Chapter 6 No Manner

• The next day, when Thorne arrived at the office, he bumped into Charlene.
• Charlene had no idea Thome and Jasmine had returned from their trip abroad.
• Encountering Thorne at the office caught Charlene off guard, making her stop.
• Seeing Charlene, a flicker of surprise crossed Thome's eyes, too, but he assumed she had just returned from a business trip and didn't dwell on it. With an expressionless face, he treated her like a stranger, coldly passing by her and heading into the office.
• In the past, if Charlene had learned about Thome's sudden return, she would have been thrilled.
• Even if she couldn't rush into his arms, she'd still look at him with excitement and joy, cheerfully saying "Good morning, no matter how cold he seemed.
• But Charlene merely glanced at his face and lowered her eyes, her face lacking the excitement and joy that used to light it up. But Thorne didn't notice any of this as he had already walked away.
• Watching Thorne's confident and upright figure leaving, Charlene wondered when he had returned. But since he was back, the divorce would probably be on the agenda soon, right?
• Having decided on the divorce, Charlene didn't dwell on Thorne again. Returning to her desk, she immediately got into her work mode. Half an hour later, Josh called and instructed, "Make two cups of coffee and bring them to Mr. Henderson's office." Initially, to make Thorne fall for her, Charlene had learned that Thorne loved coffee and had put a lot of effort into mastering the art of coffee making.
• Her efforts paid off. After tasting her coffee, Thorne insisted on having the coffee she made, whether at home or in the office. Learning Thorne loved her coffee made her ecstatic for a long time. She believed i I was the first step towards success. However, she underestimated Thorne's indifference and guard toward her. He did like her coffee, which was true, but that was all. Thorne's attitude toward her remained cold and distant.
• So, whenever he wanted her coffee, he would have Josh contact her, and after she made the coffee, Josh or someone else would come to pick it up. He never gave her a chance to get close to him.
• Only occasionally, when Josh or the others were busy, would she have the chance to deliver the coffee to his office.
• From Josh's tone on the phone, it seemed she was supposed to bring the coffee directly to Thorne. After making the coffee, Charlene placed it on a tray and took it to Thorne's office. Thorne's office door was open.
• As she reached the doorway and was about to knock, she saw Vesta sitting on Thorne's lap, and they seemed to be kissing. Charlene's steps halted, her face turning pale. Seeing her, Vesta hurriedly got off Thorne's lap.
• Thorne's face darkened as he coldly said, "Who allowed you to come here?"
• Charlene clenched the tray in her hand. "I came to bring you the co-"
• "Alright, Charlene." Thorne's other secretary, Coy, happened to arrive. He was aware of the relationship between Charlene and Thorne He said, "You know, this is pointless."
• Coy didn't spell it out, but Charlene suddenly understood his insinuation. He assumed she knew Vesta was at the office and showed up under the guise of delivering coffee just to interrupt Thorne and Vesta's time together. Looking at Thorne's expression, he seemed to think the same.
• In the past, she might have done something like this. But how could she do such a thing when she was about to divorce Thorne? Yet, they didn't give her any chance to explain.
• Coy's voice was ice-cold as he said, "Please leave. Now."
• Charlene's eyes brimmed with tears, her hands trembling as she held the tray. The coffee sloshed out of the cup, scalding her fingers. Despite the pain, Charlene didn't make a sound and turned to leave.
• But she had only taken a few steps when Thorne's voice followed her from the office. "don't bother coming to work again if there's a next time."
• She had resigned. Even without this incident, she would have left the company when they found someone to replace her.
• But she knew no one there cared about her story. Speaking up seemed pointless.
• Without a word, Charlene turned and walked away, carrying the tray.
• Before she left, she overheard Vesta soothing Thorne. "There, there, dear Thorne. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Let's not stay angry, okay?" Charlene dumped the coffee down the sink, ran cold water over her reddened fingers, and skillfully applied ointment from her purse to the burn. She scoffed in her heart, 'It's funny. I'm now quite the cook and barista.
• Before marrying Thorne, she couldn't do household chores, cook, or make a decent cup of coffee. But after the marriage, she
• Tearned for Thome and their child.
• The time and effort she put into learning, turning from a total disaster to nearly perfect, was a journey filled with hardships that only she knew about.
• As for the ointment in her purse, it was the first aid for their child from a mother. However, since Jasmine went to live with Thome in Goldland, she scarcely used these ointments. Thankfully, they hadn't expired yet. After treating her burn, Charlene pushed down the sharp pain in her heart and returned to her desk to continue working.
• She had finished sorting the documents on her desk when she overheard some colleagues whispering.
• "Did you hear? Mr. Henderson's girlfriend showed up at the office!"
• "Girlfriend? Mr. Henderson has a girlfriend, huh? Who is she? Is she pretty?"
• "Nobody knows her background, but the receptionist downstairs said she's from a wealthy family, super pretty, and has an amazing
• aura!"
• Realizing Charlene was about to stand up to go to a meeting with them, the colleagues quickly shut their mouths and approached her with forced smiles. "Work first, gossip later."
• Charlene knew they were talking about Vesta. But she showed no reaction, turned away from the office, and joined her colleagues in the elevator.
• Exiting the elevator, they were about to head to the meeting room when they saw Vesta and four senior executives walking toward them. The executives were all over Vesta, acting cautious and sucking up to her.
• Draped in designer brands, Vesta exuded the aura of a wealthy heiress with every move. Despite her polite words, she acted like she already owned the place, treating the executives like subordinates with detachment in her politeness. The executives were all smiles. "Considering your relationship with Mr. Henderson, this is the least we could do, Ms. Hawkins. You're too kind."
• ""Indeed."
• As they spoke and saw Charlene and her colleagues step out of the elevator, the executives frowned upon seeing them even though they had made their way.
• "Watch where you're walking! What if you bumped into Ms. Hawkins? Have you no manners at all?"