Chapter 395
Claire suddenly remembered something and went back to grab another one. “I just really love it. Durian is the king of fruit. It’s so good p>
“It might smell bad to you, but other people think it smells great p>
The woman helping out with the durian joined in, “That’s true. Some people can’t handle it, but a lot of folks love it p>
“It’s like stinky tofu,” she said, “smells gross, tastes amazing p>
The mention of stinky tofu made Octavia wrinkle her nose even more. She couldn’t stand that kind of junk food.
“You’re not starting to eat stinky tofu now, are you?” Octavia asked. Even though she had sent her adopted daughter away, she had raised Claire for eighteen years. Some habits were hard to break—especially her disapproval of what Claire put in her mouth.
Octavia still wanted to have the last word when it came to things like this.
“But you’re not really going to tell me what I can and can’t eat anymore, are you?” Claire looked right at her.
Octavia hesitated. She knew it wasn’t her place now. Claire wasn’t her daughter anymore.
“I just meant it’s not good for you.” She tried to soften her tone. “Just a suggestion. Do whatever you want.” It was obvious even to Octavia herself that Claire wasn’t going to listen.
“Cindy, let’s go. Did you pick something out?” she asked, changing the subject.
Cindy nodded. “Yes, Mom p>
“Cindy, strawberries from places like this are nothing special. Next time I’ll have the driver bring you some fresh ones flown in,” Octavia promised, noticing how Cindy almost put a box of strawberries into the cart, then quickly put them back.
Cindy just nodded quietly. “Okay p>
She didn’t dare complain and followed Octavia to the checkout.
As they left, Sophia bumped Claire’s arm. “How did I never notice Octavia was such a control freak p>
“She’s always been like that. She just acts different around other people,” Claire replied, sounding
matter-of-fact. “She was the same way with me before. I used to act all obedient in front of her, but just did what I wanted behind her back. If she tried to cut me off financially, I’d go to Latham. And once I started making my own money, it didr matter anymore. Octavia figured out fast that she couldn’t control me that way p>
She nodded toward Cindy. “Looks like she found a new project to manage p>
“Poor Cindy, having a mom like that,” Sophia sighed.
Claire just shrugged. Who was to say? Maybe Cindy actually liked it. Not allowed to
buy supermarket strawberries? No big deal—her mom would buy her the fancy kind, delivered right to her door. Some people might call that love.
In Cindy’s mind, her mom really was doing it for her own good, so she never argued, even if she’d really wanted that box of strawberries. When she was younger, her family couldn’t afford a lot of fruit. Someone back home grew strawberries, But with so many kids around, just getting one basket was a treat. At school, the wealthier kids could eat whatever fruit they wanted, whenever they felt like it. Cindy would just watch. She was too shy to even ask for a taste.
Maybe that’s why she wanted-no, craved the freedom to eat strawberries whenever she wanted. But she’d never say that to Octavia. At times like this, she honestly envied Claire a little, able to stroll the supermarket and buy whatever she felt like. No one to judge her if she got two durians instead of one.
i then
Claire and Sophia ended up piling their cart full of random snacks. Most people avoided eating too much durian-it’s pretty heavy-but that didn’t stop either from going all in. Both of them worked out a lot. Sophia even practiced martial arts, so she burned it off quickly and had never had to worry about her weight.
Between the two of them, they finished off half a durian each and put the rest away
in the fridge. After eating, they headed downstairs for a walk, only to run into Cindy
and Octavia again, right outside.