The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 316

She hated staying up all night. It always messed with her health.

Abbott could see how drained Claire was after the surgery. “Claire, why don’t you rest for a while over here?” he offered, gently reaching out to help. Claire didn’t bother with politeness. She leaned right into him, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders.

“Abbott, I totally saved the day this time, didn’t I?” she whispered, almost like sharing a secret.

Abbott grinned at her, his eyes warm. “You did amazing. Seriously. You knocked it out of the park.”

This time, Claire had caught the attention of some big names. At last, she had the kind of support she’d never dared dream of.

Abbott let out a quiet sigh of relief. He’d finally finished the favor Hale had asked of him. There was no way he could protect Claire himself, but he could at least find her someone who could.

That person from the Hawk family—now that was real power. Claire saving Van? The Hawk family would remember that. From now on, anyone who tried to mess with her was in for a tough time.

Even without the James family watching her back, Claire would be just fine.

“Listen, if someone important wants to meet you later, remember to act natural. Be friendly, don’t get moody, but also don’t let anyone walk all over you...” Abbott murmured his advice, low enough that it was just between them.

Claire flashed him an OK sign. “Don’t worry, Abbott. I get it.”

She could see exactly where things stood now, and she knew why Abbott insisted she be there. Sure, she was there because she could stop the bleeding, but at the end of the day, he wanted to give her a chance.

He probably worried that without the James family, she’d have nobody left to look out for her.

“The plane’s flying straight to Cabinda. It sounds like we’ll need you there for a couple of days. That means... well, it might mess up your plans for New Year’s with Pandora.”

It wasn’t like Abbott wanted things to turn out like this either. Still, no one was going to let Claire go home, not when Van was still in such critical shape. She needed to be there just in case things took a bad turn.

Claire didn’t actually need anyone to pick her up, but she agreed anyway. Either way, she’d call her family when she was done.

After settling everything with a clear conscience, she climbed into bed and passed out. Being young made things simpler; she wasn’t overthinking or stressing, so she slept like a rock.

When she finally woke up, it was already five in the afternoon and they were at Central Hospital. No one had bothered to wake her up—they just moved her to the hospital and put her in the same room as Van.

Van got the plush VIP hospital bed. Claire, meanwhile, was stretched out on a folding cot.

She opened her eyes and immediately heard her stomach grumble loud enough to echo.

Trying not to wake anyone, Claire tiptoed out of bed and opened the hospital room door. Right outside, someone was standing guard.

The moment he saw her, his whole face lit up. “Claire, you’re awake?”