The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 634

“Your family is bound to sort this out—you really don't need to worry,” York assured her, convinced the James family’s troubles hadn’t reached their limit just yet.

Octavia, however, felt like misfortune was practically their family heirloom these days.

Back before their fortunes took a dive, Octavia never had to try too hard with Mrs. Clark. A single phone call, and the woman would be out the door, treating Octavia like some elite client at a private bank.

But now?

Mrs. Clark was acting high and mighty, brushing her off with talk about a packed schedule.

Luckily, Octavia had her own tricks up her sleeve. After some coaxing and a fair bit of ego-stroking, she finally persuaded Mrs. Clark to come along for an afternoon spa session.

The full treatment cost a small fortune, and of course, today’s tab for both of them would be going on Octavia’s card. But if it meant boosting their chances of getting a bigger loan, this wasn’t an expense worth fretting over.

“Leilani, I swear your skin looks even better than it did a few days ago,” Octavia remarked with practiced polish.

“Seriously, did something good happen lately? You’ve got that glow—like the world’s treating you well.”

Mrs. Clark—Leilani—smiled, unable to hide her pleasure at the compliment, even though she recognized a little flattery when she heard it. She ran a hand thoughtfully across her cheek.

“Oh, hardly. I can’t compare with you. Your skincare routine must be magic—you look younger every time we meet.”

She let out a small sigh. “I only started caring about all this after I’d already hit middle age.” Men, she thought grimly, lost interest once they noticed her skin wasn’t as taut as before.

Whether Manuel Clark had a mistress or two didn’t bother Leilani anymore. She was the one wielding true power, managing the family’s social spheres—no other woman could replace her in that department. She and Manuel were a team; he knew the rules, kept up appearances, and let her hold most of the purse strings.

That was more than enough for her.

Octavia had no intention of starting any trouble today, so when Leilani gushed about Claire, she simply played along and added her own supportive comments.

Leilani nodded in approval. “It’s obvious you put a lot into raising her. I heard talk that she and the Byron family ended their engagement?”

Octavia felt a jolt of alarm. What are you implying? Was the Clark family eyeing Claire as a potential daughter-in-law now?

“Yes, that’s right. The engagement was arranged by both families, but as wonderful as Claire is, she’s still our adopted child. Once Cindy returned to us, it made sense to transfer the engagement to her.”

“So Claire’s unattached at the moment, then?”

You couldn’t really blame Leilani for showing interest—she’d met Claire several times, and the girl’s beauty and intelligence really did stand out.

Any family would count themselves lucky to secure a daughter-in-law like that; she’d make a remarkable addition to anyone’s next generation.