Yolande watched her mom dig in her heels and couldn't help but sigh. "Honestly, Mom, the only reason Padgett paid attention to me back then was because Melissa was gone. I was the only girl around. Now Claire's back... of course they're going to focus on her more. Isn't that totally normal?"
"That's exactly my point! She came back and took everything that should have been yours! You're just too clueless to see it!" Tiffany shot her daughter a frustrated look, practically vibrating with impatience.
Yolande just wanted to laugh. Her mom was the one who didn't get it. "Mom, don't you see? For the past twenty years, I've been enjoying what actually belonged to Claire. She's Padgett's real family. We're just outsiders."
She worried that if her mom kept this up, she'd end up burning bridges with Padgett for good, and then they'd be left with nothing. Not that Yolande wanted to take advantage, but it was always nice to have a powerful family in your corner.
"What do you mean she's the real family? She's got a different last name! You're the Churchill here! If you don't listen to me, you're just going to lose out! Did you know Melissa was supposed to marry into the Green family? When she called off the engagement, it passed down to the next generation. Padgett didn't have any girls, so it could have been you! But now Melissa's daughter is back, and what do you get?" Tiffany's voice was full of disappointment.
"Do you even realize what that means? That's a marriage arrangement with the Greens! With Dane, their heir! Didn't you just say he's every girl's dream guy? Are you really okay just handing him over to Claire?"
Yolande blinked. She had no idea her mother was even thinking about Dane. Sure, he was stunning, but she'd never thought of herself as someone who could actually end up with a guy like that.
"Mom, you've got it all wrong. It's not about me giving him up, he was never mine to begin with. Did Padgett ever say anything about me getting engaged to Dane before Claire came back? Never."
She knew her own limits. She just wasn't the type for someone like Dane. Maybe Claire had a better shot, but honestly, neither the
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Greens had, ever said a word about it. Forall they knew, Padgett breaking off Melissa's engagement years ago had already pissed off the Green family for good. Even tossing Melissa's daughter into the mix probably wouldn't fix things.
"So what if they never brought it up? We could have! It would have been a perfect way to patch things up with the Greens. If Claire hadn't shown up, Padgett would've agreed! I was going to talk to him about it next year, once you turned twenty, I was going to bring it up right after the holidays. Who would've guessed someone would show up out of
nowhere and ruin everything?"
Tiffany looked like she was about to explode.
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Yolande just rolled her eyes. "Mom, what makes you so sure your daughter could even land someone like Dane?"
Tiffany's face darkened. "What's that
supposed to mean? Are you really so down on yourself? If you aren't good enough, who is? Melissa's daughter, who grew up in the middle of
Nowhere? She seemed convinced she could finally one-up Melissa now.
The argument went on and on, neither side willing to back down.
Meanwhile, Ophelia was quietly comforting Claire. “Don't take Tiffany too seriously. That's just how she is, always a little out of touch. But Yolande's a good kid. If you get along, great. If not, just be polite. No need to force anything."
Ophelia wasn't the type to meddle or play peacemaker. Even when her sons fought as kids, she never told the older one to let the younger win.
"Thank you, Ophelia. I get it,” Claire said softly.