Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Noon hit, and Charlene’s colleague suddenly tapped her shoulder, pulling her back from her thoughts.

Charlene chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing much.”

“Aren’t you going to call your daughter today?”

“No, not today.” Usually, Charlene called Jasmine twice a day. One call was at 1 A.M. and again at noon. It was an open secret among her office mates. What they didn’t know was that Jasmine’s father was none other than the big boss of their company.

After work, Charlene stopped by the local market to pick up some groceries and a few potted plants for her home.

Post–dinner, she went online to catch up on news about the Future Tech Expo. After reading, she made a call. “Keep a ticket for the Future Tech Expo next month for me.”

“Are you sure?” The voice on the other end was cold. “You said the same the last two times and never showed up. You wasted tickets many people can only dream of.”

The annual Future Tech Expo was a major event in the tech world, and tickets weren’t easy to come by. Their company managed to snag a few spots, which were highly sought after by many of its top members. Each slot was incredibly valuable to them.

“I won’t ask you again if I don’t make it this time,” Charlene promised.

There was silence on the other end before the call ended, an unspoken agreement.

Charlene smiled. What she hadn’t mentioned was her desire to return to the company.

As a founding partner, she stepped back to focus on her family when the company was getting off the ground, derailing their plans and causing them to miss out on opportunities. Her colleagues were understandably annoyed. They had lost touch over the years. Charlene wanted to return, but her life had revolved around her family. She felt out of the loop and worried about keeping up with them without preparation.

So, she decided to catch up on the industry’s current state before making concrete plans.

Charlene kept to her routine, working during the day and focusing on her projects at night without contacting Jasmine or Thorne.

They didn’t call her, either, which didn’t surprise her. Their communication had been one–sided for over six months.

In Goldland, Jasmine had formed a habit of calling Vesta every morning when she woke up.

One morning, just like any other, she dialed Vesta’s number, but their conversation was cut short by Jasmine’s sudden tears.

“Ms. Hawkins is moving back to the country!” she sobbed after hearing the news from Vesta.

Distraught, Jasmine immediately called her dad, Thorne, “Dad, did you know about this?”

Thorne flipped through his documents and replied, “Yes, I knew.”

“When did you find out?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Dad, you’re terrible...” Jasmine cried into her pink plush pig. “Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t stand the thought of Ms. Hawkins leaving. don’t want to stay here without her. I want to go back, too.”

Thorne’s voice was calm. “I’ve handled it.”

Confused, Jasmine asked, “What do you mean?”

“We’re moving back next week.”