"When she was little, she always said she couldn't sleep well. That's when I remembered I had a pair of agarwood pillows among my wedding gifts."
"I gave her one, and I still have the other."
Pandora might not have felt particularly close to Cindy, but when it came to what was owed, she never hesitated.
"If you're interested in the agarwood pillow, I'll give you the other one."
Cindy had slept on her pillow since she was a kid. She wasn't about to hand it over to Claire.
Of course Claire was excited. For a second, she absolutely lit up. But then she shook her head. "Agarwood pillows aren't just for sleep. They have all these medicinal benefits too. I'm perfectly healthy. Feels like a waste if I use it just to sleep."
"But it'd be perfect for you, Grandma, at your age."
Pandora smiled and shook her head. "Take it for yourself. If you don't want to sleep on it, just keep it in your cabinet."
"Thank you, Grandma!” Claire said, not even bothering to act modest.
Meanwhile, Octavia and her kids had just reached the entrance of the village when
a luxury car pulled up in front of them.
The road was pretty narrow, making it tough for two cars to pass at once.
The car came to a stop, and a man stepped out.
He looked sharp in a suit, middle-aged with a few gray hairs, and definitely had a smart, business-like vibe.
"Excuse me, is this the James estate?" he asked.
He'd heard this was James Village, so he figured any car at the entrance must belong to someone from the family.
Octavia looked confused. "Do you know us?"
"No, but this is James Village, right? I heard Pandora lives here."
"Are you here to see..." Octavia almost blurted out something rude, but stopped herself at the last second. Her daughter still cared about Pandora, after all.
“Are you looking for my grandmother?" Cindy asked.
Octavia looked at her daughter in surprise.
Cindy realized she'd probably said too much and shot a cautious glance at her
mom.
She was about to explain when the man's face suddenly lit up. “So you're Pandora's granddaughter."
"Would you mind taking us to see her?"
"My boss heard Pandora has a pair of agarwood pillows and was hoping she might be willing to part with them."
Agarwood pillows? Cindy was totally lost.
But Octavia and Lance definitely knew what he was talking about.
"No way. How could she possibly have something so valuable?" Octavia blurted out.
A single gram of agarwood was worth a fortune. A whole pair of pillows made from it would be priceless.
The man gave Octavia a once-over and frowned. "You're not part of the James family?"
If she really was, how could she not know about the family's extravagant past?
Pandora was the only daughter of her generation. Her father had started collecting treasures for her wedding from the moment she was born. Even ancient emperors weren't that generous with their daughters.
So what's a pair of agarwood pillows compared to all that?
"I..." Octavia frowned, not impressed by his attitude.
"What do you mean I'm not from the James family? My husband's last name is James."
"You're probably not from the main branch, then." The man's tone grew chilly.
Octavia rolled her eyes. "Seriously?
What century do you think we're
living in The days of royal
bloodlines are long gone. Who still
talks about 'main branches"?"
Cindy's instincts told her something was off. "How do you even know my grandma
has agarwood pillows? What do they look like?"
She thought about the pillow she'd left behind. When Cindy was little, Pandora had sewn it inside a thick cotton cover, but she remembered it felt hard, like there was wood inside. And it always had this soothing scent that helped her fall asleep.
The man's attitude toward Cindy was a lot warmer.