The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 1323

"Are you staying over tonight? I can go back and prep a room for you in a bit."

It wasn't Dane's first time staying at The James Village; the family always kept a guest room ready for him.

"Sure, just point me to the room. I'll handle the prep."

Dane didn't want Claire to exhaust herself any further.

She had already been running around non-stop for Edison's wedding these past two days.

Prepping a room for Dane wasn't physically taxing—it just meant laying down some fresh sheets and grabbing a comforter.

But since Dane was offering to do the heavy lifting, Claire wasn't going to argue.

She led him back to the estate, and Dane immediately got to work setting up his room.

She stood by, handing him things when needed.

You could tell exactly how disciplined Dane was just by watching him make a bed.

He smoothed the sheets out so perfectly that there wasn't a single wrinkle in sight.

Once he was done, Claire headed off to take a much-needed afternoon nap.

She desperately needed the rest; the chaotic New Year's celebrations had severely cut into her sleep schedule.

Meanwhile, even though Dane was technically on vacation, he immediately pulled out his laptop to handle some work.

Claire couldn't help but marvel at the man's sheer willpower.

By the time Claire woke up, Dane had finally wrapped up his tasks. The two of them sat in the courtyard, chatting comfortably.

Shirley and Dexter had been having the time of their lives with the village kids and hadn't shown their faces at the house all afternoon.

It wasn't until everyone gathered at Edison's house for dinner that they finally spotted the siblings.

Claire was borderline speechless when she saw them.

They had blended in flawlessly with a pack of kids whose combined ages probably barely broke single digits.

"Did you two miss out on having a normal childhood or something?"

Claire finally cornered them for a chat after dinner.

Shirley pouted. "You already know exactly what my childhood was like."

In truth, Shirley and Dexter had grown up with far more privileges and extravagant experiences than Claire ever did.

Couldn't he just catch a break?

"Can't I just give myself a solid week off for the holidays?"

Claire suddenly remembered that Dexter had never been the studious type. The fact that he was actively preparing for college admissions at all was a massive improvement.

Besides, he was only a high school sophomore.

It was unrealistic to expect him to obsess over winter break assignments like a straight-A scholar.

"Fine, fine. Pretend I didn't say anything."

Shirley snickered from the sidelines. "I actually think Claire is right. Dex, you need to hit the books. You might be a sophomore now, but junior year is right around the corner."

"The countdown to college applications has officially started."

"If you don't grind now, you won't get into a decent university, and then you won't even have the credentials to trick a rich girl into marrying you."

"Look at us—I can't even afford designer bags anymore, and you definitely can't afford those limited-edition sneakers."

Nailed it. That argument struck a nerve deep within Dexter's soul.

"I'll party hard for one last day, and tomorrow, I'm hitting the books!"