The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 1336

No one believed that Old Randall couldn't afford to send Rose abroad.

He was just used to cutting corners and pocketing a cut of the procurement funds.

He assumed that what worked in the past would fly now, with no one saying a word.

But this time was completely different.

Vertex International had incredibly high standards.

And their oversight was brutal. Old Randall wouldn't have tried this if he wasn't exploiting the holiday downtime.

But that loophole wasn't so easy to exploit anymore.

Who could have predicted that Mr. Green would show up in Apex during the holidays?

When Dane stayed silent, Patton didn't even dare to breathe.

He was terrified of ruining such a massive project.

This was the biggest client he had ever landed.

Patton and Dane stepped into the cafe across the street.

Mrs. Patton took the initiative to entertain Claire.

"Are you Mr. Green's sister?"

Mrs. Patton didn't think the question was too forward.

Claire smiled and shook her head. "No."

"My last name is James. I'm Claire."

Claire had actually met Mrs. Patton before.

But they weren't close. One passing encounter meant practically nothing.

"Do you like pastries, Ms. James? There's a decent bakery right over there." Mrs. Patton still couldn't figure out the dynamic between this girl and Dane.

But if she wasn't his sister, she was more than likely his girlfriend.

Mrs. Patton wouldn't dare neglect Mr. Green's girlfriend.

Claire easily saw through the woman's cautiousness. She smiled. "It's alright, Mrs. Patton. You don't have to worry about me. I'm just going to take a walk around the block."

Having just eaten lunch, Claire didn't have the stomach for heavy desserts.

"Let me get you a coffee, at least."

"I know you young girls run on caffeine."

"The James Family is gone. True or false heiress, none of that matters now." Mrs. Patton actually liked Claire's temperament.

She was far more grounded than Rose.

Right now, Mrs. Patton's feelings toward her goddaughter had entirely soured.

The girl was clueless, and her father had dragged their own family into his mess. There was no way Mrs. Patton could be forgiving.

"So you must be attending The Cabinda University, right?"

"I heard you were the top scorer in last year's exams."

Rose couldn't hold a candle to a girl this brilliant.

Having a son of her own, Mrs. Patton found herself wishing she could sweep this gorgeous, accomplished girl home to be her daughter-in-law.

Unfortunately, she was already Mr. Green's woman.

Meanwhile, Patton had taken the initiative to confess his oversight to Dane, holding nothing back about Old Randall's shady dealings.

He even actively shouldered the blame himself.

This level of accountability actually earned him a sliver of respect from Dane.