The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 1643

One of the strikingly handsome men at the table let out a dramatic sigh. "I never pegged our cold-blooded CEO for a hopeless romantic."

The guy next to him elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Shut your mouth. The man just knows how to treat a woman!"

And why wouldn't he?

When you manage to lock down a brilliant woman years younger than you, you treat her like royalty.

Claire completely tuned out their teasing, though the very tips of her ears flushed a betraying shade of pink.

These guys were relentless.

As the dinner wound down, the group started throwing out ideas for the rest of the night, asking Dane and Claire if they wanted to head up to Mistral Manor. The private resort had endless options.

Bridge tables, billiards, private archery ranges—it was the perfect place to kill a few hours and decompress before heading home to crash.

These trust fund heirs definitely had access to darker, more illicit entertainment than the average person, but they also had access to vastly more refined options.

However, this specific circle—the ones Dane actually associated with—had solid morals.

They didn't indulge in anything sleazy or low-class.

At worst, they played Bridge for aggressively high stakes.

And even if someone in their wider social web did dabble in the seedy underbelly, they knew better than to drag that filth anywhere near Dane.

Everyone knew he had zero tolerance for it.

Dane politely declined the invite for the afterparty, stating he was taking Claire straight home.

Claire had a grueling schedule the next day and genuinely couldn't afford to burn the midnight oil with them.

The group wasn't offended. They didn't *need* them to tag along, and nobody took the rejection personally.

Honestly, dragging a hyper-disciplined workaholic like Dane to a party usually just killed the vibe anyway.

It was better for everyone if they just went their separate ways.

The drive back to Claire's apartment was quiet and uneventful.

"I wonder how Silas Carl is holding up?"

Claire asked, leaning back against the leather seat. Dane's intelligence network was infinitely more robust than hers.

But even Dane was in the dark regarding Silas's current crisis.

"It's highly classified. Until Silas actively reaches out to us, digging up intel through back channels is going to be nearly impossible."

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