"Your family is bound to sort this out-you really don't need to worry," York assured her, convinced the James family's troubles hadn't reached their limit just yet.
Octavia, however, felt like misfortune was practically their family heirloom these days.
Back before their fortunes took a dive, Octavia never had to try too hard with Mrs. Clark. A single phone call, and the woman would be out the door, treating Octavia like some elite client at a private bank.
But now?
Mrs. Clark was acting high and mighty, brushing her off with talk about a packed schedule.
Luckily, Octavia had her own tricks up her sleeve. After some coaxing and a fair bit of ego-stroking, she finally persuaded Mrs. Clark to come along for an afternoon spa session.
The full treatment cost a small fortune, and of course, today's tab for both of them would be going on Octavia's card. But if it meant boosting their chances of getting a bigger loan, this wasn't an expense worth fretting over.
"Leilani, I swear your skin looks even better than it did a few days ago," Octavia remarked with practiced polish.
"Seriously, did something good happen lately? You've got that glow-like the world's treating you well."
Mrs. Clark-Leilani—smiled, unable to hide her pleasure at the compliment, even though she recognized a little flattery when she heard it. She ran a hand thoughtfully across her cheek.
“Oh, hardly. I can't compare with you. Your skincare routine must be magic-you look younger every time we meet."
She let out a small sigh. "I only started caring about all this after I'd already hit middle age.” Men, she thought grimly, lost interest once they noticed her skin wasn't as taut as before.
Whether Manuel Clark had a mistress or two didn't bother Leilani anymore. She was the one wielding true power, managing the family's social spheres-no other woman could replace her in that department. She and Manuel were a team; he knew the rules, kept up appearances, and let her hold most of the purse strings.
That was more than enough for her.
Octavia was well aware Mr. Clark had ladies on the side, but as long as she didn't have to, blackmail was off the table.
So when the conversation turned to beauty regimens, Octavia seized the chance. “If we're talking about real secrets to looking young, my mother-in-law is the one who knows her stuff."
"She's a doctor-very focused on health inside and out. She used to live next door to another physician who, word had it, had a family recipe Shame he passed
for radiant sKING,
away early, so no one knows of the
secret was ever passed on.
"No one in our family really followed in her footsteps, except maybe my adopted daughter, Claire. She leamed quite a bit from my mothern-law Whether she picked up those beauty secrets or not, though, who knows?"
It was mostly idle chatter, meant to keep the mood light. What surprised Octavia was that Leilani—who usually had nothing but indifference for the James family- suddenly perked up at the mention of Claire.
"I heard that girl was this year's city valedictorian. She's got a brilliant future ahead, doesn't she?"
Hearing Claire praised always set
Octavia's teeth on edge. Her own daughter's grades were nothing to brag about-a downright
embarrassment, really Meanwhile, Claire just got more
gat mare
pressive By
the year, well beyond Octavia's
control.
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"She's always been a strong student, and we've tried our best to support her. We're genuinely happy for her success as valedictorian."
Octavia had no intention of starting any trouble today, so when Leilani gushed about Claire, she simply played along and added her own supportive comments.
Leilani nodded in approval. "It's obvious you put a lot into raising her. I heard talk that she and the Byron family ended their engagement?"
Octavia felt a jolt of alarm. What are you implying? Was the Clark family eyeing Claire as a potential daughter-in-law now?
"Yes, that's right. The engagement was arranged by both families, but as wonderful as Claire is, she's still our adopted child. Once Cindy returned to us, it made sense to transfer the engagement to her."
"So Claire's unattached at the moment, then?"
You couldn't really blame Leilani for showing interest-she'd met Claire several
times, and the girl's beauty and intelligence really did stand out.
Any family would count themselves lucky to secure a daughter-in-law like that; she'd make a remarkable addition to anyone's next generation.