Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne) novel Chapter 455

The moment Mr. Ashcroft finished speaking, the room erupted in a wave of applause.

Thorne glanced over at Charlene, joining in the clapping.

Vesta hesitated for half a second before offering a few polite, subdued claps, her expression unreadable.

Charlene didn’t spare Thorne a glance; instead, she looked briefly at Stewart, then rose from her seat and walked onto the stage.

As she stepped up, Mr. Ashcroft beamed and addressed the audience, “Ms. Ross here is not only one of PrimeStar’s finest engineers—she’s the mastermind behind the core technology at the heart of our partnership with Axiom Flux Technologies!”

A ripple of surprise swept through the room.

Vesta blinked, wondering if she’d heard that right.

PrimeStar was a powerhouse, both domestically and internationally. Every move the company made was closely watched by the industry.

It was no secret: anyone partnering with PrimeStar would be thrust into the spotlight overnight.

So when Mr. Ashcroft publicly announced their collaboration at such a major event, Vesta wasn’t particularly surprised. Nor did she find it odd that Axiom Flux Technologies would invite someone from PrimeStar to join him on stage, to explain the technical details of their work together.

But for him to invite Charlene instead of Stewart—

At first, Vesta had been taken aback when she heard Mr. Ashcroft call Charlene up, but remembering how well Stewart always treated Charlene, the surprise faded. It made sense; perhaps Stewart had simply asked her to stand in for him.

Yet she’d never imagined that Charlene was the key figure in this entire collaboration.

How could that be possible?

Even as the thought flashed through her mind, Mr. Ashcroft continued, “Ms. Ross, I’ll leave the technical presentation to you.”

“Thank you,” Charlene replied smoothly, taking the microphone and turning to face the audience. Her voice was calm and confident. “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Charlene Ross, an engineer at PrimeStar. This collaboration between PrimeStar and Axiom Flux Technologies can be broken down into four main areas: engine chipsets, breakthroughs in engine AI, autonomous driving systems, and the application of advanced materials—”

Well—advanced materials, maybe. Charlene had demonstrated that before.

But engines and chips? Those weren’t things just anyone could master.

If they were, the industry back home wouldn’t have spent years struggling to catch up with foreign competition in chip technology.

In other words—

Charlene had no notes with her, no prepared speech. Yet she tossed out technical jargon and exact figures as if they were second nature, casually referencing case studies and crediting experts for inspiring her, always with a trace of humility.

The longer Vesta listened, the more her expression darkened.

She clenched her hands in her lap, a chill creeping over her skin.

And then, all at once, a thought struck her. She turned to look at Thorne, only now realizing what this all might mean.