Cindy felt a rush of emotion as she leaned into her mother's arms, soaking in the comfort she'd been craving all day.
The warmth between mother and daughter didn't last long. When Latham walked through the door, you could practically feel the tension radiating off him. He'd spent the whole day cleaning up the company's reputation after the mess caused by his own family, fielding complaints from angry shareholders. Seeing Octavia and Cindy waiting at home just made his anger bubble over.
"Dad?" Cindy called out, her voice tentative as she noticed the stormy look on his face.
Latham barely acknowledged her, his reply little more than a gruff sound.
Octavia caught the shift in the air right away. She reached out gently, trying to ease the tension. “Latham, did everything get settled at work?"
She let out a sigh. "I know it was my fault this time. I just didn't think things through. We raised Claire for eighteen years, and she turned around and acted like we meant nothing to her. It hurts. And Cindy hasn't had it easy lately either. I worry about her."
She went on, her frustration spilling out. "Claire lived the life that was supposed to be Cindy's for so long. She owes Cindy. Why couldn't she just step aside a little?"
As Octavia continued, Latham's jaw clenched tighter and tighter.
"Enough," he snapped, his voice cutting through the room.
Octavia finally realized how angry he really was. “Latham, are you upset?”
He let out a bitter laugh. "How could I not be? I told you before, you shouldn't have rushed Claire out of the house. You sent her away overnight and said it was for Cindy good. I believed you. But how see it you just couldn't handle your own feelings."
"You raised a daughter for eighteen years only to find out she wasn't really yours. You felt like you'd failed your real daughter, so you took it out on the one you'd raised. We could've
kept a good relation ship with Claire After all those years, there was still some affection left."
“But you both managed to ruin it completely."
"Wasn't last time enough of a wake-up call? Molly is still in trouble. Her parents went
to beg Claire for help, and she refused. Do you want us to end up like them?"
Latham tried to hold back for Cindy's sake, focusing his anger on Octavia. Still, Cindy couldn't help but feel a sting from his words. She knew he was only sparing her out of love, but it hurt all the same.
"Dad, please don't blame Mom. It's my fault," Cindy said quietly.
Her words only made things worse. Latham turned his frustration on her. "You too. I get that you're jealous of Claire, but letting it mess up your own studies? Isn't that going too far?"
Cindy looked up with tears brimming in her eyes. “Dad, that's not it. I just didn't want Claire to outshine me. I'm the real daughter of the James family, but I can't even measure up to someone who isn't. I don't want people laughing at me."
Latham stared at her, his expression serious. "You're not as talented as Claire, and you need to accept that. But even if you can't match her, you're still the James family's daughter. That alone puts you above her, no matter how much she achieves."
"Your background sets you apart. If you keep obsessing over her, you'll get nowhere."
Octavia's heart ached as she watched her daughter's eyes fill with tears. She couldn't help but step in “Latham, don't talk to Cindy like thất. Claire Stole eighteen years of her life. If Cindy had grown up with us from the start, there's no way she'd be any less than Claire."