Chapter 444
If Claire ever lost her cool, Shirley knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you want to come in and sit for a bit?” Even as she spoke, she wasn’t sure if she should be inviting them inside. What if Claire got upset? Still, Octavia didn’t even wait for an answer and just slipped right in. Shirley quickly handed over some disposable shoe covers, trying to play the good host.
Octavia’s expression soured a little, but honestly, it made sense. This wasn’t their place, so of course there weren’t extra slippers waiting for them. Once they all settled on the sofa, it became obvious the whole apartment outclassed Lance’s place. Not in a flashy way. The furniture was simple, but every piece looked like it had been chosen with real care. The design was tasteful, the materials—all top- notch. She remembered being in charge of the renovations at Lance’s apartment, but looking around here, she had to admit, Claire’s place had real style. Whoever pulled this space together had great taste.
Claire came out of the bathroom and immediately spotted Octavia and Cindy. “What are you doing here?” She stepped around them, running a towel through her hair, then grabbed the blow dryer and turned it on without a fuss.
“Octavia says she wants to take you out for dinner tonight, to celebrate your first- place score,” Shirley said, blurting it out before anyone else could. She was honestly worried Claire would be mad at her for letting the two just come in like that.
Claire shot her a look, eyebrow raised. Was this some kind of joke? “There’s nothing to celebrate. I’ll be going abroad soon for the competition. We can celebrate once I’m back.” Her refusal was quick, no hesitation at all. It was obvious she was thinking the same thing as Shirley-Octavia didn’t show up out of the blue without some hidden motive.
Octavia didn’t give Claire any chance to refuse. “We can always celebrate again later, but for now, let’s at least do something small. I’ve already called Lance to come join us for dinner tonight p>
Then she turned serious, her tone shifting. “Claire,” Octavia said, “I know Cindy was wrong before. She’s thought it over and wants to apologize, but you haven’t really given her a chance.” She paused just long enough to make things awkward, then went on. “You grew up in the James family. Are you really going to turn your back on us? Even if you want to, Pandora wouldn’t want to see things end up like this p>
Claire rolled her eyes. She thought, You have no idea what Pandora actually wants. Pandora never asked her to force herself to love the Latham side of the family. She’d been cold to Claire since she was little thanks to Octavia There Was no real bond there just enough for the sake of appearances. It was only Latham and Octavia who imagined Claire couldn’t live without them.
“Grandma just wants peace and quiet,” Claire finally said, reminding Octavia. She
wasn’t going to be moved by appeals to her grandmother.
Octavia’s words caught in her throat.
Claire just
wouldn’t let her have the
upper hand. Still, she pushed on,
“She always liked peace, but she wants her family to get along. You’re the one she cares about most. If you shut us out completely, it would break Pandora’s heart p>
But before Octavia could really dig in with her long speech, Claire cut in, “Alright,
where are we having dinner? Is Latham coming p>
ove Claire
Octavia hesitated, caught off guard. She hadn’t even meant to invite her husband, anyway. If he was there, it would be impossible to press Claire to give up her spot for the overseas program. He’d definitely be on Claire’s side. “Latham has a business dinner, he can’t make it,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Trying to shift the conversation, Octavia looked around the room. “Did you buy this place already renovated? The previous owners did a nice job. It’s really elegant p>
Claire nodded. “Yeah, it was already renovated, but I switched out all the furniture and decor.” That was the part that actually cost the most. Everything might look simple on the surface, but every piece came from the White family’s thoughtful choosing.