Later that afternoon, right after Jasmine finished competing, Thorne called. "Done with your matches? How did you do?"

Gripping her water bottle, Jasmine beamed as she drank. "First place! I made it to the next round!"

"Great job," Thorne chuckled. "Your grandfather is home now. Come to your Great- Grandma's place for dinner tonight."

"Okay, got it!" Jasmine chirped.

They didn't talk for long before hanging up.

Dropping her phone, Jasmine turned to Charlene. "Mom, Dad wants us to go back to Great-Grandma's for dinner tonight. Let's go now."

Jasmine had put the call on speaker, so Charlene had heard every word perfectly clearly. Thorne had only told Jasmine to go back to the estate; he hadn't said a word about bringing her along.

If he had actually wanted her there, he would have explicitly said, "Bring your mom, and come to your Great-Grandma's for dinner."

But Thorne hadn't mentioned her at all.

"Mom has some other plans tonight, so I won't be going," Charlene said smoothly.

Charlene was often busy with work, so while Jasmine was a little disappointed, she didn't fuss over it. "Should I ask Dad to come pick me up then?"

"Sure," Charlene agreed.

Jasmine dialed Thorne's number again. Once she explained the situation, he simply replied, "Alright, I understand."

Although he said he understood, Thorne never actually showed up. It was Jasmine's personal driver who arrived to take her back to the estate.

Having advanced in the tournament, Jasmine had another match scheduled for the following day.

Charlene assumed Thorne would accompany her, but later that night, Jasmine showed up at the Ross family home. "Dad is busy tomorrow. Can you come with me to the competition again, Mom?"

Charlene had originally planned to meet clients with Stewart the next day. Hearing her daughter's request, however, she agreed immediately and gave Stewart a call.

"Stewart, Minnie made it to the next round of her fencing tournament and has another match tomorrow morning. I need to be there for her, so I won't be able to make the client meeting."

eln

Stewart wasn't exactly fond of Jasmine, but since Charlene was stepping up to fulfill her duties as mother, he naturally had no objections. No problem cần handle it on my own. Go be with your kid."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Though, why is it always you taking care of her lately? Where the hell is Thorne?"

"He supposedly has things to do tomorrow," Charlene replied.

Stewart curled his lip in disdain but didn't push the topic. They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.

The next morning, just as Jasmine was gearing up for her match, Stewart sent Charlene a message.

It was a photo. In it were Thorne and Vesta, standing alongside several unfamiliar figures.

Judging by their attire and the sweeping green background, Thorne and Vesta were currently at a golf course.

A second text followed immediately:

[Just chatted with the guys who

came with Thorne. They said Neural Nexus Tech recently had a major technical breakthrough and is developing new modules Thorne invited these investors out today specifically to secure funding for them.]

So, the important "things to do" Thorne claimed to have was just helping Vesta.

Charlene understood exactly what Stewart was implying.

After reading the texts, she calmly typed back a single letter: [K.]

Back at the course, Stewart was

thoroughly disgusted. Seeing Charlene's reply, he shoved his phone into his pocket. When he noticed Thorne walking over to greet him, his expression turned icy.

Pretending not to see. him at all, Stewart turned to his companions.

"Come on, let's go play the next hole."

The other men clearly noticed Stewart's deliberate snub. Feeling entirely awkward, they stood there, unsure of how to react.

Thorne merely smiled, halting his approach. Addressing the investors who were trying to partner with Stewart, he said casually, "I won't hold you up. We can catch up another time."

Relieved by his polite exit, the executives gave Thorne a quick nod and hurriedly followed after Stewart.