Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne) novel Chapter 457

Everyone had heard that Mr. Henderson’s girlfriend was a PhD from an elite international university—a tech prodigy, so the rumors went.

But then, if she was such a prodigy, why hadn’t anyone ever heard of anything she’d actually accomplished?

Sure, Neural Nexus Tech had made some impressive breakthroughs recently, but most people figured that was just Thorne’s lingering influence from his time there. It couldn’t have had much to do with Vesta herself, could it?

Meanwhile, Charlene had never boasted about being a genius. Yet, today, she’d stunned everyone with her brilliance.

Looking at it now, maybe Mr. Henderson’s girlfriend’s “genius” reputation wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

No one said it out loud, but the sideways glances, the way people kept eyeing Vesta and Charlene, made their skepticism unmistakable. Vesta would’ve had to be blind not to notice.

Her complexion had already been pale, but now she looked even worse.

Seeing everyone compare her to Charlene, watching their silent doubt flicker across their faces, Vesta clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

She might not have invented any groundbreaking tech, but her academic credentials were real—no one had the right to question that.

Still, with no one voicing their doubts, she had no opportunity to defend herself. Whatever indignation she felt had nowhere to go.

And when it came to actual academic achievements…

She thought of Charlene’s recent, internationally praised research paper and the way Charlene had dazzled everyone at the press conference today.

Vesta had to admit, when it came to academic accomplishments, she could no longer compete with Charlene.

She stood frozen in place, her face ashen.

Thorne, having finished greeting a few acquaintances, turned to her. “Let’s go,” he said quietly.

Vesta forced a weak smile. “Alright…”

She took a moment to collect herself, then greeted Mr. Ashcroft and a few other familiar business contacts with a composed expression before walking out of the venue beside Thorne. They politely nodded to people as they left the press conference.

Outwardly, Vesta maintained her calm, but inside, she was still a storm of emotions.

Thorne, on the other hand, seemed to have left the press conference behind without a second thought.

He spoke in his usual, even tone. “Mr. Black’s team has been fully vetted, right? No issues?”

People weren’t just singing Charlene’s praises—they were also speculating that this press conference would put every other self-driving car company out of business.

And, of course, there was plenty of discussion about how much of a bonus Charlene, as the technical lead, would receive.

Reading these comments, even Leah—dense as she sometimes was—understood what this all meant.

Panic set in.

She hurriedly closed the browser and dialed a number.

When Maureen Spencer answered and heard Leah’s frantic words, she paused, clenching her hand around the phone.

Henley Hawkins noticed the change in Maureen’s expression and asked, “What happened?”

If what Leah said was true, Henley would find out eventually.

There was no point in hiding it, so Maureen told him everything.

When Henley finished listening, he could hardly believe his ears.