"A Porsche Panamera?"
Bishop's eyes sparkled with pride. "I was going to get you a Ferrari, but you just started college. Driving something that flashy would only draw attention from all those social climbers looking for a free ride.” He said it so seriously that Claire almost laughed.
He glanced at her, a little anxious. "When you graduate, I'll get you something even better."
Claire tried not to roll her eyes. "You actually make a lot of sense," she said, though in her head she wondered if a Porsche was really that much less noticeable.
Before she could say more, a voice called out from the hallway. "Am I late?"
Everyone turned as a woman with short, stylish hair strode in. She looked sharp and confident, the kind of woman who took charge without even trying. A young man followed behind her, taking her coat as she handed it over. He looked so much like Norris that Claire guessed right away—this had to be Phil, the twin brother.
“We ran into each other on the way, so we came back together,” the woman explained with a warm smile. Her gaze landed on Claire. "You must be our little princess. I'm your Aunt Karla."
She set down a pile of designer shopping bags, their expensive logos impossible to miss. "These are just a few gifts for you. I didn't know what you'd like, so I just grabbed a bit of everything. You're so pretty, I feel like all these clothes, shoes, and bags are just extra sparkle for you."
Claire's eyes widened at the luxury brands. Karla had the energy of a woman who always got what she wanted-direct, successful, and impossible to ignore. And yet, there was something familiar about her.
Karla caught the look. "Am I familiar?" she teased, setting the bags down by Claire's feet. "Try them on later, see what fits. If there's anything you don't like, just tell me. I'll swap it for something else."
Claire blinked, realization hitting.
Karla-the Karla. The entertainment industry legend. The agent who discovered two Best Actor winners and a award-winning actress. Everybody talked about her
connections her powerners
in-laws Claire had heard
wealthy
stories-how Karla had invested her own money in a struggling actor's film, how she'd helped him rise to stardom, and how she became an icon right alongside him.
"You're Karla,” Claire said softly, almost in awe.
Karla grinned. "That's me. You can just call me Karla."
Phil stepped forward and handed Claire a sleek bank card. “Hi, I'm Phil, your cousin. This is a little welcome gift from me."
Claire glanced down at the card. A million dollars wasn't a fortune to this family, but to a college student, it was huge.
Norris and Owen both shot Phil a look. No one had said anything about giving cash as a welcome gift. They hadn't prepared anything they figured they'd just buy Claire what she needed later. Phil had totally blindsided them.
"Phil, not cool," Owen complained, slinging an arm around Phil's shoulders.
Phil just smiled, perfectly calm. He pulled out two more bank cards. "Norris is all about his research so he's basically broke Owen spends everything on food and parties, so he doesn't have much saved up either. I figured I'd just cover their welcome gifts too."
Norris and Owen both groaned. Did he have to rub it in?
Classic Phil. When he was a kid, he was always the weaker twin. The family was so worried about his health that Padgett gave him a. goofynickname: Puppy, hoping it would help him grow strong As sporras he was old enough Phil made everyone promise never to call him that again. And, for the most part, they listened.