The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 541

"I'll think about it," Octavia said before hanging up.

She stood there for a second, debating what to do next. Finally, she decided to head straight home.

Over the past few days, Cindy had been out with friends, letting herself forget, at least for a little while, about the pressure of her upcoming college entrance exams.

When Octavia walked through the front door and realized the house was empty, she immediately reached for her phone and called Cindy.

She had no way of knowing that Cindy was already at Fallon's place that evening. They'd made plans for dinner together. Cindy picked up, surprised to see her mom's name flashing on the screen.

"Hi Mom, what's up?" she answered. Fallon was in the kitchen at that moment, busy cooking Cindy's favorite: braised short ribs. Cindy was hovering nearby, helping wherever she could.

The moment Cindy called out "Mom," Fallon paused, mid-chop, and glanced over. It was obvious who was on the other end of the call.

"Cindy, where are you?" Octavia asked.

"I—" Cindy started, but before she could say anything else, Fallon interrupted.

"Cindy, can you taste this? See if the ribs are seasoned enough." Fallon already had a piece of rib held out to her.

Cindy was out of excuses and took a quick bite. "They're perfect," she said, mouth still half-full.

"Cindy, where are you? Who are you talking to?" The irritation in Octavia's voice was impossible to miss.

Only then did Cindy realize how angry her mother was. She lowered her voice, "Mom, you know her. It's Fallon—the one who helped me organize my study guides. Dad said she used to go to college with him, remember?"

That connection was exactly why Cindy felt comfortable telling her mom about Fallon. She hoped her mother would understand, maybe even be grateful, that someone like Fallon had been looking out for her all this time. Honestly, what would she have done without Fallon?

"I knew it," Octavia muttered under her breath. The second she heard Fallon's voice, she'd had a bad feeling. She’d hoped she was just being paranoid, but now, hearing Cindy confirm it, she couldn't pretend anymore.

"Why her, Cindy? Why didn't you say anything before?"

Cindy glanced nervously in Fallon's direction. She finally realized her mom wasn’t just uncomfortable with Fallon—she actually disliked her, maybe even hated her.

"Mom... Can we talk when I get home?" Cindy really didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Fallon. She felt completely stuck in the middle. She never expected her mom to feel this strongly about Fallon.