Lillian and Serena both fully believed Claire's account.
As for Xavier's denial, no one cared.
He was just being dense.
"I won't," Claire said with a serene smile.
She had only wanted to test Xavier's reaction anyway.
Jocelyn made a sport of playing with hearts, which meant she was bound to get played herself eventually.
Xavier might be in denial now, but when the truth finally hit him, he was going to feel spectacularly stupid.
A few more lessons in betrayal, and he might actually grow a spine.
Thanks to her grand debut tonight-or perhaps the sheer magnetism of extreme wealth-everyone treated Claire like royalty.
Even the haters had to plaster on a fake smile when staring down the barrel of her shares in The Churchill Group.
But the moment she stepped away from Dane, the utterly clueless Lyle came slithering back over.
"Claire, you don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Lyle struck what he clearly thought was a suave pose.
"Mr. Dean, we really aren't that familiar."
It wasn't even a matter of being unfamiliar; they had literally met today.
Lyle's self-satisfied smirk faltered for a second. "That's fine. We'll get to know each other."
"Besides, Ophelia is my aunt, so we're practically family."
"Like I said earlier, I know all the best spots in Cabinda. I can take you out and show you a good time."
Lyle had already strategized with Irma, and he was confident a bookworm like Claire would be helpless against his worldly charm.
Nerds only knew how to study; they had no idea how intoxicating real freedom could be.
Once he dragged her into the nightlife scene, he was sure she would spiral fast.
Irma only wanted Dane, which was why she had shoved her brother at Claire as a distraction.
But Lyle's ambitions were far more malicious.
He wanted to completely ruin Claire.
To him, she was untouchably brilliant, standing on a pedestal he could never reach.
But if he dragged her through the
mud and shattered her reputation the Churchills might beg him:
marry her, tossing him millions of dollars just to buy the scandal.
He never once stopped to consider that destroying Claire would invite the apocalyptic wrath of the Churchill family.
After all, his aunt was married to the eldest Churchill son. They wouldn't destroy him.
He genuinely didn't believe Ophelia would turn her back on her own blood over some little girl.
He was her biological nephew, after all.
Claire was just a random brat who got lucky.
The Dean family truly operated on a breathtaking level of delusional confidence.
With relatives like these, Ophelia had to be absolutely miserable.
"I'm really not interested, Mr. Dean," Claire said, her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her freezing eyes.
She despised men like Lyle, and Ophelia's relation to him wasn't enough to buy him an ounce of courtesy.
Lyle just assumed she was playing hard to get.
Instead of engaging further, Claire simply waved Norris over.
Norris hadn't noticed Lyle lurking nearby, but he immediately strode over when Claire called his name his
expression darkening when
The saw
who it was.
"Lyle, what exactly are you doing over here?"
Lyle stiffened. "Norris, man. Just trying to make friends with Claire. Wanted to offer
to show her around town."
"And she said she wasn't interested."
"Come on, we're all family here..."
Lyle tried to play the victim, but Norris cut him off cleanly. "When she says no, it
means no. Do you not have a job to be at?"
Lyle choked on his words. "I'm plenty busy. I was just trying to be nice!"
He felt deeply humiliated by Norris's blatant disrespect.
Fine, so the Churchills looked down on him!
Norris and his brothers might be hotshots, but Lyle didn't need their charity. Who did they think they were?
Norris could clearly see Lyle's seething resentment, but he couldn't care less.
He knew exactly what kind of degenerate Lyle was.
"Keep your niceties to yourself. If
you harass Claire again-" Norris et
didn't ever have to finish the threat before Lyle completely caved.