The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 253

“You two have met before?”

Now Padgett looked genuinely surprised. He had run a background check on Claire, but only up to the point before she’d gone to live in the countryside. He hadn’t bothered to dig into who she might have met out there. The people he’d hired hadn’t found anything about what happened in that short time either.

“My grandpa and I went to Apex for a visit. Turns out his old friend is Claire’s grandmother,” Dane said.

Padgett arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s a small world. Didn’t your grandfather notice Claire looks a lot like Melissa?”

Dane looked a little lost for words. “Grandpa’s getting up there in age. He actually thought Claire looked just like her grandmother.”

Padgett fell silent for a second. Saying Claire looked like her grandmother was basically saying she looked like Agassi, and that definitely rubbed Padgett the wrong way. It wasn’t that he disliked Claire, but Agassi was a different story.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Why not stay for lunch?” Padgett asked, making sure not to take out his feelings on Dane.

Dane shook his head right away. “It’s a family reunion. I shouldn’t intrude.”

“No worries. By the way, that herb you mentioned—I do have some put away. Baldrick’s pretty lucky!”

“Alright. I’ll drop by to see your grandpa another day,” Padgett replied. He knew Baldrick rarely left the house in winter, so visiting him was the only option.

After Dane left, the Churchill family started exchanging looks, but nobody brought up the idea of rekindling the old engagement between the two families. Ophelia and Karla guessed that since Padgett had just gotten his granddaughter back, he probably didn’t want to push the topic of marriage just yet. Or maybe he just couldn’t bear the thought of letting Claire go. It was obvious how much he cared about her.

Soon, the chef brought out dish after dish, and everyone moved from the living room to the dining table. The spread was impressive, and Claire could tell they’d gone out of their way to include her favorite foods.

“Claire, this is your home now. Help yourself to whatever you like, alright? Don’t be shy,” Ophelia said, smiling as she pulled out a chair for her.