The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 645

“What do you want?”

Claire’s voice was cool and distant.

The tone made Latham’s chest tighten uncomfortably.

All those years raising her—had it been for nothing?

One moment of disappointment, and she’d chosen to forget every kindness, every happy memory they’d shared.

Now, she might as well have been a stranger.

“Claire, do you have a moment?”

“I wanted to invite you home for dinner tonight. You were named valedictorian—citywide, no less—and we never even got to celebrate with you.”

“The James family is your home too. You’re welcome here, anytime. Why haven’t you come by?”

“If I went back, Cindy wouldn’t be happy to see me,” Claire answered flatly. “Honestly, I’m fine out here on my own.”

“Why not just take care of your own daughter for a change?”

Latham drew in a deep breath. “That’s cold, Claire.”

“Cindy’s not unreasonable. She’ll come around, she just needs time to adjust.”

“I’m sure Cindy would like to be friends—even sisters—with you, if you’d give her a chance.”

Claire cut him off, unable to hold back. “Mr. James, I don’t want to be friends with her, and I definitely don’t want to be sisters. I’d rather we go our separate ways and stay out of each other’s business. Isn’t that fair?”

Latham was caught off guard—he hadn’t expected Claire to shut him down so bluntly.

It was obvious now: Claire really didn’t like Cindy at all.

Was it because Cindy’s return had forced her out of the James family? That was the only explanation Latham could think of.

“I’m sorry, Claire. When we asked you to leave the James family, we were thinking of ourselves—but it was never that we didn’t want you as our daughter.”

“You’ve always been our pride and our joy.”

“We…”

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