Chapter 36
The meeting took place on a chilly morning. Thorne, the sought–after CEO of Henderson Group, was expected to appear.
Charlene and the others had settled into the conference room with their morning coffees barely touched when Thorne finally made his grand entrance fashionably late as usual. When he stepped in, Sunny, the newest addition to the team, gasped audibly, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Sunny was so mesmerized by Thorne that she seemed to forget where she was until the meeting officially began, and she had to snap back to reality.
Nudging Charlene, she whispered, “Mr. Henderson is seriously handsome!”
Charlene, who had only glanced up briefly when Thorne entered, responded with a noncommittal “Hmm” without taking her eyes off her laptop.
Sunny was surprised at Charlene’s apparent lack of interest in Thorne but then remembered Charlene was happily married with kids. Suddenly, her reaction, or lack thereof, made sense.
Throughout the meeting, Sunny got distracted, her gaze constantly drifting back to Thorne while Charlene diligently took notes on her laptop.
After the meeting, Thorne was the first to leave, and the others slowly filtered out. Sunny’s heart fluttered with excitement until Josh came over to collect the minutes from Charlene. That brought her back to reality.
Josh flipped through the notes Charlene had compiled and couldn’t help but praise, “Nice work, as always.”
Charlene replied, “Just doing my job,” as Josh walked away.
Then, Sunny finally realized she had no clue what they had discussed in the meeting. She hurriedly asked Charlene to share her notes, overwhelmed by the complexity of the terminology used. “Charlene, did you study architecture or something?”
“No,” Charlene answered, “I picked up books and learned what I could by myself.”
Charlene had made it a point to familiarize herself with the diverse industries Henderson Group invested in. This dedication was part of why she had risen to be the secretarial team leader at such a young age.
Sunny was impressed and asked Charlene to share her reading list, hoping to broaden her knowledge.
By lunchtime, Charlene had sent Sunny a starter reading list, which left Sunny daunted and determined.
Later that day, when Thorne had guests, Josh instructed Charlene to prepare several cups of coffee, mentioning he’d come by to pick them up. Sunny learned that Charlene had always made Thorne’s coffee.
Curious, Sunny asked if Charlene had delivered the coffee to Thorne. Charlene explained that while she mostly didn’t, there were exceptions when the team was too busy.
Upon seeing an opportunity, Sunny’s eyes lit up. “Charlene, could you teach me how to make his coffee? Even if I don’t get many chances, I’d like to learn.”
Charlene saw right through Sunny’s intentions but agreed to teach her anyway. After all, Charlene had long moved on from any personal ambitions involving Thorne. Sharing her coffee–making skills, which Thorne loved, was no big deal to her.
mpter 37
Chapter 37
