Chapter 413

Padgett tried to keep a serious face, but as soon as he caught Yolande’s eye, his features softened. “Yolande, come on, grab a seat and have something to eat p>

Tiffany, of course, didn’t need an invitation. She had no shame and had already found her way to the table.

Yolande looked uncomfortable. Her mom was always so bold, and getting dragged over today had made her feel awkward from the start. She still didn’t know how her mom even found out that Claire was coming home today.

“Thank you.” Yolande glanced around the crowded table, not sure where to sit.

Ophelia, sitting right next to Claire, saw her hesitation and quickly pulled out a chair. “Yolande, there’s room next to Claire. Sit here p>

“Thanks, Aunt Ophelia.” Yolande said, then settled in.

The housekeeper appeared with two more place settings.

Claire gave Yolande a warm smile, then reached over and put a juicy lamb chop on her plate. “Here, Yolande, you’ve got to try the lamb. Bishop really knows what he’s doing in the kitchen p>

Tiffany perked up immediately and grinned. “So Bishop’s the chef today? Looks like we picked the perfect day to stop by p>

She wedged herself closer to Karla, who just laughed. “Well, you should really thank Claire for this. If she hadn’t come in first place at the competition, there’s no way Padgett would’ve asked Bishop to cook. He’s not that easy to persuade p>

Tiffany’s usual games didn’t fool someone like Karla. In fact, Karla could barely stand Tiffany and her endless scheming to get something for free.

Still, both she and Ophelia had always had a soft spot for Yolande. If only her mom wasn’t such a pain.

Tiffany twitched at Karla’s remark. Was she really expected to thank a kid?

She spoke up quickly, changing the subject. “This was for some math competition, right?” She didn’t even try to respond to the thing about. thanking Claire. “Honestly, she’s just like Melissa. Melissa was a math genius back then p>

“No wonder Padgett likes her so much p>

Her words sounded okay on the surface, but everyone could hear the real meaning underneath. Tiffany was basically saying that the only reason Claire was special in the Churchill family was because of her mother. Padgett was just using Claire as a stand-in for Melissa.

Claire picked up on it right away, but she wasn’t bothered. If anything, she found Tiffany a little ridiculous. She thought, f Padgett didn’t care about H

my mom what reason would have to treat me this well? Some people have it worse. They have relatives who won’t even let them step inside the door.

Claire smiled, totally relaxed. “Guess I got lucky and inherited my mom’s talents.” She looked as easygoing as ever.

Tiffany felt a little stung by that. She kept eating, then shifted the topic again. “You know, Churchill girls are always good-looking. Claire probably looks more like her dad, but Yolande is almost a copy of Melissa p>

Everyone else exchanged a look. Who was she trying to fool? Claire looked a lot like Melissa, while Yolande, not so much.

Tiffany kept pushing. “Honestly, even though Melissa married someone from the countryside, at least she chose someone good-looking. Otherwise, Claire wouldn’t be this stunning p>

This time, Karla didn’t hold back and interrupted her. “If you ask me, Claire took the best features from both her parents. She’s even more beautiful than either of them p>

“But Yolande is lucky too, since she looks like Melissa. If she’d taken after you or your husband, let’s be honest, she wouldn’t be this pretty p>

Tiffany nearly choked on her food.