Chapter 471
Octavia walked out without paying, and Claire couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done it on purpose. But honestly, the money didn’t matter. There was no way Claire would call her back just to settle a bill.
At least by saying no this time, Claire finally got a little peace and quiet.
What she didn’t realize was that Octavia had actually gone to see Pandora in the countryside before coming to her. Pandora wasn’t someone you could fool easily. The moment she saw Octavia, arms full of flashy gifts and acting like she was doing everyone a favor, Pandora didn’t even bother playing nice.
Naturally, Pandora turned her down flat. She even told Octavia if she really wanted someone to take responsibility for the whole baby mix-up, she should call the police and let them handle it.
Cindy was a victim. Claire was a victim. It wasn’t fair to expect Claire to share her every achievement with Cindy just because of what happened.
After getting nowhere with Pandora, Octavia came back to Claire, still hoping to talk her around. But Claire was even harder to persuade than she’d thought. She genuinely couldn’t tell if Claire had ever cared about her son at all.
And now, with Claire getting ready to travel for her competition, Octavia was totally out of ideas.
Claire was flying to Cabinda to meet up with her teammates. Most of the group seemed nervously hunched over problem sets on the plane, studying till the last second. Claire, on the other hand, looked like she was on vacation.
Norris sat nearby, checking in on her. “You ready? Feeling nervous p>
“Not really,” Claire said, barely looking up from her tablet. “I’m just taking it as it comes p>
She was so chill, she might as well have been headed to the beach. Linsey, meanwhile, looked like she could barely sit still.
I wish I could be that calm, Linsey thought, her hands twisting together. She couldn’t
figure out if she was more anxious about flying or competing.
Finally, she spoke up. “Claire, I’m seriously so jealous you can be this relaxed p>
Claire pulled out
an earbud and
grinned. “No need to stress. If you look nervous, people will think we’re pushovers. Just walk in like you own the place. When you look confident, nobody will mess with you. But if you act scared, people pick up on right away p>
Her words hit home. The other students nodded, a few of them straightening in their seats. Even passengers nearby caught wind of their conversation, and when they heard these girls were representing, the country at a math competition, they got in on the encouragement.
“She’s absolutely right! You made the team because you’re the best. No need to be nervous, just do your thing p>
“Exactly! Those foreign teams aren’t any different. It’s not like they’re geniuses with two brains or anything p>
“We’ve always been good at math. You’ve got this p>
By the time the plane landed, Claire and her teammates were practically glowing from all the support.
Norris was their team leader, and most people had no idea he and Claire were actually siblings. Claire got her spot on merit, and Norris didn’t mind people knowing, but the other teachers had warned him it might be better to keep it quiet till after the competition, just to avoid giving anyone more reason to gossip. Norris respected that, even if it meant biting his tongue for now.
Still, when they got off the plane, he made sure to carry Claire’s luggage without a
second thought, leaving no chance for the other boys to play the hero.
“I’ve noticed Norris really looks out for you. None of the other guys can even get close,” Alva whispered to Claire as they walked.
Norris caught sight of a boy edging near Claire and shot him a look that said, Back
off.