The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 629

“Honey, how are things looking?”

Octavia was a bundle of nerves waiting at home, wracked by anxiety with every passing minute.

Her husband and son had both been out all day, and as the hours dragged on, the news grew more alarming. Every update she read—from news sites to the never-ending stream of chatter in her socialite group chats—only made her more frantic.

If the James family went under, so would her pampered, privileged life. That was an outcome Octavia simply couldn’t bear to imagine.

The James family’s rise had been anything but easy, yet one sign of weakness and old friends turned on you in the blink of an eye.

Not long ago, Octavia had been the queen bee of her social set. But by the time the rumors hit today, she found herself suddenly ostracized—her so-called friends leaving her entirely out of their conversations.

That abrupt cold shoulder, after years of camaraderie, left Octavia simmering with outrage.

“It’s not looking good,” Latham replied, shaking his head heavily.

“Several of our partner companies are demanding repayment. The eviction problems couldn’t have come at a worse time—not only are we facing a flood of lawsuits, but we’re also staring down the barrel of mass protests.”

This was exactly what Latham and Odom feared most. When residents were dissatisfied with demolition and resettlement offers, it meant going back to the table—and spending even more.

The James and Byron families were already stretched to the breaking point just to secure the land.

If demolition ran over budget, their only option would be to approach the bank for yet another loan.

But given the current crisis, who knew if any bank would still lend them a dime?

“So what now? Maybe I could invite Mrs. Clark out to lunch tomorrow—see if I can persuade her to help us get another loan?” Octavia suggested anxiously.

“I think we should up the compensation a little, at least to calm people down for now.”

“The first priority is to pacify the local residents. If we can get construction started smoothly, we’ll start making the money back.”

Octavia didn’t run the family business herself, but she wasn’t clueless. She understood their company’s cash flow well—and she knew that if they couldn’t access more funds, there was no way to deal with the mounting bank debt.

If the company went under, so did the James family—case closed.

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