Latham understood instantly. Claire was only stepping in to sever their ties
completely.
From now on, no matter what happened to him—even if his own mother begged- no one could force Claire to help him again.
Because her debt was officially paid in full.
"In that case, I accept."
Having experienced the cruel reality of losing everything, Latham wasn't about to put on airs of false pride.
Pride didn't put food on the table.
He wasn't earning a cent, and he had nowhere to go.
Living in the apartment Claire provided while he slowly looked for a job was his only option.
"Here's thirty thousand dollars."
Claire slid a bank card across to him. "It isn't a fortune, but it will cover your
immediate expenses."
An apartment plus the funds essentially equaled what the James family had spent raising her over the years.
This was Claire's way of wiping the slate clean.
Having already accepted the apartment, taking the cash didn't feel nearly as difficult.
Lance was still in the hospital. His medical bills had been prepaid, but once he was discharged, he would need money for physical therapy and recovery.
Nursing him back to health was going to be incredibly expensive.
Claire had undoubtedly anticipated that, which was why she offered the funds.
Lance was young. Once he recovered, he could go out and find a job.
Maybe the father and son could even rebuild their lives.
Clinging to that sliver of hope, Latham tightened his grip on the bank card and the keys.
Claire offered a faint smile. "Goodbye."
Latham watched in a daze as she walked away.
Feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted, Claire called Mary to reassure
her that Latham was safe and in decent spirits.
She also mentioned the apartment and the money she had set up for him.
"Thank you, Claire," Mary said softly.
"After everything he and his family did to you, you still chose to look past it."
Claire didn't confirm or deny it.
The bankruptcy of The James Group was finalized.
Latham moved into his new place.
Pearce and his family also moved out of their sprawling estate.
Shirley had shared all of this when she volunteered to tag along while Claire drove Mary back to the countryside.
Claire was behind the wheel, Shirley sat in the passenger seat, and Mary rested comfortably in the back.
"My family didn't get hit as hard as Latham did, mostly thanks to my mom," Shirley explained.
"Even though she's been a
stay-at-home mom all these years, she's surprisingly good at investing She bought a lot of real estate and commercial properties over the years."
"They're all in her name, as well as mine and Dexter's."
"Right before the family went into bankruptcy liquidation, my parents finalized their divorce."
"So, all the assets under our names are completely protected."
"We just wanted to save a little foundation," Shirley continued.
"But we didn't expect Latham to actually step up. He took on the bulk
of the debt. Honestly even if my parents hadn't divorced, we wouldn't have ended up on the streets."
Claire nodded. Patti might have seemed brash and straightforward, but she was
incredibly shrewd when it came to planning.
Latham and his brother, Pearce, actually had a solid relationship.
Latham had always looked out for his younger brother.
It made sense that he would shoulder the heaviest burden of the debt when the company went under.
Then again, it was also likely because he held the majority of the company's shares in the first place.
Shirley's new place was a far cry from her old luxury villa, but she was by no means destitute.
Her parents didn't have immediate plans to remarry, and Pearce had promised to look for a job once the dust settled.
Patti, meanwhile, was planning to have him manage a small coffee shop she owned.
It didn't seem like she despised him for his failure at all.
Claire figured the reason Pearce's family was weathering the storm so much better than Latham's boiled
down to the strength of their
ge.
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While Latham and Octavia had betrayed each other at every turn, Pearce had
always been fiercely loyal and delightfully whipped by his wife.