, recognizing Charlene’s voice on the other end, replied icily, “He’s taking a shower. If you need something, ‘you can tell me.”
Tell her?
Indeed, the matter did concern her.
The person her uncle spotted in the neighborhood today was none other than Vesta’s aunt, but the one who bought that mansion might very well be Henley.
His purchase of the mansion was likely a gesture of goodwill towards Vesta’s grandmother, his mother–in–law
now.
So, if Charlene really did tell Vesta, would she stop her grandmother and uncle from moving into that mansion? No, she wouldn’t.
Besides, Charlene couldn’t believe that Vesta was unaware of her uncle’s family planning to move across from their mansion.
Therefore, telling Vesta would be pointless and could even backfire.
Without a word, Charlene hung up the phone.
More than an hour passed, and still, no call from Thorne.
She
She wasn’t sure whether Vesta hadn’t relayed her message or if Thorne just didn’t want to call her back. At this point, it made no difference to her.
Feeling resigned, she dialed his number once more. But this time, Thorne’s phone was off.
Gripping her phone tighter, Charlene took a moment to calm herself down before calling Thorne’s butler, asking, “Are they home?”
“Not at the moment, is there something you need?” the butler inquired.
“It’s nothing.”
Charlene had a restless night.
The next morning, after nine, she tried calling Thorne again. This time the call went through but was immediately disconnected.
Charlene couldn’t tell if it was Vesta or Thorne who hung up. She didn’t want to ponder over it.
Grabbing her phone and purse, she left the house.
Before long, Charlene found herself back at Thorne’s mansion.
The butler greeted her enthusiastically, “Madam, you’ve returned?”
“Yes.”
“Will you be having lunch at home? I can have it prepared for you.”
“That would be nice, thank you.”
As Charlene ascended to the second floor, she paused briefly before entering the master bedroom.
08:40
Dacing her purse down, she sat on the edge of the bed
je master bedroom was just as she left it, unchanged. The skincare products she used during her last stay, along with the clothes she had worn, were all returned to their place, hanging right next to Thorne’s clothes in the walk–in closet.
Everything appeared as if she had never left.
She stopped trying to call Thorne, and he didn’t return her calls either.
Dinner was a solitary affair for her.
She had thought about asking Irma for help.
But involving the matriarch could complicate matters further.
After all, Thorne respected the old lady, but whether he listened to her was entirely up to him.
After dinner, Charlene busied herself with work on her computer,
As the night deepened, when she almost believed Thorne and Jasmine wouldn’t return that evening, the sound of a car finally broke the silence,
Seeing Charlene’s car, Jasmine exclaimed to Thorne, “Oh, it’s Mom’s car. Dad, Mom’s home!”
“Yeah,”
Thorne glanced at Charlene’s car and then entered the house with Jasmine.
Jasmine, greeted by the butler, asked, “Where’s Mom?”
“Madam is upstairs.”
