Chapter 79

Granger fell silent, then said, "I'll send you the account details."

"Thank you," Charlene replied politely. "And I'm sorry for bothering you. I appreciate what you did today."

"No worries," Granger responded casually before hanging up.

Stewart, listening, asked, "The guy who fixed your car today?"

Granger had already sent his bank details and a photo of the repair bill. Charlene glanced at them, opened her mobile payment app, and said, "Yeah."

From Charlene's tone, Stewart sensed they weren't close. He knew Granger, and Charlene knew him, but as far as he knew, they weren't particularly friendly. Therefore, despite Charlene referring to the person as Mr. Harden, it didn't occur to Stewart that she was speaking with Granger.

Charlene transferred the exact amount without hesitation and sent a thank-you note afterward. Then, she and Stewart tackled the "homework" Kenton had assigned: creating a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the core technologies of the exhibits they'd seen.

They finished and sent it to Kenton, but it was already past 2 a.m. Stewart, exhausted and without a change of clothes, didn't stay. After he left, Charlene, limping from her injury, showered before bed. Her foot wasn't seriously injured, but Stewart had hoped she'd take a few days off to rest.

The following day, Charlene worked from home. Shortly after waking, she received a call from Jasmine. "Mommy, is your foot feeling any better?"

Testing her foot while making breakfast, Charlene replied, "Yeah, a bit better."

"That's good," Jasmine said, her voice lacking its usual animation. Charlene noticed the change. Jasmine used to have endless stories to share, but their communication had dwindled over the past two years. She now confided primarily in Vesta, leaving fewer and fewer words for her mother.

Jasmine's concern about her injury felt superficial, though genuine. In the past, even a minor ailment would have elicited tears, clinging, and constant care. But somehow, Jasmine had transferred that warmth to Vesta without Charlene noticing. Like the last time Vesta was sick, Jasmine had rushed to check on her after breakfast, secretly texting Vesta and arranging a visit after school. If Jasmine had truly been worried, she could have gotten her address and come over the previous night. But she didn't.

At a loss for words, Jasmine turned to Thorne, sitting across from her. "Dad, do you want to talk to Mommy on the phone?"