The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 520

Whenever Queenie had some free time, she would head out of the city with Pandora and spend a few days in the countryside. For her, going back always felt special, like returning to somewhere meaningful from her past.

Pandora never said no. “Sure, now that Claire’s exams are finally over, we don’t have much going on. You can come with me anytime.”

“What about your old family house in Apex...?”

Back when Queenie's family first moved overseas, Pandora used to keep up with their news. Later, as everything changed and the city grew and thrived, she figured Queenie's family probably wouldn't come back, so she stopped thinking about it.

“It’s still there, but honestly, it's not in great shape.”

Back then, when Queenie’s family fled abroad, their name got dragged through the mud and the house was seized. It was used for all kinds of things and ended up pretty damaged.

Years later, Queenie returned to China as an overseas Chinese and donated a lot to help rebuild the city. The old house got returned to her, but by that point, it was barely standing.

She hired people to fix it up, but it was nothing like it used to be. That old house held too many memories—her parents gone, her husband and child missing for years—and the thought of living in it alone just made her feel empty. Every time she went back, memories flooded in and she just couldn’t bring herself to stay. So she bought other properties around Apex instead.

“At least it’s still standing,” Pandora said, trying to comfort her. “So many old houses have been torn down. Having it survive at all is impressive.”

It was easy to see Queenie didn’t want to keep talking about it, so Pandora changed the subject.

Claire, meanwhile, slept straight through until the next afternoon. Worried she’d be hungry, Pandora reheated the meal Edison had sent over, just in case.

Still, Claire didn’t get up. It was nearly four o’clock by the time she finally wandered out of her room.

Pandora was in the living room, watching TV.

Claire finished everything, leaving not a single grain in the bowl.

“That’s enough for now. We’re having dinner soon and I don’t want you to overeat.”

“Okay,” Claire agreed, settling into the couch with Pandora to watch TV and unwind. While they were watching, Sophia called, trying to talk Claire into going out that night. Claire politely declined.

A few minutes later, Shirley’s name popped up on the screen. This was actually her third call—the first two had gone unanswered.

“Hello?” Claire answered.

Shirley didn’t waste a second before bursting into dramatic, noisy tears. “Claire, why did you take so long to answer? Do you not love me anymore?”