"As long as you keep Cindy on your side, the James family won't be a problem.” Frederic could see his son struggling with the situation—a problem he believed he could've solved in a handful of ways, if only he were in charge.
"Cindy's your fiancée. She likes you, that much is obvious. Just keep her happy, that's all it takes.
"But Claire—that girl's remarkable. She's the one who deserves careful consideration.
"If you don't listen to me now, you'll regret it. Mark my words.
"And honestly, compared to Cindy, Claire could do far more for you.
“It's just a shame she isn't a James by blood."
York had no idea what to say; his father's logic today was impossible to follow.
"So what, you want me to call off the engagement with Cindy again and get engaged to Claire instead?"
Frederic regarded him steadily. "I wouldn't rule it out."
But that would only widen the distance between them and the Jameses. Besides, Octavia was known for barely tolerating her adopted daughter-Latham, at least, was a little more reasonable.
"Forget it, Dad. Claire's hardly lacking in admirers." York recalled Dane, the one person even Lance had to watch out for.
Dane, of the Green family-the head of Vertex International. York had only recently learned his true status.
If Claire had already met someone of that caliber, what made his father think she'd ever give York another look?
Meanwhile, Claire was blissfully unaware that Byron family schemes still revolved around her. She'd just arrived home when a call from Cabinda came through.
Her grandfather, aunts, and uncles were all on the line, offering effusive congratulations.
And then came the real surprise her grandfather, along with Caleb and Bishop, all wired her money.
Her grandfather sent her $1.2 million outright; Caleb and Bishop each added $300,000 as a reward.
There was no room for Claire to protest-they simply deposited the money first, no questions asked, with the effortless authority that ran in the Churchill bloodline.
Ophelia and Karla promised her gifts as well, saying they'd give them to her next time she visited Cabinda.
Her three cousins also sent their congratulations—and, true to form, followed with generous bank transfers.
Though not quite their fathers' sums, each cousin sent $150,000.
Claire stared at the balances, stunned. Who would have thought being named city valedictorian would bring her another sudden windfall? She sometimes felt like she was living life on "easy mode."
She'd always been envied as a wealthy heiress back when she lived with the James family.
But now that she was the Churchill family's granddaughter...well, that raised the bar for envy even higher.
Of course, Claire knew better than to flaunt her newfound fortune. Not a word
escaped her lips about her grandfather's family's gifts.
That same day, Claire's interview aired on local television at noon.
She'd already earned plenty of attention, but news that she'd become yaledictorian sent everyone into new heights of admiration. Here
was the child every parent dreamed of a star student and beautiful boot.
Parents across town sat glued to their TVs, quietly hoping their children might someday be even half as accomplished as Claire.
It wasn't long before many of those parents started lecturing their own kids, hoping
to inspire them with Claire's example.
As for Cindy, she nearly burst into tears from frustration when she saw the interview while channel-surfing at home.
Octavia, on the other hand, watched the report about Claire with remarkable composure, though inside a pang of regret gnawed at her.
If only they hadn't fallen out with Claire-hadn't sent her away from the James family—all this pride and glory could have belonged to them.
Several ladies had called Octavia that day, dancing around the topic but clearly fishing for information about Claire.
When Claire had left the James family, high society quickly lost interest in her.
But now, thanks to her status as the city's valedictorian, she'd rocketed back onto everyone's radar. Her potential was suddenly bright again in their eyes.
They gushed about Claire's accomplishments, and before long, the real question came: Did she have a boyfriend?
After all, as far as everyone knew, Octavia was still her adoptive mother-if she chose to play matchmaker, maybe Claire could marry into their own families.