Zara had even joked that if Claire didn't already have a fiancé who outshone him, she would have set them up.
Silas had been a little offended by that comment at the time.
What did she mean, Claire's fiancé outshone him?
Silas wasn't arrogant, but he knew he was pretty exceptional among his peers.
He was only slightly outclassed by Reid.
But now that he had interacted with Claire in person and recalled that her fiancé was Dane, he mentally waved the white flag. Fine, he couldn't compete with that!
The way Claire put the Zeller family's cousin in his place at the dinner table didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the guests.
The Dalton family members were especially quiet, terrified of being her next target.
They all knew Preston was a fool for tossing aside a true heiress like Zara just to chase after a step-daughter.
If he had actually won her over, it might have been one thing, but he was just being strung along.
It was pathetic to watch.
Yet Preston himself remained completely oblivious to his own glaring flaws.
Everyone couldn't help but worry about the future of the Dalton family.
With an heir like Preston, where would the company even end up?
They'd be lucky if he managed to merely maintain the empire Old Mrs. Dalton had built. Their real fear was that he'd be even more incompetent than his father.
It would be so much better to just let Reid take over the company.
However, all this gossip was just whispered among the relatives; they knew the inheritance had been set in stone long ago, and as extended family, they had no say in the matter.
Old Mrs. Dalton, on the other hand, was ecstatic seeing her eldest grandson get engaged to Zara.
Reid was so laser-focused on his career that she had worried he might never marry.
Who knew that the moment the Zellers brought up a match with Zara, he would agree without a moment's hesitation?
He claimed it was to compensate the Zeller family, but knowing her eldest grandson, she suspected he had his eye on Zara long before this.
In the past, everyone just silently assumed Preston and Zara were an item.
After all, Preston was the official heir, and Reid's branch of the family
had made it clear they el
nothing to do with the main
company.
Now, the old matriarch suspected that Reid's decision to build his own empire from scratch was entirely he would be worthy of marrying Zara.
This boy had always kept to himself since childhood, but he had certainly pulled off
a masterstroke in silence this time.
If it weren't for
her younger
grandson being entirely blinded by
love and trailing after Zoe like a lost puppy, Old Mrs. Dalton might have suspected Reid deliberately
sabotaged Preston and Zara
original arrangement.
Meanwhile, Professor Dalton was absolutely thrilled when he spotted Claire.
"Claire, is that you?"
Professor Dalton had only ever met Claire that one time in the park.
But since she was so striking, and he had actively wanted to kidnap her to be his grandson's bride, her face was burned into his memory.
Seeing her now, he couldn't resist walking over to chat.
The tables were close, so Professor Dalton simply turned around and struck up a conversation.
Claire knew Reid was Professor Dalton's grandson, so she had fully expected to run into him today.
She smiled and greeted him warmly, "Professor Dalton."
Even Silas was shocked to realize Claire knew the esteemed professor.
Silas looked at Claire with newfound awe.
It was truly a blessing from above that his cousin had snagged such a brilliant roommate.
When he first heard Zara had been placed in a mixed dorm, he had been worried. Given Zara's fiery personality, he figured she would clash with her roommates.
He never expected that just one semester with them would completely transform
her.
It seemed this truly was a blessing in disguise for Zara.
"Claire, see? My grandson isn't too bad, is he? I told you I wasn't exaggerating!"