"If you don't believe me, I'll have him send a picture right now."
With that, Professor Dalton called his grandson.
Whatever Professor Dalton said worked, because his grandson actually texted a photo over.
Looking at the man in the picture, she couldn't shake the feeling she recognized him.
Seeing Claire staring at the photo, Professor Dalton thought he had a chance. "Well? Handsome, isn't he?"
"He's been showered with compliments since he was a kid."
"Your grandson looks a little familiar," Claire answered honestly.
"Familiar how? Look closer-doesn't he look exactly like your future boyfriend?"
Claire burst out laughing. Professor Dalton was actually pretty funny.
"Not really," she replied deadpan. "I just genuinely think he looks familiar. I might have seen him somewhere. What's his name?"
"Reid Dalton."
Professor Dalton proudly announced his grandson's name.
"Maybe you've seen him around The Cabinda University. He's currently running his startup while finishing his master's."
"He's in his final year and will probably go on to get his doctorate."
His grandson originally hadn't wanted to pursue a Ph.D., but his parents had given
him an ultimatum: no doctorate, no startup.
Left with no choice, Reid was forced to juggle his studies and his business.
Speaking of his grandson, Professor Dalton beamed with absolute pride.
Claire hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, I don't know him. The guy I've met is named Preston Dalton."
And he definitely lacked Reid's commanding presence.
Preston was your textbook idiot.
He had dumped a proper heiress like Zara Zeller, opting instead for a two-faced manipulator like Zoe Zeller.
Of course, Claire wasn't going to judge who he wanted to date.
She just found the whole situation hilarious.
"Preston?" Professor Dalton was taken aback. "You're talking about my younger grandson!"
*Huh?*
Now it was Claire's turn to be surprised.
"Are you sure it's the same guy? I heard the Dalton family is loaded."
Could it just be a coincidence with the names?
"Loaded?" Professor Dalton chuckled. "The Dalton family doesn't have much. I'm just a dusty old teacher."
"The real powerhouse is my wife."
Back in the day, Professor Dalton's wife had decisively quit her stable job to start her own business. Now, she was at the helm of The Dalton Group.
Professor Dalton and his wife had two sons.
The older son took after him and also worked at a university, while the younger son inherited the family business.
The older grandson, Reid Dalton, and the younger grandson, Preston Dalton, were cousins.
His wife managed everything at home, and Professor Dalton was perfectly content with the quiet life.
The designated heir was now the younger grandson-not because the older one was unreliable, but
iel
because Reid simply had no intereşt infaking over the empire
Inheriting the business meant submitting to an arranged marriage, which Reid had flat-out refused.
Who could have guessed that the younger grandson would agree to the arranged marriage, only to try and swap the bride at the last minute?
If it were up to him, he would have dragged his younger grandson into an alley and beaten some sense into him.
His wife was bold and decisive, his older son was refined and gentle, but his younger son...
vels
Well, the man managing the family business had his own methods, but in Professor Dalton's eyes, his younger son couldn't hold a carele to his wife.
And the younger grandson, aside from having a handsome face, was nowhere near as steady, sensible, or capable as the older one.
Outsiders always said the oldest son's family took after him, while the younger son's family took after his wife.
But the truth was, Professor Dalton felt the person most like his wife was actually his older grandson, Reid.
Unfortunately, since the younger son had already inherited the business, replacing him with the older grandson now would be a massive scandal.
Otherwise, his wife probably would have loved to swap them out.
"You've met Preston. He isn't as good-looking as his older cousin. If you met his cousin, you'd definitely like him."
Professor Dalton didn't want to elaborate on their family wealth; he only wanted to talk about his grandsons.
He was sparing no effort in trying to sell his oldest grandson.
Claire didn't beat around the bush. "Yeah, well, your younger grandson isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."
Claire looked so serious that it didn't even sound like she was insulting him.