The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 257

"I'll handle the gifts myself," Claire said. Grandma was so far away, there was really no need for her to worry about it.

"What you prepare is your way of showing you care," Pandora replied. "I'll get another set ready, just to apologize on your dad's behalf."

Pandora never expected that, in the Churchill family's eyes, it looked like her son had run off with their precious daughter. With Claire right in the middle of it all, Pandora didn't want things to get tense between the two families. Claire didn’t argue. She just let Pandora do her thing.

Pandora was all about action. She told Pearce to take the nice gifts originally meant for the Latham family, repackage them, and send them to Cabinda instead.

After her afternoon nap, Claire washed her face and felt a lot more alert. She stepped out of her room and heard voices coming from the living room.

"Is she really Melissa's daughter?" a woman's voice asked, someone Claire didn't recognize.

Ophelia answered, "Of course she is. There's no way we'd get that wrong."

Karla added, "Claire looks just like Melissa."

"You should still do a DNA test," the woman insisted. "People get cosmetic surgery these days. Who knows, maybe she's just pretending to be Melissa's child to get the Churchill family's money."

Claire walked around the screen and finally saw who was talking. The woman was middle-aged, dressed in a fur coat, her makeup flawless. Next to her sat a girl who looked about Claire's age.

"No need for a DNA test. Who could possibly fool Padgett?" Ophelia said, just as she noticed Claire coming in. "Claire, you're up? Come here and sit with me."

The woman and her daughter both turned to look at Claire.

"What kind of winter camp?" Yolande asked. She didn’t seem like the academic type and probably never paid attention to stuff like that.

"It’s an Olympiad math training camp," Claire explained. "If I make it through the selection, I could get to represent the country in the international competition."

"Wow, that’s amazing!" Yolande’s eyes went wide, her mouth open in surprise. She looked genuinely impressed. "You really are Melissa’s daughter. I heard your mom was a math genius, too. My mom was just saying maybe you were lying about who you are. I mean, you can fake a lot of things, but you can’t fake raw talent like that."

Yolande didn’t hold back, throwing her mom’s doubts right out there. Tiffany shot her a look that could burn a hole through her.

"Yeah, it all sounds nice," Tiffany replied. "But those competitions aren’t easy. Most people just end up participating and nothing more." She clearly didn't believe Claire was that good. In her mind, her own daughter might not have the best grades, but she was talented in the arts and danced beautifully. Who needed math prizes when you could just make it big in showbiz?