Chapter 54
She shot Shirley a meaningful look. “Shirley, make sure you don’t give Claire a hard time. Help her out whenever you can p>
Shirley was clearly annoyed, but she forced a smile. “Of course. Cindy and I are family. I’ll take care of her p>
“That’s what I like to hear.” Octavia wasn’t fooled. She knew Shirley could be calculating, but as long as things seemed fine on the surface, she didn’t mind. If Cindy couldn’t stand up for herself, no amount of help would really matter anyway. “Shirley’s always been sensible. I’m trusting Claire to you,” Octavia added.
Shirley glanced over at Cindy, sizing her up, already thinking of ways to mess with her new cousin.
On the other side of town, Claire dropped the passenger seat back and let out a contented sigh.
“Why did we use this car p>
She’d asked them to pick something that wouldn’t draw attention. Apparently, this was their version of subtle. A regular Cadillac might run a few hundred thousand, but this one was in a totally different league. Between the custom build and the shipping, it had cost twenty million.
She hadn’t even wanted the car. It was a gift, supposedly the same model as the president of Cascadia’s. Only three of them existed. Two made it to Solenia, and the third stayed in Cascadia.
“Nash said this was the most low-key option we had p>
“I even took it for a spin through the mud to make it look less flashy. Isn’t that enough p>
“Even its own designer wouldn’t recognize it now p>
Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “Just don’t complain when it’s time to wash it p>
Darwin suddenly smacked his forehead. He’d totally forgotten about that.
“Kid, drop us off at VIA Metropolis first. You can wash the car after,” Pandora chimed
in.
VIA Metropolis was an old
department store, kind of an
institution in the city. It had been the go-to place for name brands for
years
Even though there were!
newer malls around, this place was stiff packed.
Claire hadn’t expected Pandora to want to shop there, but when Darwin looked over, she nodded. “Yeah, VIA Metropolis works p>
Darwin drove off to get the car washed, and Claire joined Pandora inside the mall. “Grandma, what do you want to buy p>
“I want to get you some clothes,” Pandora said, clearly excited. “You didn’t bring much with you. A young woman should dress well p>
“I used to love coming here. My mother passed away when I was little, so my dad would always bring me shopping. We’d buy at least a few outfits every time p>
Pandora had never had to worry about money, and when she said she’d buy Claire clothes, she meant it. They started right at the entrance and Pandora pointed out anything pretty, urging Claire to try things on.
“Pick out whatever you like,” Pandora said with a warm smile.
But not every sales clerk knew how to treat customers right.
The one helping them now gestured toward a rack. “You might want to look at our sale section. These are last year’s styles, but honestly, they’re still nice, and the discounts are good p>
“We’re interested in the new arrivals,” Pandora interrupted. When she was younger, she’d never have worn something out of season. Of course, she wanted Claire to have the best.
“New arrivals?” The clerk looked Pandora up and down, then glanced at Claire.
“I know it’s not easy to save up. There’s really no need to fuss over last year’s or this year’s styles. As long as your granddaughter stays warm that what matters. We do. have new arrivals, but honestly, m not sure you could afford them p>
She said it like she thought she was being polite, but her tone was impossible to ignore.
Pandora’s expression turned cold. “Whether we can afford it or not isn’t for you to decide p>
What kind of place was this? Pandora was clearly upset.