He had originally assumed Claire was just an orphan adopted by the James family.
He never expected a switched-at-birth drama.
Once his surprise faded, the pieces finally clicked into place.
The scandal had made serious waves, but Dr. Duncan never imagined he was rubbing shoulders with the main character.
"So, her relationship with the James family... is it bad?" Dr. Duncan asked, thinking of her adoptive parents.
They hadn't even known about Claire's brilliant medical skills at first.
Even with Mary vouching for her, the couple had refused to believe it.
It seemed Claire was deeply estranged from them.
Either things had blown up recently, or they had never been close to begin with.
It was highly unlikely that couple would show their faces tonight.
"Does she only have her grandmother? Where are her biological parents?" Dr. Duncan asked, silently refusing to admit he was gossiping.
Lawler shook his head. "I heard her biological parents passed away a long time ago. She only had Pandora back in the countryside."
Well, that made her situation rather tragic.
Lawler didn't want to pry too deeply into Claire's personal life. He owed her a massive debt of gratitude.
His own father was doing so much better now, and the two of them were finally communicating again.
His dad stepping out of that dark place was entirely thanks to Claire.
Meanwhile, Claire was stationed at the entrance, greeting guests.
Her face was practically numb from smiling.
Dane arrived alongside the Churchill family.
Their grand entrance was nothing short of a spectacle.
The entire Churchill family wasn't present, but their collective presence was still undeniably intimidating.
Guys like Norris and Dane naturally stood out in any crowd. Young, devastatingly handsome men always drew attention.
Shirley and Sophia practically had to bite their lips to stop from squealing.
"Oh my god, who are those gorgeous guys to Claire? I've never seen her with friends like that!"
"I call dibs on the one with glasses. So refined. Total emotionally unavailable vibes." The one in glasses was Norris.
Phil was dressed a bit more flamboyantly.
Sophia, however, had crossed paths with Dane once before.
Dane was undeniably attractive, but she intuitively sensed he was exactly Claire's
type, so she consciously averted her gaze.
"The one in the floral shirt is
incredible too. I must have been blind to ever like someone as boring as york. So this is what top-tier men look like," Shirley gushed, completely starstruck by Owen.
"Didn't you claim Oakley was the ultimate heartthrob?" Because of her friendship with Claire, Sophia had grown close to Shirley and was used to hearing her obsess over the ido Oakley.
"Oakley is handsome, sure, but he's an unattainable superstar. This guy right here? I can actually go talk to him True to her word Shirley confidently marched forward.
Sophia couldn't grab her in time.
"Len, help me stop her! She's going to offend someone if she just charges in like that."
The Churchill men did not look like people to trifle with. If Shirley lacked boundaries and pissed them off, it would put Claire in a terrible position.
They didn't even know how these men were connected to Claire.
"How am I supposed to stop her?" Len threw his hands up helplessly. Shirley was already gone.
They thought she was going to casually flirt with the men, but she actually made a beeline for Claire instead.
Claire had just stepped in for Norris, helping her grandfather to the head table.
"Claire," Shirley whispered, leaning in. "Are these guys your relatives?"
They couldn't be from the James family. She had already met Pandora from the countryside.
Could they be extended family?
They carried serious weight. The old man's walking cane alone screamed old money.
"My grandfather and his side of the family." Claire had rarely mentioned them to anyone.
The Churchill family's status was a sensitive subject. They were incredibly famous and extraordinarily wealthy, which tended to attract unwanted curiosity and greed.