As expected, Latham was caught off guard—there was no way he could just admit he didn't care about his daughter.
He started to say something else to Claire, but his phone rang before he could get another word out.
"Just make sure we're kept in the loop," he said, distracted. "We'll figure out the rest of the details later." He paused, then added, "By the way, Shirley's throwing a party. You'll come, right?"
"I'm not sure," Claire replied. “Depends if I have time."
This vague answer only stoked Latham's irritation.
"Well, I think you really should. You and Shirley have been getting along lately, and Pearce and Patti have said they miss you."
Claire internally rolled her eyes. Why would Pearce and Patti miss her? They already had their own daughter to dote on.
She didn't bother to reply. Latham, seemingly pressed, quickly said he had to take another call and hung up.
"I need to answer this," he told Octavia as he passed her the phone. "And think about patching things up with Claire, alright? We can't keep going on like this."
Octavia just murmured an absentminded "Mhm," barely listening. Even if she tried to repair things, it was clear Claire wanted nothing to do with her. Latham was just chasing a fantasy.
When Latham finished his call, his face was grim. “Alright. Got it. I'll be over right away," he said, voice tight.
Something was clearly wrong. Octavia hurried over, anxiously asking, “Darling, what happened?"
"There's trouble at the demolition site. Frederic's already there he wants me to get there as soon as possible,” Latham replied as he stood up.
Octavia immediately fetched his shoes. He slipped them on and rushed for the door.
"Just stay at home and wait for news. Try not to worry." Latham, despite the unease gnawing at him, managed to keep a steady tone. The project was far too big for the city to let sink without a fight. He only hoped things didn't get out of hand. If the funding was cut, all progress would spiral to a halt, and everyone would be dragged down with it.
"I know, but isn't demolition our department's responsibility? Why'd they contact Frederic first?" Octavia's anxiety was hard to hide.
She might not care for the daily
grind of business, but she knew
damn well how much was riding on this project. The partnership between the James and Byron families meant everyone's fortunes were tied together. If something went wrong, both sides would be
ruined, with nowhere left to turn.
“I don't know,” Latham said honestly. “The Byron family heard first and got someone over there quick. Maybe that'll help stabilize things."
He wasn't about to pick at details now. Without another word, he hurried out-only to run into his son, Lance.
The moment Lance heard there was trouble, he hopped straight into Latham's car. Father and son sped away together.
"Dad, since Odom's already there, call him and find out what's going on," Lance urged.
Latham realized he'd been too worked up to think straight. “Right. I'll call.”
With their driver off for the night, Latham drove himself, passing the phone to Lance to make the call.
Odom didn't answer. Lance frowned and tried York next.
"York, where are you?" he asked. "Nobody's picking up your dad's
phone heard there are some net
trouble with the project do you know what's happening?"
"I haven't a clue, I'm still at the office," York replied, genuinely baffled Don't panic yet, I'll call around
baff see what I can find
The whole situation was a mess.
Meanwhile, after a good night's rest, Claire woke refreshed. The next morning, she headed straight to the hospital's research lab.
Daniel's treatment was at a critical juncture. With Claire there, the team felt more at ease.
As she arrived at the hospital, she saw Jennifer was already sitting with her father in his room.