Claire couldn't help but laugh.
Latham's face clouded as he watched her. He was being perfectly serious—if anything, he'd all but lowered himself to ask for her help-and yet she found the whole thing amusing?
She didn't have a shred of respect left for him—or for the family that raised her. Had she really stopped taking him seriously, just because she'd witnessed him make a fool of himself earlier?
"Let's not even get into the fact that I don't have that kind of money you need," Claire said, her tone light. "Let's talk about Lance instead.”
"Why would I marry Lance? I don't even like him."
"He's like a brother to me. The very idea of us together is stomach-turning—it's practically incestuous."
Latham was left speechless. Perhaps he'd overestimated himself. He certainly hadn't expected her to be so dismissive of his son.
"It's all right if you don't like him," he said, trying to downplay it. "It was only a suggestion."
He could see that Claire couldn't stand the idea. She'd always had every reason- Lance had bullied her cruelly all their lives. It would almost be stranger if she didn't resent him.
He knew better than to push his luck with Claire right now, so he tried to redirect. "Look, I realize you don't have a pile of cash just sitting around, but you do have a historic estate worth a fortune."
"So you want me to sell it and use the money to bail your company out?" Claire's lips curled. To her, it was too absurd for words.
She hadn't imagined Latham would be so childish. They weren't even related anymore, and even if they were, she would never agree.
Yes, the estate was worth millions, but actually finding a buyer for something like that? Good luck. Even if someone wanted to buy it, her grandmother would have to agree and Claire knew she'd never let the place go.
That house had been her grandmother Pandora's wedding gift from her own father. Why would Latham, a complete outsider, ever think he had any claim on it?
Or had he been eyeing the place for ages, lining up buyers in secret?
Her frown deepened; the idea that someone might covet her grandmother's home
made her angrier than if he'd come after her personal wealth.
"No, no, you've got it wrong." Latham panicked when he saw her reaction and
quickly tried to clarify. “I'd never suggest selling Pandora's house."
"What I'm proposing is just mortgaging the estate-raise some money temporarily. Once the company deals with this crunch and the redevelopment project pays off We redeem the house straightaway."
“It's perfect: we can keep Pandora out of it entirely while giving the company some breathing room."
“Claire, the place is just sitting empty. No one's living in it. Even if you rented a wing, you'd barely get anything for it. Why not put it to good use and help me out?"
"As soon as we have the cash flow I'll pay off the loan and the house will be right back in your family's hands. You'll even get five percent of the project's profits as a thank you."
"What do you say?"
Claire didn't hesitate. "I say it's a terrible idea."
Latham blinked at her bluntness. He'd known she'd probably refuse, but he hadn't expected her to shut him down so decisively.
He thought, If she isn't clear about this, is she just supposed to sit and wait for me to guilt-trip her?
“Claire..... I'm not asking you for money as a handout,” Latham said, still trying to salvage his pitch.
"I know," Claire replied, "but the house isn't mine to mortgage. It belongs to my grandmother-I can't do that."
"Talk to your grandmother about it.
Convince her. Pandora's a
reasonable woman. If she's willing
to help
make family get through this, I'll
Sure you get every penny
back, I swear."
"It's impossible. I neither need that much money nor could I persuade her. It's her property, not mine, and it's not something that should be touched."
She declined once more, firm and unwavering.
“Claire, don't turn me down just yet. Go talk to your grandmother. Think about it— who gave you such a comfortable, privileged life for the last eighteen years?"