Chapter 513

“The thing is, I’m a jewelry appraiser, and whenever I see pretty pieces, I just can’t help but admire them p>

“The jewelry you’re both wearing is stunning, so I was hoping I could snap a picture as a keepsake p>

Wilma knew her request was a little inconvenient. But she really loved those accessories. She’d grown up around jewelry since her family was in the business. Whenever she came across something so beautiful, she couldn’t bear to walk away without taking a photo.

“Go ahead. You can take a picture of us, too.” Queenie glanced at Pandora. “Do you mind, Pandora p>

“I’d actually like to have a photo with you. That way, I can look at it when I’m back in Cascadia p>

Since Queenie had agreed, Pandora had no complaints. She just set some boundaries. “You can take photos, but they’re only for personal use. Please don’t show them to anyone else, and definitely don’t use them for anything commercial.” “Or, just take close-ups of the jewelry and not our faces p>

“If you can’t agree to that, and I find out, my lawyer will have to get involved p>

Pandora’s tone was completely serious. Even Claire was a little surprised. But Pandora’s conditions were pretty fair.

Wilma nodded quickly. “Don’t worry. I just want them for myself. I’ll never show them to anyone without your permission p>

“They’ll be my little treasure, I promise p>

Her sincerity calmed both of the ladies. They’d lived long enough to spot when someone had an agenda, and all they saw in Wilma’s eyes was simple appreciation for jewelry.

Wilma had brought her camera hoping to capture a big moment for her son after his college entrance exam. Now, it actually came in handy. Her son hadn’t even looked excited when he walked out of the building-honestly, not worth photographing. Taking pictures of these two elegant ladies was way more satisfying. She even managed a group shot with them, asking Claire to take a couple of photos.

Afterwards, Wilma offered to treat them to lunch.

Pandora turned her down, polite but

no-nonsense. The old friends

wanted alone time to catch up.

Sitting through a meal with a

stranger would only have made things awkward.

Wilma got the message. She thought to herself, with Claire’s amazing scores, she was definitely going to be top of the class. When her family threw a party, Wilma decided she’d just show up with a nice, fat red envelope.

Pandora and Queenie took Claire to Hearth & Kettle.

Meanwhile, they’d just missed Octavia and Latham, who had come to pick Cindy up.

As Cindy walked out of the school, she saw Latham craning his neck, searching the crowd. Even Lance was looking around inside the school grounds, clearly distracted.

Finally, Cindy couldn’t take it anymore. “Dad, who are you looking for p>

“Did you see Claire? You’re done and out already, but we still haven’t seen her,” Latham answered honestly not bothering to bide that he was waiting for Claire and hoping to invite Pandora to eat, too.

Cindy pursed her lips. Her annoyance was already written all over her face.

She’d finished her exams too. Couldn’t the family pay a little attention to her for once?

“She probably came out ages ago. I heard she turned in every paper early and was the first to leave each time p>

Just loves to be the center of attention, right? The past couple of days, Claire had been getting all the spotlight.

Cindy bit back the bitterness, but she couldn’t help thinking it.

“So they already left?” Latham frowned, realizing they’d missed them.

Should he call Claire now? Latham hesitated, weighing the idea.

Meanwhile, Cindy grabbed Octavia’s arm. “Mom, where are we going to eat? I’m starving p>