If Irma wasn't good enough for him, did that mean someone like Claire from the countryside was?
“Irma, you’re overthinking this.”
“If I come across a great guy in the future, I’ll be sure to introduce him to you.”
“Dane and Claire’s engagement was settled a long time ago.”
Ophelia really couldn’t understand why Irma was being so stubborn about this. Was she honestly that into Dane after just one meeting? Or maybe, just like Iieana, she only cared about the Green family’s background and fortune.
“If Claire was never in the picture, would you have introduced me to Dane?” Irma asked.
She had seen photos of Dane long before meeting him in person. He had been practically a legend at school. With Irma majoring in the same subject, it was only natural she looked up to him. Her mom had talked about getting Ophelia to introduce her, so Irma had always secretly looked forward to meeting Dane. Today, seeing him up close had swept her off her feet even more. She thought once Ophelia made the introduction, things would just fall into place, and she could become Dane’s girlfriend without a hitch.
But now she knew Dane was already engaged—engaged to the granddaughter of the Churchill family, no less, who’d just returned. Ophelia also seemed perfectly happy about it.
How was Irma supposed to reconcile with that?
“I’m sorry, Irma. Even if Claire wasn’t around, I still wouldn’t have tried to set you up with him,” Ophelia said gently. “The Greens and the Churchills have always had this engagement planned. It wouldn’t be right for me to step in.”
If Irma somehow found a way to get close to Dane on her own, that was her business. Ophelia wasn’t going to interfere.
Irma lowered her eyes. “Sorry. I made things awkward for you.”
“Our family isn’t drowning in money, but Irma’s never gone without. If she can’t put up with the life we give her, she can always divorce your brother and look for someone ‘better’ on her own.”
“Irma’s really being led down the wrong path by Iieana,” her mother added, the frustration obvious in her voice.
People in her mother’s generation grew up being careful with money and were happy just to live well. They didn’t care about keeping up with the rich. But Iieana spent too much time around those upper-class ladies, and seeing Ophelia’s family’s good fortune just made her even more jealous.
All she wanted was for her daughter to marry into a big, powerful family, but everyone knew exactly why a rich family would want an alliance with the Deans. That kind of matchmaking didn’t happen without a reason.
“I’ll speak with Percy and let him handle her,” Ophelia’s mom said.
Iieana really didn’t see things clearly. Now, because of her influence, Irma’s only focus was on money and status. That was never what the Dean family stood for.

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