Lance ran a hand through his hair, barely hiding his frustration. "Mom, can we not do this right now? You're being completely unreasonable."
Octavia just sighed, the disappointment written all over her face. "Unreasonable? Are you sure it's not you? I picked Mabel for you because she really is the best match. She might not be some shining star on her own, but her family is at the very top in real estate. The Henrietta family is just as influential, and Mabel is their only daughter. Think about it. Someday, every bit of her family's fortune could become part of the James name."
She fixed him with a look, her voice growing sharper. “You're really going to turn all that down for Claire? Do you seriously think Claire can measure up to that background?"
It wasn't like Octavia had something against Claire. If anything, she admired the girl. The problem was that Claire was honestly too excellent, which only made Lance look average by comparison. It was hard for a mother not to worry about her son living in his sister's shadow.
"If you end up with Claire, what are people going to say about our family? Don't forget, she grew up in this house just like you. Outsiders will say you couldn't even keep your hands off your own sister. Is it really that impossible for you to find a wife?"
She let her words spill out in a rush, but Lance wasn't about to budge. His answer was steady, almost stubborn. "People will just say we're keeping it in the family. Nobody's going to speak out if the James family is as strong as ever. Even if they don't like it, they'll call you and Dad open-minded, just to look good themselves."
Lance had grown up in a world where power and interests decided everything. He knew how it all worked, who got to make the rules.
Octavia's eyes narrowed, her voice trembling just a little. "This isn't up for debate. I want you to go and apologize to Mabel. Try getting to know her. If it turns out the two of you just don't work, I won't force you."
Her tone darkened. "But if the reason you're turning her down is Claire, don't test me. I have plenty of ways to make sure you and Claire will never happen. And don't fool yourself, Lance. You might like her, but last I checked, those feelings are completely one-sided. Claire doesn't even look at you that way."
Octavia couldn't understand it. Her son kept clinging to someone who wouldn't give him the time of day. Who knew what it was about Claire that had him so tied up in knots?
And the worst
rst part was, she was
right. That was Lance's sore spot. If Claire felt the same for him, he'd fight anyone, even his parents, to be with her But Clairs didn't, it was like, he was fighting for something only he wanted, and it left him feeling more alone than anything.
Noticing the shift on his face, Octavia softened her words. "Lance, I would never do anything to hurt you. Mabel is the only daughter of her family, and there's a fortune, behind her. Marrying her would make our families even stronger together. People would give anything for a match like this, but none of them have a chance. Are you really going to let this slip through your fingers?"
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "If we work with Mabel's family, we're taking the James name up another level. You know our
Westside development has bool.ne
struggling with funding. If her family stepped in we wouldn't have to worry about money, not even with Byron competing. When your father
retires, he can hand you James Group with no worries. You wouldn't have to work yourself into the ground."
The gentle, reasoning tone almost had Lance second guessing everything, his resistance starting to crack.
Right at that moment, his office door opened again. It was Latham.
"Listen to your mother. She's right."
Lance stared at him, his jaw tightening. “Dad, that's not what you said before."
Latham didn't even flinch. "I know. Before, I figured if you married Claire, Hearth & Kettle could be a wedding present. It would let us make the most out of that property."