"It's just that Cindy is too honest for her own good," Octavia sighed. “She doesn't know how to charm people, especially older folks. I guess she gets that from me. I was never good at winning over your mom, either. Now, look at Claire. She's practically a professional at making Pandora happy. I swear, your mom isn't a fan of any of us, except for Claire-the one who isn't even related by blood."
Latham didn't respond. He knew it was true. His mother really did have a soft spot for Claire.
Octavia narrowed her eyes. "You don't think your mom would give everything nice to Claire and leave Cindy out in the cold, do you?”
Latham hesitated. "I don't think she would. Sure, she likes Claire, but blood's still blood. Cindy is her real granddaughter."
"That soft spot she has for Claire is obvious, though. You know, I've been thinking." Latham's words seemed to flow a little freer after a couple drinks. "What if Lance married Claire and brought her back home?"
Octavia stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Absolutely not! No way!"
Latham was confused. "Why not? Didn't you say yourself, we raised Claire for eighteen years, almost like we did all that just to hand her off to someone else? If Lance marries her, we all stay family. What's so bad about that?"
"In your plan, Claire just goes from being a granddaughter to a granddaughter-in- law. Even if your mom has something to give away, it's still in the family. Sounds perfect to me."
Octavia's face turned dark. "Claire is my daughter. That's how I've always seen her. How can you tell me she should become my daughter-in-law? That's just... wrong. Wouldn't that make things just like they are with Pandora? Pandora dislikes me, but at least I can avoid her. What about Claire, though? What am I supposed to do, shut her out of my life for good?"
She shook her head, her frustration written all over her face. "This isn't even about liking Claire or not. Ever since she left the James family, she's been nothing but a problem for me it's like she goes out of her way to make me angry. If she actually married Lance, I'm not sure I'd survive it."
"And besides, Lance and Claire never got along. Forcing them to get married is just asking for disaster."
Latham didn't agree. "Lance might act cold, but I know he cares about her. Do you even know why he found Cindy in the first place?"
Octavia's heart thudded in her chest. Why? She'd always just assumed it was a coincidence. Had she been wrong? Was it something he did on purpose?
No way. She refused to believe it. Octavia prided herself on how she'd raised her son. There was no chance he had feelings for Claire... right? What was so special about that girl anyway?
"He cared about Claire for a long time," Latham said quietly. "I don't know how he figured out she wasn't actually our daughter, but that's why he was so determined to find his real sister He stopped wanting to be Claire's brother ages ago. That's why he always acted distant with her."
It was like those boys in grade school who picked on the girls they liked, just to get attention. Latham thought it was childish, but if it got results, he wasn't going to complain.
"Claire owns Hearth & Kettle now. That place is worth over a hundred million. If Lance marries her, it stays in our family. That's huge for the West Side project. If Claire's family, everything's easier to work out between us."
Latham spoke with total confidence. He really believed he wasn't
shortchanging Claire. Any money made would end up Claire's and Lance's anyway. And if the James family got control of earth &
Kettle's development righ
they'd
have way more power when dealing
with the Byron family.