Back in her school days, her only job was to study hard.
While living with Mary, she spent all her time learning medicine.
No one had ever bothered to invite Claire to casual game nights.
Thanks to Octavia's deliberate manipulation, all the relatives believed Claire was nothing but a socially inept bookworm. No one wanted to hang out with her.
Plus, she was the textbook definition of the "perfect prodigy."
Being around Claire only made them feel inferior and bitter.
Claire didn't really care about being isolated.
Most of the people who tried to get close to her had ulterior motives anyway.
So, growing up, Sophia was the only genuine friend she ever had.
The rest were just superficial social climbers like Rose.
Claire never paid them much mind.
She had far too much to learn growing up, leaving her with zero energy for socializing.
Her friendship with Sophia had entirely been initiated by Sophia herself.
To be fair, Sophia had even played the hero and rescued Claire once.
Claire usually kept an incredibly low profile, so the street punks didn't necessarily know she was an heiress to the James family.
One day, Claire was cornered by a group of thugs in an alley.
Sophia had dramatically swooped in to save the day.
That was also the day Sophia realized Claire actually knew how to fight.
Sophia had always been the driving force behind their friendship.
As a young girl, Claire's interests certainly didn't include playing Bridge.
She was too busy dreaming of fighting for justice.
"Grandma, are you joining us?"
Claire looked at her grandmother curiously.
Pandora nodded. "What? Afraid I won't pay up if I lose?"
"Of course not!" Claire laughed. "I'm afraid you'll feel guilty taking money from us kids when you win!"
Pandora lightly tapped her granddaughter's forehead. "You're overthinking it. I won't feel guilty at all."
"In fact, I'm fully counting on you kids to fund my pocket money tonight."
Since the matriarch had spoken, everyone quickly took their seats!
Pandora's skills were legendary; she could read everyone's hand like an open book.
She was the only one purposely taking it easy on them.
As for Claire, she didn't rely on skill-she relied purely on her photographic memory!
Just because she didn't play often didn't mean she couldn't crush them.
She had played once before and walked away with a massive haul.
In the end, the biggest loser of the night turned out to be Dewitt.
He used to win nine times out of ten.
But unfortunately for him, tonight he
was apagainst raw experience, perfect memory and a
beginner's luck.
Pandora and Claire both had their own lethal advantages.
Dewitt didn't think his losing streak had anything to do with a lack of skill.
"I'm convinced I'm losing tonight because I'm up against an army of women."
"Tomorrow, I'm bringing some of the guys over to test my luck!"
"I'll grab Edison and another buddy to take you on, Pandora."
Pandora gave him a dry look. "Dewitt, you haven't improved your game in years." Where did he get the audacity to buy a brand-new table just to get destroyed on it?
Dewitt chuckled awkwardly.
above
"Pandora, a true hero doesn't brag
just drop
"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How about we call it a night?"
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. My mom said we need to prepare a massive feast."
Despite his ruthless reputation, Dewitt was actually the second-best chef in the James Village.
First place belonged to his mother!
Pandora glanced up at the wall clock. "Fine, let's wrap this up."
She let out an elegant yawn.
"It's time for bed."
Following her grandmother's gaze, Claire looked at the clock. She
I it before, but it was aadn't antique
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Sure enough, the historic James Estate was full of hidden treasures at every turn.