Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne)

After they'd finished discussing work, Charlene noticed Gaylord lingering behind. He didn't leave right away-instead, he cast a thoughtful look at Granger. Uncertain whether the two knew each other outside the office, Charlene asked,

"What's up?"

Gaylord, for his part, had been puzzled by Granger. He'd observed Granger's obvious interest in Charlene, yet Granger had never actually made a move. Gaylord had started to wonder if maybe Granger was over her after all.

But from what he'd seen today, it was clear that Granger liked Charlene—a lot— and showed no signs of giving up.

That realization led him to another: maybe Granger already knew Charlene was still married. Maybe he even knew who her husband was.

Gaylord considered prying for information about Charlene's husband. But remembering the sharp look Granger had given him earlier, he doubted Granger would share anything-if he knew, he certainly wouldn't spill it to a rival.

Besides, asking outright would only reveal that Gaylord himself wasn't fully in the loop about Charlene's personal life, which would put him at a disadvantage. Not exactly a wise move.

So, Gaylord dismissed the idea. He turned back to Charlene, giving her a polite smile. “It's nothing," he said lightly. "I've got something to take care of, so I'll head out."

"Alright," Charlene replied.noveldrama

Granger had noticed Gaylord's lingering gaze, but he wasn't a mind reader-he could only guess at Gaylord's thoughts. Even so, that cold, determined look made it obvious Gaylord wasn't planning to back down when it came to Charlene.

Once Gaylord had gone, Granger gave a small laugh and commented, "That was the Hearst family's golden boy, right? I'd heard people say he was spoiled and impulsive, but from what I've seen, he seems pretty dedicated to his work." Charlene assumed he was just making conversation. She nodded, "He really is hardworking. He's pulled all-nighters without complaining, never shows up late or leaves early, and he's actually quite talented. Overall, he's a solid colleague."

She'd been surprised herself.

Knowing Gaylord's privileged background, she'd thought he'd

joined PrimeStar on a whim. Shenet

neverexpected him to stick around

as long as he had, and working with him had turned out to be much more pleasant than their awkward first meeting led her to believe.

Granger's comment sounded like simple praise, but in truth, he was testing the waters-gauging Charlene's opinion of Gaylord. Hearing her speak so positively about Gaylord, Granger simply smiled, keeping his thoughts to himself.

He'd heard that Gaylord had come back to the States because he admired PrimeStar's programming language. In other words, he'd come back for Charlene.

From the way Gaylord looked at Charlene during their work discussion, it was obvious he admired her professionally-maybe even revered her. What Gaylord didn't know, Granger suspected, was that Charlene herself was the creator of that very language.

If Charlene could win Gaylord's admiration just by virtue of her abilities, Granger could only imagine how Gaylord would react once he discovered she was the one he'd been searching for all this time.

Charlene's earlier response made it clear she had a favorable impression of Gaylord. From that alone, Granger could see that Gaylord's choice to stick with PrimeStar was a smart one-it was a good way to win Charlene over.

And with Charlene's divorce from Thorne about to be finalized, well, sometimes proximity really was the key to winning someone's heart.

With business matters wrapped up, Granger suggested they grab dinner together. Charlene agreed.

As they stepped out of the meeting room, ready to head out, they found Gaylord leaning casually against the doorframe. He didn't look the least bit surprised to see Granger and Charlene leaving together. In fact, it seemed as if he'd predicted Granger would use work as an excuse to invite Charlene to dinner. And by the looks of it, Gaylord was waiting for just this moment.