Chapter 518

“Good thing I kept my mouth shut,” Jennifer said with a smile.

She already had a feeling the two families weren’t exactly friendly with each other. It was actually kind of funny that they ended up celebrating in the same place, side by side, without even realizing it.

“We’re just old friends catching up, and maybe celebrating a little. No need to bother someone else’s family time,” Pandora replied, her tone chilly.

Jennifer was, once again, quietly thankful she hadn’t tried to push things further.

Meanwhile, Claire tried some of the valedictorian cake and was hit with a wave of pure delight. Sweet and tender, it almost melted in her mouth and didn’t stick to her teeth at all. She couldn’t help but have another piece right away.

The two older ladies each took a piece too. As much as they wanted more, they held back, worried their digestion might not keep up. Jennifer’s cooking was honestly way too good. The huge dinner already had everyone stuffed.

Afterwards, Pandora took Queenie out to the courtyard for a little walk. The place was a private estate, not open to the public. When some people saw the ladies heading in, their curiosity got the better of them and they tried to follow, but the staff at the door stopped them right away.

Latham stepped outside just as someone mentioned that there were guests in the Hearth & Kettle’s private area. He guessed who it was, and honestly, there was nothing he could do. He had been embarrassed a couple of times over the last few days. Even as shameless as he could be, he wasn’t going to stir up trouble anytime

soon.

Once Pandora had gotten her fill of fresh air, Claire went with them to visit Daniel at the hospital. She hadn’t been able to keep up with his acupuncture as much lately. Exams and competitions had eaten up all her time for months. Thankfully, Daniel’s health had stabilized. If things were shaky, she’d never have stopped worrying.

She hadn’t even gotten a chance to greet Daniel when Barry’s student, Lawler, suddenly pulled her aside.

“All done with your college exams p>

Lawler didn’t really phrase it as a question. Everyone knew the exams finished today. He hadn’t taken them in years, but exam season was something nobody missed.

“Yeah, finally. It’s over.” Claire felt a huge weight lift just saying it.

“So, when are you coming home with me p>

The way Lawler asked made Claire want to roll her eyes and ignore him. Was he even listening to himself?

“I’m talking about coming by so you can meet my father,” Lawler hurried to clarify. The more he tried to explain, the weirder it sounded.

He opened his mouth to go on, but Claire made a timeout motion. “Okay, okay, that’s enough explanation p>

“I get it. You want me to come over, meet your dad, and talk about your mom’s old illness, right p>

Lawler just nodded, his voice suddenly quiet. Whenever his mom came up, he always went silent.

“Give me a couple days to rest,” Claire said. She was desperate for two days of solid sleep at home.

“Alright. Call me when you’re free.” Lawler was satisfied with that and didn’t try to bug her further. As long as she wasn’t putting him off, he was happy.

Later, Claire was called to the lab to check out their latest results. The formula she’d come up with actually worked wonders. It could slow down bone cancer cells and even helped new cells regenerate. It was a huge step forward for cancer treatment.

Barry had already started the process to collaborate with another cancer expert. If they could create a new anti-cancer drug, it would be a milestone for medicine. Claire’s contribution was obvious to

everyone involved. Honestly, they’d just been waiting for her exams to finish so she could join the project fully.

When Claire finally made it to the lab, Barry greeted her eagerly and couldn’t wait to show her everything. “I know you’ve been swamped and that research can’t be rushed. But Took what we managed injust three months. We got results nobody expected p>