Chapter 46
“In circles like ours, getting noticed is no small feat, never mind getting chummy with the likes of the Henderson family But Ms. Hawkins? She waltzed right into the inner circle like it was nothing, buddying up with them and all. Quite the feat.”
“I wondered why Thome suddenly showed up at my dinner party. It turned out he was there to network for Ms. Hawkins
“When Thome goes out of his way to lay down connections for someone, bringing Granger and the gang along, it speaks volumes. If she were only some fling, Thorne wouldn’t bother to such an extent.”
“With Thorne paving the way, the Hawkins family will soar.”
Stewart and Charlene listened without interrupting.
Finally, the host sighed, “To have a daughter like that, the Hawkins family must’ve struck gold. Truly enviable.”
As the host finished, Charlene looked up to see Thorne and his group had left the banquet hall, seemingly having departed early. Even if Thorne had noticed her, he hadn’t glanced at her throughout the night.
Half an hour later, Charlene and Stewart also left.
Back home, her phone rang. It was Thorne.
Charlene stopped in her tracks. Was he calling to give her an earful? Thinking she had teamed up with Stewart against Vesta? Considering Moran’s heads up at the party, it was quite possible that’s what Thorne was thinking.
Two seconds later, she answered calmly, “Hello?”
Thorne’s voice came through all frosty. “Come home.”
Charlene didn’t see any reason to go back. “Just say what you need to.”
“Minnie’s got a fever. She wants to see you.” He hung up right after.
Charlene blinked, grabbed her car keys, slipped on her shoes, and left.
Arriving at the villa, she didn’t see Thorne but didn’t think much of it as she headed straight to her daughter’s bedroom on the second floor.
Jasmine was burning up and on an IV drip, looking miserable. “Mommy,” she weakly said and reached out for a hug.
Careful of the IV needle in her daughter’s hand, Charlene wrapped her in a gentle embrace and asked Latonia, the nanny, “Has she eaten anything?”
Latonia replied, “She threw up not long after eating.”
Charlene frowned, consulted the doctor about Jasmine’s condition, and turned to Jasmine, who clung to her, “Hungry? How about I make you your favorite soup? You can have some after the drip.”
“Okay.” Jasmine had always been taken care of by Charlene whenever she fell ill.
She couldn’t stomach soup made by anyone else. She only wanted what her mother made.
Curling her little nose, she asked, “Where’s Daddy? Isn’t Daddy back yet?”
Charlene paused. She had assumed Thorne was home when he called. Not seeing Thorne upon entering, she thought he might be in his study.
Hearing Jasmine’s words, she realized Thorne hadn’t returned yet.
Considering the hotel where they attended the dinner party was closer to the villar than her current place, and he had left at least half an hour before her, he should have been back even if he had to drop Vesta home.
But, if he didn’t leave Vesta’s place immediately after dropping her off, or if he hadn’t planned on coming home, that would be a different story.
