Chapter 150

Lance just stood there, acting like the James family had always treated her so well. He looked at Claire, veins popping in his neck, clearly furious. “You can pay back the money, sure, but what about everything else? All the care and love we gave you? How do you plan on returning that p>

His eyes stayed locked on Claire, like he was ready to tear her apart.

Claire frowned, feeling the weight of his words. Had the James family really poured their hearts into her? Latham was always more concerned with his own image than actually caring about her. He barely ever checked in, unless it made him look good. Octavia was even tougher, always strict, and gave her way less allowance than Lance ever got. All those tutors and classes—they were never really for Claire. They just wanted her to shine, so they could brag about it. If they weren’t so obsessed with appearances, they probably wouldn’t have bothered to push her at all.

And Lance… she and Lance had argued about everything since they were kids. Back then, it was harmless, but as they got older, things changed. It started getting weird, especially whenever she talked to a boy at school. Lance would get all worked up, sometimes even go through her things to see if any guys had written her notes. Sometimes, Claire wondered if he actually liked her, but she pushed that thought away. The idea just made her feel sick.

“I told you already, I’ll tutor Cindy,” Claire said, trying to keep her voice calm.

Lance wouldn’t let it go. “Just move into the apartment across from campus. It’s not going to take much of your time to help Cindy out p>

Claire looked at him, then glanced at Cindy, who stood there biting her lip, not saying a word.

“I’m not moving into your place,” Claire said quietly. “I don’t have anything to do with the James family anymore. And your key? I already gave it to Cindy. You’re her brother, it makes more sense for her to live there anyway p>

Lance’s expression shifted, clearly not expecting that answer.

Cindy glanced at Lance, looking nervous. “Lance, wasn’t the apartment meant for me? I thought Claire was telling the truth.” She dug the key out of her bag and held it out. “Here. I’ll give it back. I can just go home, I don’t need the apartment p>

Her voice was soft, almost shaky, and her sad expression made it impossible for Lance to get mad at her.

“It’s fine, you can stay there,” Lance said, forcing his tone to soften. “I just gave Claire the key because I thought she didn’t have anywhere to go p>

Cindy wrapped her fingers tightly around the key. She kind of wanted to give it back, but she also keptè thinking about what it meant. So, the key was for Claire? Was Lance planning to give her the whole place? Maybe they weren’t as distant as everyone thought. After all, they’d grown up together. Cindy had only just come back, and suddenly she felt like an outsider.

Lance didn’t notice Cindy’s mood at all. He was still annoyed, his irritation with Claire only growing.

“Whatever, don’t move in. But about the tutoring p>

Before he could finish, Edison and Pandora showed up. They’d been waiting in the car, not wanting to interrupt, but eventually decided to come over when it looked like things were dragging on.

As they walked up, they caught the end of Lance’s sentence about Claire tutoring Cindy.

“Cindy’s struggling at school? Do you need a tutor?” Edison asked, cutting Lance off before he could say anything else.

Lance looked at them, surprised to

see the two at school. He wasn’t too shocked about Edison, but

Pandora’s formal outfit definitely. caught him off guard. It made him wonder if she was wearing something old from Edison’s family.

Maybe Edison and Pandora were closer than he realized.