Leilani Clark desperately wanted her son to find a woman and settle down as soon as possible. Even if they had no real connection, he needed an official wife.
Once his marital status was set, she did not care how he played around on the side. As long as he got married, had a child, and fulfilled his duty, the family could just focus on raising their grandson.
She could easily turn a blind eye to her son's private affairs.
She absolutely refused to let ugly rumors fly around and ruin their family's reputation.
"I am so sorry, Leilani, but Claire already has a fiancé. We did not even know about it ourselves until recently."
Mrs. Clark's expression darkened. "How could she have a fiancé? Didn't you say she hadn't dated anyone since her broken engagement?"
She suspected this was just a pathetic excuse to reject her.
The more Mrs. Clark thought about it, the angrier she became.
"We really had no idea. Ever since she left the James family, that child has held a grudge against me. I know I was undoubtedly biased toward my biological daughter."
"But my daughter suffered so much in the countryside. Isn't it only natural that I would want to take better care of her?"
"Whenever I tried to make things up to Cindy, Claire would get upset. She stopped sharing anything with me."
Octavia continued to play the victim right in front of Mrs. Clark.
"So, who exactly is this fiancé?" Mrs. Clark was still unwilling to give up.
She had finally found a girl with no powerful background. Even if Claire discovered her son's secret later, the James family would never stand up for her if it meant risking their own interests.
But now, not only was the girl refusing, she apparently was already taken.
"I am not sure of his background. She only mentioned it was an arrangement made by her birth mother's family."
Octavia genuinely had no idea who Claire's fiancé was.
"Her birth mother? She still has a birth mother?" Mrs. Clark had intentionally sought out someone easy to control.
If Claire had a birth mother with a formidable family, it would not be worth the trouble for the Clarks.
"Leilani, surely you are joking. Everyone has a birth mother."
She didn't just pop out of a rock.
Mrs. Clark's question left Octavia utterly speechless.
"That is not what I meant. Is her birth mother still alive? I thought you said she only had a grandmother."
Mrs. Clark had done her homework for the sake of her son.
"Her birth mother has likely passed away," Octavia explained. "But there are still relatives on that side of the family."
"And her late mother's family just
happened to arrange a marriage for her? How incredibly convenient Mis Clark gave Octavie a lo
meaningful look.
Hearing that Claire's birth mother was dead made Mrs. Clark highly suspicious that
this was all just a fabricated excuse.
"If that is the case, then let us drop it."
Mrs. Clark grabbed her purse and
stood up: "In this day and age,
marriage should be about building
partnerships, not creating enemies."
"If Claire is not willing, then forget it."
She was not really saying Claire was unwilling. She was clearly accusing the James family of being uncooperative.
Octavia offered a bitter smile. "There is nothing we can do about Claire. Your son is so outstanding. It is simply her loss."
"If my Cindy wasn't already engaged, I would be more than happy to have her try things out with your son. It is a pity..."
"By the way, did you know my husband's younger brother has a daughter?"
"Shirley can be a bit spoiled, but she
did reably well on her college
admiss
exams and got into
top tier university."
"She loves to have fun, but she works incredibly hard when it counts."
"Would you like to meet her?"
"If you think she is a good match, we can arrange a proper introduction. If not, no harm done."
As Octavia spoke, she heaped praises on Shirley.
She was selling the girl hard, desperately hoping Mrs. Clark would agree.