Chapter 256
After Claire left for Cabinda, Pandora headed back to the countryside. She loved the peace out there, the slow mornings and quiet nights, way more than city life. No matter how many times Daniel asked her to stay in town, she always shook her head and stuck to her choice.
“Grandma.” Claire’s voice floated through the phone. Pandora sat on the porch, her cat curled up in her arms. She smiled, her whole face softening at the sound.
“Claire, did you get through the training camp?” Pandora had heard about the test at the end, the one you had to pass to move forward. Claire hadn’t called yesterday, which left Pandora a little worried.
“You don’t have to worry, Grandma. I passed.” Claire’s tone was relaxed and sure. Pandora’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful. Are you thinking about staying in Cabinda for a few days? Remember that address I gave you… do you want to check it out?” She’d thought about this before asking. Pandora hadn’t tried to find out what was going on with the Churchill family, but if Claire was curious, she wouldn’t stand in her way. After all these years, Pandora sometimes found herself wondering about her son and daughter-in-law too. No news from her side was probably the safest thing, but she wondered if the Churchills knew more, living right in the heart of the city.
“Grandma, someone at the winter camp recognized me as Melissa’s daughter.” Claire never kept secrets from Pandora.
“Who recognized you?” Pandora’s first instinct was to worry whether Claire might get caught up in something dangerous. If there was even a hint of trouble, she’d rather Claire skip Cabinda altogether.
“One was Sammie, Mom’s old teacher who’s now running our camp. The other is his student, a guy named Churchill p>
“A Churchill? Is he related to your mom p>
“Yeah, he’s her nephew. That makes him my cousin, I guess. They said my math skills are exactly like my mom’s p>
Pandora was surprised anyone could figure out Claire’s identity just from her talent in math. On second thought, it probably wasn’t just that. Claire really did look a bit like Melissa, too.
“So, you went to the Churchill house?” Pandora guessed.
“I did. I’m actually at their place right now,” Claire admitted.
“The Churchill’s have been really warm to me. Grandpa and his side of the family thought your son had run off with their daughter. When Momvanished for years, they assumed the two of them had eloped. Grandpa was furious. By the time he tried to look for them, it was already too late p>
“the”
Claire told her about everything that had happened that day. Pandora listened quietly, taking it all in, piecing together her own picture of the Churchill family.
“Whatever they give you, just accept
it. It’s not like you need any of that,
but it’s a nice gesture all the same Pandora sounded so casual, but
爪
Claire knew what she really meant. She wasn’t exactly short on money or property herself, and Pandora had always planned to pass ball on to her granddaughter one day. Otherwise, who else could stay so calm in front of a commercial building, a prime school district house, a luxury car, a jewelry set
worth almost ten million, and all those other expensive gifts?
“Yeah, I took everything,” Claire said, not pretending otherwise.
Pandora smiled, pleased with her granddaughter’s confidence. “That’s how it should be. If your grandpa’s family is nice to you, it’s only because
of your mom There’s mo need to turn them down. If you do, it’ll just make things awkward. By the way, did you get them any gifts? Do you want me to send something over p>
The question made Claire think of the mountain of country goods Pandora had sent
to her adoptive family last time. That was a lot. Would the Churchills be shocked if they got the same treatment?