The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 18

“Why don’t you just show us the way? Once we meet Pandora, everything will make sense, right?”

“Show the way?” Octavia shot her daughter a look. “It’s getting dark. We need to get back to the city.”

Cindy wrapped her arm around Octavia’s. “Mom, they traveled all this way. It’s no big deal for me to help them out.”

“Plus, they’re looking for Grandma.”

“And the agarwood pillow... I’m kind of curious,” Cindy added, though she didn’t mention she might have slept on it since she was a kid.

If that really was her old pillow, wouldn’t it be a waste not to take it? This middle-aged man had come all this way just for an agarwood pillow. That had to mean it was worth a lot, right?

“Agarwood is valuable, sure. It’s worth a fortune. But your grandma—well, I don’t mean to look down on her,” Octavia said quietly. “If she really had something so precious, would she still be living out here, barely getting by?”

She spoke softly, but the middle-aged man heard every word. He was even more certain now—this woman wasn’t from Pandora’s immediate family. Still, even distant relatives should’ve heard something about the James family’s history. Unless she was just full of herself and clueless.

“Claire, it’s getting dark and the road’s rough. Would you mind showing us the way?” The middle-aged man cut in, not wanting to waste more time with Octavia.

Cindy glanced at the car, trying to see inside, but the windows were tinted so dark she couldn’t make out anything.

“Sure, I’ll take you,” she said.

“Thank you,” the man replied, genuinely grateful, and opened the back door.

A young guy stepped out, dressed in a suit and tie with a thick, long coat thrown over his shoulders. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and even in the dim car lights, his features stood out.

Cindy couldn’t help but stare for a second. Just as she did, he shot her a piercing look that made her heart skip. She quickly looked down, avoiding his eyes.

Claire was sitting in the yard, wrapped in a blanket on a lounge chair, when the group showed up again. She looked up, a bit confused, especially since there were a few new faces with them.

“Why are you all back?” she asked.

Claire had a tabby cat curled up in her arms, Pandora’s cat, Kitty.

“Claire, some visitors came to see Grandma, so I’m showing them the way,” Cindy explained, sneaking another glance at Kitty.

Kitty used to ignore her. Actually, Kitty ignored everyone except Pandora. But now the cat was snuggled up in Claire’s lap, purring like it belonged there.

Cindy looked away, feeling a little awkward. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous of Claire.