Chapter 493
Claire definitely wasn’t about to go back with Latham. Octavia could see it from a
mile away—Claire had her own life now, and nobody in the James family could rein her in anymore. If there was anyone she might still listen to, maybe it was Pandora, but even then, Pandora was hopelessly biased.
“Octavia, there’s no need to say things you don’t mean just because you’re upset,” Latham said quietly.
“I’m not saying Cindy is somehow worse than Claire,” he added. “In my eyes, they’re both my daughters p>
Octavia rolled her eyes inwardly. Sure, you treat Claire like your own, but do you really think she still sees you as her dad? She doesn’t even bother answering your calls. You’re the only one still clinging to this whole family act.
Latham noticed the look on Octavia’s face and, for once, understood what she was thinking. He just sighed and let it go.
To him, everything had started going wrong when Octavia and Lance kicked Claire out so ruthlessly. If the two of them hadn’t sent her packing back to the country in the middle of the night, giving her nothing at all, would she have ever turned out like this? When someone’s heart goes cold, it’s almost impossible to warm it up again.
When Claire finally woke up, the first thing she saw was a long column of missed calls from the James family. There were also dozens of messages. She scrolled through and, after checking Latham’s, decided to call him back when she had a free minute.
Latham was honestly surprised when he answered the phone. He’d already assumed that Claire was done with them for good. If Lance couldn’t win Claire’s support, then Hearth & Kettle would be lost to the James family, and that was something Latham couldn’t accept. It was about more than just his daughter-there were bigger things at stake.
“Claire?” He quickly collected himself, his voice instantly soft, careful, and full of concern. “Are you back in Apex? I heard you took gold in the individual competition, and your team won first place too. That’s incredible. Congratulations p>
“Thanks, Latham.” Claire’s voice was polite, just a little distant.
Latham felt a flicker of disappointment, but he kept trying. “Claire, are you really still upset about everything p>
“With results like yours, we should throw you a celebration. Are you free tomorrow night p>
“Latham, I have class tomorrow p>
Claire replied. “I probably won’t have
time. Let’s skip the celebration for nowolf lace college entrance exams, I’ll definitely invite you p>
What kind of dinner would that be? Obviously a top student feast.
Latham just liked how honest and ambitious Claire was. She didn’t hide anything, and she had every right to be confident.
“Alright, the exams are coming up
ve
soon. Just focus on your studies,” he told her “And if Octavia or Cindy come to you about the guaranteed admission spot ignore them.. already told them off about it They never should have gone behind my back the way they did. Ifød known, I would have stopped them before they ever brought it up to you p>
“That spot is yours. No one can take it. If you want to take the exams, go ahead. If you don’t, just use your automatic admission. Dont worry about what anyone else thinks. You have what it takes either way. At this point, a great score is just a bonus p>
Latham could be pretty thoughtful at times, and his words actually did feel comforting for once. Maybe there was still one reasonable person in the whole family.
“Thank you, Latham. I get it.” Claire really couldn’t care less about what Octavia or Cindy thought anyway.
“Alright, then. Get some rest. I won’t bother you anymore tonight p>
Claire wasn’t about to start calling him Dad, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
As soon as she hung up, she got another call. This time, it was Edison. He’d asked his driver to bring over some food he’d cooked himself, making sure everything was clean and safe.