Chapter 351
“Go ahead and sit. Let me call Cindy.” Octavia had convinced the two girls to stay put, but she still felt uneasy. She stepped into another room and dialed Cindy’s number.
“Cindy, where are you? The guests have already arrived. Why aren’t you home yet?” There was clear frustration in her voice.
Cindy was sensitive by nature, and she could immediately sense her mom wasn’t happy. “I’ll be back soon, Mom,” she answered right away.
“Where exactly are you? Shirley said she thought she saw you earlier. She said you were with another woman.” Octavia wasn’t dropping it, still pressing for an answer.
Cindy’s expression changed, just a bit. “I just ran into my middle school teacher, Mom. We were catching up for a minute. I’m going to stop by the supermarket for some fruit, then I’ll head home p>
“Oh, it was your teacher. Do you want to invite her for lunch?” Octavia relaxed when she heard this. Her daughter didn’t get much love growing up, and Octavia knew she might treat anyone who showed her kindness like family.
“No, she just happened to be nearby for something. We ran into each other, but she’s about to head home anyway.” Cindy didn’t even ask Fallon, just spoke for her.
Octavia didn’t force the issue. “Alright, just hurry back with the fruit, okay? We actually have plenty here, so you really don’t have to get any. If you want something special, I can have the housekeeper pick it up this afternoon p>
More than anything, Octavia just wanted Cindy to come home soon. Having Cindy back was also her way of reminding everyone who the real heiress of The James Family was. She wanted Cindy to host Claire and Shirley, to truly become part of the family and see herself as one of them.
Cindy didn’t understand all of this, but she was used to listening. “Okay, Mom p>
When she hung up, Cindy turned to Fallon and apologized. “Sorry, I have to go home: We’ve got visitors today. Ljust told my mom you were my middle school teacher, I hope that’s alright? I want to properly introduce you to my parents one day, I just didn’t want it to be out of the blue like this p>
Would Octavia b
be upset if she knew Fallon had always taken care of her at school, and that life hadn’t been as terrible as her parents believed? It wasn’t that Cindy wanted to act.. pitiful. She really did feel a bit wronged, deep down. Fallon had filled a gap in her life, but in the end, she wasn’t really Cindy’s mom. Cindy still longed for family, for that real connection.
ét
She expected Fallon to feel hurt, but Fallon just smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Didn’t say before? There’s no need to mention me to your family yet. You’ve always treated me like a mother, but your mom might not want to hear that, not right now. She missed out on so much of your li So she’s probably eager to make up for it. Just enjoy being loved by your mom. That’s enough. I can take a step back, it’s okay p>
Fallon was so understanding, always putting Cindy first.
Cindy was honestly moved. “Thank you p>
She hugged Fallon, then really did head home.
Back at the house, Cindy smiled as she greeted Claire and Shirley. Edison’s gifts were really nice this time, and even Octavia had nothing to nitpick about.
Everyone sat together and shared what looked like a happy lunch. As soon as the meal was over, Edison politely excused himself and got ready to leave. Latham actually wanted to chat longer, hoping to get a little closer to Edison, but Edison was impossible to get through to. He never gave anything away.