Chapter 72

Cindy’s face changed a little. She hadn’t expected Lance to act one way in public and another in private. He always pretended to dislike Claire, but here he was, secretly giving her the keys to his apartment. Cindy hadn’t even gotten her own set.

Claire caught the flicker in Cindy’s eyes and gave her a half-smile. “You know, you could always stay there yourself if you want p>

Molly jumped in, unable to stand Claire’s attitude. “What are you talking about, Claire? It’s Lance’s apartment. Of course Cindy can stay there p>

“So, did Lance tell you to give the keys to Cindy or what p>

Cindy paused, suddenly unsure. Was that really what happened? Why hadn’t Lance just handed her the keys himself? Maybe he thought she wouldn’t accept them. She wanted to spend more time at home with her parents anyway. Even though she was the James family’s real daughter, she’d just come back and barely had a chance to actually be with her mom and dad. If she didn’t put in the effort now, she worried her parents might end up liking Claire more.

“Claire, did Lance really ask you to give me the keys p>

Cindy’s mind started to spin. If Lance gave her the apartment, it must mean he cared about her, right? He knew Claire didn’t have anywhere to live, but he still gave the place to Cindy.

Claire just shrugged. “Sure, if that’s what you want to believe.” She had no idea how Cindy came up with these stories, but it didn’t matter. As long as she got what she wanted, she didn’t care.

Cindy took the keys, her expression brightening for a moment. Then she looked at Claire, a little unsure. “Actually, maybe you should keep them. I can just stay at home. You don’t have anywhere to go right now, so you should take the apartment p>

Cindy felt like she was being so generous. “If Mom and Dad knew you were out there with nowhere to stay, they’d feel terrible p>

Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise. Cindy looked completely sincere. How did she manage to always say one thing and feel another?

“It’s fine, really have a place to stay.” Claire didn’t get why everyone seemed convinced she was homeless. Even if they didn’t know her address, didn’t they know she’d made twenty million from setting those Agarwood pillows? She couldn’t buy a house up in the hills, but she could definitely find a nice place somewhere else. If she didn’t want to buy, she could always rent an apartment in the same complex as Lance. Why did it feel like, to them, having twenty million meant nothing?

Maybe they just wanted to think her life would be miserable after leaving the James family. Otherwise, how could Cindy’s years struggling in the countryside feel justified?

“But Cindy started to protest, but Molly cut her off.

“Cindy, this apartment is from Lance. If you let Claire live there, what if that makes him mad? She already got to live the life you Were supposed to have for years Now She wants your apartment, too p>

Before Cindy could answer, Molly snatched the keys and shoved them into Cindy’s bag. “Trust me, you’re doing the right thing. If you hand the apartment over to Claire, Lance definitely won’t be happy about it p>

Was that really true? Cindy looked completely lost. Weren’t adults supposed to like kids who were kind and generous? That’s what she’d always tried to be.

Claire didn’t pay any more attention to Cindy’s drama. She went back to her seat and waited for class to start.

For Cindy, classes at Silverpeak International College were tough. The lessons moved faster than her old school, and it was hard to keep up. She knew she’d have to work even harder to catch up.

But for Claire, everything in the textbooks was easy. She pulled a sketchbook from her desk and started to draw.

“Claire, what are you working on now?” Sophia leaned over with a curious look. She’d seen Claire’s sketchbook before and had watched her draw a bunch of times.