The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 279

“Didn’t you always say Dane was a good guy?”

Getting engaged wasn’t really a big deal. It was an arrangement from the start, and if the Green family actually liked Claire, wasn’t that a good thing for her?

Ophelia remembered how Padgett used to sing Dane’s praises. He was always talking about how sharp Dane was at business, how he ran Vertex International like a pro.

Padgett touched his nose. “He’s great at business, sure, but marrying our Claire? That’s a whole other story.”

“Why do you say that?” Ophelia glanced at Claire, then looked back at Padgett.

“That kid’s so cold. He barely even looks at women. Someone like that just doesn’t seem like husband material, you know?”

Ophelia shrugged. “Well, you never know. Maybe he’ll be good to Claire.”

“Your own son was the same way, wasn’t he?”

Ophelia and Caleb had gotten together on their own terms—it was actually her who made the first move. Back when Caleb was young, he didn’t give any of the pretty girls around him the time of day. Ophelia was the only one who ever got through to him.

All these years later, Caleb still wasn’t exactly the sweet, romantic type, but at least he never made her worry. Unlike other women she knew, Ophelia never had to fight off mistresses or deal with any secret kids popping up out of nowhere. Caleb always kept his private life clean, which saved her a lot of stress.

Padgett grumbled, “Well, you chose him yourself…”

He didn’t sound quite as sure of himself now.

“Honestly, none of you take after me. When I was young, I fell for your mother the second I saw her and pulled out all the stops to win her over.”

“My sons and grandsons, though… not a single one knows how to show their feelings. It’s like talking to a brick wall.”

Padgett looked genuinely annoyed.

“You can say Norris and Phil are quiet, but what about Owen? The way he acts around girls—he’s just like you were back in the day.”

Padgett suddenly remembered how Owen used to charm little girls into giving him candy when he was only three.

Owen frowned. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Ophelia jumped in for Padgett. “Your grandpa just set Claire’s engagement in stone, that’s all.”

“Claire just got back. How is she already engaged?”

“To who?”

“Dane?” Owen looked even more confused. “No one mentioned anything about an engagement before. Why did it happen all of a sudden?”

“Claire’s still so young.”

Padgett noticed Owen’s unhappy expression and felt a little guilty. He tried to explain. “I didn’t really have a choice. I wanted to wait, but Claire agreed to it.”

“Besides, this engagement—Melissa promised it years ago. Claire’s willing to take responsibility, and the Green family’s on board. What else could I do?”