Chapter 389
Charlene Ross was thinking the same thing.
She texted back, “Busy. And please keep your promise, make sure she doesn’t wander off to my grandma’s place.”
It took Thorne Henderson a while to respond: “Okay.”
After that, Thorne didn’t contact her again.
On the third afternoon of the Labor Day weekend, just as Charlene and her family were about to embark on a white–water rafting adventure, she received a photo from Connie Snyder.
The person in the photo was none other than Vesta Hawkins.
Connie was currently in New York, busy with a fashion show.
Charlene looked at the picture and replied, “Is she watching your show?”
Connie shot back, “Yes! Talk about bad luck!”
Then she added another message, “But she’s alone, no sign of Thorne.”
Charlene simply replied, “Got it,” showing little interest in the matter. Instead, she asked, “When are you coming back stateside?”
Connie replied, “Not sure yet.”
Connie had her hands full, so they exchanged few more messages before Connie had to go.
About ten minutes later, Connie sent a video.
Charlene paused, and as soon as she answered, she saw Vesta and Thorne in the frame.
Connie snorted and whispered, “They just arrived. The show’s over, and he’s here to pick her up.”
Vesta seemed to know people there and was deep in conversation, with Thorne patiently waiting by her side, watching her chat away.
Stewart Ferguson had mentioned he might take Vesta on his business trip, and it looked like he was right.
But…
Seeing only the two of them without Jasmine Henderson around, Charlene furrowed her brows.
Just as she was mulling this over, the camera suddenly wobbled, making Charlene think Connie had run into some trouble.
Upon closer inspection, she realized Thorne had just glanced over at the camera.
He must have noticed Connie.
Connie felt a jolt as Thorne looked her way, but before she could react, Thorne nonchalantly averted his eyes.
Charlene and Connie have been best friends for years, so Thorne was well aware of their bond.
Yet, even in a foreign city, Thorne had no intention of coming over to greet Connie.
But then again, Thorne was like that with her family too, so his indifference towards Connie wasn’t surprising.
After being spotted, Connie hesitated to point the camera back at Thorne.
Charlene wasn’t interested in Thorne and Vesta’s situation. Her thoughts drifted to Jasmine, and she told Connie, “I need to make a call. Let’s catch up over dinner when you’re back.”
Connie quickly agreed, “Alright, take care.”
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15:01
Chapter 389
After ending the video call, Charlene called Jasmine.
But the call didn’t go through.
Charlene thought for a moment and switched to a video call via WhatsApp.
This time, it connected.
Jasmine answered with excitement, “Mom!”
Charlene noticed Jasmine was in a car.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m abroad,” Jasmine replied, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. “I just went on a helicopter ride to see the great wildebeest migration. Thousands of them, moving in endless waves. Watching them from the helicopter was absolutely breathtaking!”
Charlene paused at this news.
May, the time of the great migration…
“Are you in the Serengeti?”
“Yeah, I-”
But Thorne and Vesta were in New York.
Sure, Charlene knew that ever since Thorne started taking Jasmine along, he always had security detail to accompany her, so she could explore whenever he was busy.
But she was still so young. Leaving her in the care of security while he and Vesta went to New York seemed irresponsible, especially if something were to happen…
Charlene gripped her phone tighter, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Did you go with your dad?”
“No, Dad said he had work and couldn’t come with me. He told me to choose something fun to do. I’d seen the migration on TV and always wanted to see it for myself, so I told Dad. He arranged for someone to take me here,” Jasmine explained.
