"That's great news!" Cindy said, her voice bright with relief.
But before she could say anything else, Lance had already hung up.
It took a moment for Cindy to realize that Lance hadn't actually been the one to help Claire. It was some uncle... or maybe a distant cousin. Did it even matter? As long as it hadn't been Lance, that was good enough for her.
Lance, meanwhile, didn't give Cindy's so-called uncle a second thought. A relative from their village who had managed to settle down in the city probably seemed like a big deal to everyone back home. But in the business world? Someone with that kind of background would be lucky to work their way up to store manager. Lance wasn't worried about him at all.
Claire, completely unaware that she was the talk of so many people, sneezed several times in a row.
Sophia noticed and handed her a tissue. "Are you getting sick?"
“I don't think so,” Claire replied, though she wasn't totally sure. She had gotten caught in the rain during her trip to the countryside and hadn't really warmed up since. But she'd always thought of herself as pretty tough and didn't worry about it. Now she was starting to think she should be more careful.
***
Back at home, Edison told Pandora everything that had happened.
Pandora didn't seem too bothered once she heard Claire hadn't been taken advantage of. "Edison, haven't you noticed? Claire isn't some helpless little bunny you can push around."
That was what made Pandora happiest. She had always disliked how soft and passive Cindy was. Cindy didn't take after her parents or Pandora herself. And when Pandora found out Cindy wasn't her real granddaughter, it all made sense. No wonder their personalities just didn't match. But with Claire, it was different. From the start, Pandora felt like Claire really was her granddaughter. Their personalities just clicked.
Edison thought of the security footage of Claire getting into a fight with her deskmate, and how she stood her ground with the dean and that boy's parents. It made him smile.
"You're right, Pandora. She's definitely not a pushover."
Pandora gave a satisfied little snort. "I told you, the James family are wolves. How could we possibly raise a little rabbit?”
"You handled this well, and Claire's requests were smart," she
continued. "Now, everyone will see that even though she's not the James family heiress anymore she's not someone you can pick on. The teachers will back her up."
"You always see things so clearly, Pandora," Edison said, buttering her up just a bit.
She rolled her eyes at him. "When Claire's out of school, we'll go pick her up
together. We're supposed to meet Daniel, remember?"
't know Daniel
Edison didn't.
personally, but he'd eaten at Hearth
& Kettle plenty of times. He never expected there was such a
connection between Pandorinet
and
the place she owned the whole thing.
SWIT
Hearth & Kettle wasn't just a restaurant. The grounds covered more than a thousand acres, w gardens, ponds, winding walkways,” and all sorts of rare flowers, Getting invited there was a big deal.
***
After class, Claire got a call from her grandmother. Pandora told her they were already waiting outside the school, and Jennifer had come along too.
Jennifer's arrival was a relief for Edison. He didn't have to be the driver anymore and was free to take care of his own things. Pandora wasn't even letting him tag along for a free meal.
"Claire!"
She heard Shirley calling her name.
Claire turned and saw Shirley hurrying over.
"Did you really make up with Jasper from our class?" Shirley asked, a little out of
breath. “He didn't show up for class at all this afternoon!"