Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne) novel Chapter 405

“A single research paper, and suddenly she’s better than my sister?” Leah thought, biting back the words before she could say them out loud.

But before she had the chance, Vesta jumped in, her tone smooth and composed. “Mr. Ferguson’s right. If there’s an opportunity, I’d love to learn from Ms. Ross,” she said.

Vesta really knew when to swallow her pride.

Stewart listened, smirking internally. He knew Vesta and Charlene didn’t get along, so suggesting Vesta seek out Charlene for advice was basically a slap in the face.

Dalton’s expression soured. AI wasn’t his field, so he couldn’t really judge the value of Charlene’s paper. But hearing Stewart rub it in made him as irritated as Leah. Seriously, even if Mr. Smith praised her to the skies, so what? It was just a paper—was it really that big a deal?

Maureen’s face was frosty, too.

Leah was fuming—she’d wanted to clap back, but Vesta’s intervention had cut her off. As annoyed as she was, she held her tongue.

Just then, Stewart’s assistant, Chester, leaned over and said, “Mr. Ferguson, Kevitt Smith just called. He said he’ll be flying over from the States in a couple of days, and he hopes to meet with both you and Ms. Ross.”

Stewart barely looked up. “Tell him I don’t have time to meet.”

Vesta, more than anyone, understood what Kevitt Smith’s endorsement meant in AI. So hearing that her own mentor was practically begging to meet Charlene made her look even more uncomfortable than the others.

Meanwhile, Moran had no idea who Kevitt Smith was or how big of a deal he was in AI. But he did know how to check trending topics online.

As the group in the private room buzzed about Charlene’s paper, Moran took out his phone, curiosity piqued, and started scrolling. He quickly saw that “Charlene Ross’s Paper” was trending near the top, with comments gushing about her work. People were saying Charlene and Stewart were breaking Goldland’s monopoly on AI, ushering in a new era, and rewriting the rules of the game. It was dizzying.

He glanced over at Charlene, then edged over to Thorne and whispered, “Wait, Charlene’s actually this much of a big deal?”