A complete recovery was impossible; illnesses like that solely relied on long-term care.
But surely it was better than Latonia being absolutely no help at all.
Latonia firmly believed that Claire had only secured her engagement to Dane because she managed to cure Baldrick.
However, that assumption drastically underestimated Dane.
Was Dane the kind of man who could be so easily manipulated?
Did she honestly think he would use his marriage as a bargaining chip just because Claire treated Baldrick's illness?
That was nothing but a delusional fantasy.
Even if Latonia had saved his life herself, there was no way Dane would ever offer himself up in return.
"What do you know?"
Latonia scoffed, feeling like her brother was utterly clueless.
"Only a woman truly understands another woman. I know for a fact that Claire is only after his family's wealth and status."
"Still, their families are essentially united now."
"Their relationship might seem unbreakable, but if an external force were to push hard enough..."
"Cyrus, do you think you have a real shot at winning Claire over?"
Cyrus swallowed the bitter taste of defeat. "Probably not."
"Don't lose heart. Where there's a will, there's a way." Cyrus had already thrown in the towel, yet Latonia was still clinging to hope.
Cyrus frowned. "Actually, I already have feelings for someone else, and it's not Claire."
Latonia's face fell in genuine disappointment.
If her brother had fallen for someone else, didn't that mean her plan was entirely ruined?
"Does the girl you like know you've been pursuing Claire?"
Latonia still cared deeply for her brother, despite her scheming.
Cyrus hesitated. "...No."
"Well, she doesn't go to The Cabinda University, does she? It shouldn't affect you much," Latonia blurted out.
Her words were met with a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line.
Latonia wasn't stupid; she quickly realized she had misspoken.
"Cyrus, that's not what I meant. Even if you don't go after Claire, I still appreciate the effort you put in."
"If there's someone you like, you need to clear the air with her."
"When I get back to the country, I'll even help you explain everything."
Cyrus offered a noncommittal hum, muttered something about having homework, and hung up.
He kicked a pebble on the sidewalk in sheer frustration.
A sudden yelp echoed nearby.
Cyrus immediately rushed over to apologize and ended up paying for the person's medical expenses out of pocket.
When it rained, it poured. His luck was completely shot.
The absurd drama of him pursuing Claire quickly faded into obscurity.
All that remained was the campus legend of Claire slamming a cafeteria tray over someone's head.
Now, students were incredibly
ет
cautious when eating and chatting in the dining hath terrified they might end up with a face full of food if they misspoke.
Gossiping about Claire was strictly off-limits.
And recklessly gossiping about anyone else was risky, too.
Because people had already started mimicking Claire's aggressive tactics.
The cafeteria floors were significantly greasier than before, all thanks to the copycats dumping their plates.
But not everyone was like Claire, who would politely ask the janitorial staff to clean
up the mess and slip them a generous tip of a hundred bucks.
The cleaning ladies were more than happy to do it for her.
For everyone else, the staff would stop them in their tracks and force them to mop it up themselves.
Naturally, the students who had just
finished screaming and throwing
punches were in a terrible mood's their cleaning efforts were
O'
half-heartcontent at best.
Norris and his colleagues had just witnessed one of these brawls firsthand while eating lunch.
Professor Carlson shook his head. "What's going on with the students this year? They're so aggressive. Why do they keep fighting in the cafeteria?"
"Aren't they just wasting food?"
Norris remembered that his own cousin, Claire, was the one who had started this entire trend. Unwilling to criticize her, he offered a diplomatic response "Not necessarily Some of them only use the leftovers."