"But it's not like you can't change your mind," Owen said. "The engagement isn't official for another two years."
He turned to Claire, searching her face. "What do you think, Claire? Honestly."
"If this is just about Melissa, I don't think it's worth it," she replied. "Nobody does childhood engagements anymore. Our family doesn't need to marry into business power. That's old news."
"And the Green family isn't the type to make a big deal out of marriage alliances either," someone added.
"What if you meet someone you really like one day? Having a fiancé hanging over your head would just get in the way."
Norris, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up. "Phil is handling the family business. You really don't have to sacrifice your own happiness for us."
"If Melissa hadn't felt trapped by that arrangement with the Greens, maybe she never would've run away in the first place..."
It was true. Melissa would never want Claire to end up like her.
Claire paused, a little surprised by how passionate everyone was. "Honestly, I don't think it's a big deal. If you look at it another way, Dane's pretty great. At least I won't have to worry about getting hurt by some loser down the line."
“He's smart, he's rich, and he's good-looking. Why shouldn't I choose him?"
Owen stared at her, a bit stunned. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt. "Don't you want some epic love story? I mean, I still do, and I'm not exactly young anymore."
He realized how ridiculous it sounded since he'd already been in more than a few love stories himself.
"Does love even mean anything? Can you really count on it?" Claire shot back. There was an awkward silence. Nobody could really say love was a sure thing. Ophelia nodded, totally on Claire's side. "She's right. The magic of love fades pretty fast. It makes more sense to see if someone actually fits your standards first."
"At least with Dane, he's got everything a family could want. If he was available, there'd be a line of people trying to snatch him up.”
"Claire claiming him early isn't a bad idea," Ophelia went on. “And it's not like they're getting engaged tomorrow. There's still two years.”
From her view, this was a perfect match. No reason to turn it down just because Claire was young.
"Exactly," Claire agreed. "As long as I'm not getting a raw deal, I don't see a problem."
The whole "paying off my mom's debt" thing was just a joke to her now. Having Dane as a fiancé was way better than any setup the James family could've offered.
She could already imagine the look
on their faces when they found out. Especially Octavia. If Octavia knew Claire was living better than her
daughter, with
money to spare
Would she finally regret
own
erything?
Claire had always known Octavia didn't want her to have an easy life. If she'd survived all the pressure and impossible expectations, it was only thanks to her grandmother Pandora.
Norris nodded, finally relaxing. "When you put it like that, Dane really is a good choice."
Phil just pressed his lips together. He obviously wasn't thrilled, but ke couldn't deny Dane's reputation, Half the families in their circle would kill for this chance, and most ever even got close.
With both brothers out of arguments, Padgett just gave a small shrug. He'd only complained out of love for Claire, and everyone knew it.
And that was that. The engagement was settled in the Churchill family.
That night, Claire went back to her room and opened the gift the Green
she
expected, it was something. expensive—a whole set of stunning emerald jewelry, all flawless and vibrant. sŵnovels
family had givenber. Jus net
Every woman loved jewelry. Claire was no exception.