The Billionaire's True Heiress: From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 377

“Didn’t you notice she’s got someone even better with her now? That Dane guy.”

“He’s the Green family’s heir!”

“So what?” Frederic shrugged, as if nothing ever fazed him. For years, everything had gone his way at Apex. He never really lost—especially not in love. Why wouldn’t he have unshakable confidence in his son?

“Dane isn’t even from Apex. That gives you a real advantage. Plus, you and Claire have history. You basically grew up together.”

“What about Cindy, though?” York’s voice was tense, like he was holding something back. He couldn’t agree with his dad's plan. Cindy was his fiancée now. Was he just supposed to break his promise again?

“If it were anyone else, things would get messy with the James family. But Claire? Latham would understand,” Frederic said, face unreadable.

“Don’t forget, Claire is the James family's adopted daughter. If you and Claire got back together and just chalked it up to old feelings, people would say you’re loyal. The James family would still be allied with us. The business ties stay exactly the same.”

York frowned, searching for words but coming up empty at first. “Dad, I really can’t do that.” He let out a breath, voice quiet but firm. “And besides, Claire isn’t naive. If you want something from her, you’d be better off just being honest—talk to her about the Hearth & Kettle thing directly.”

Frederic glared at his son, disappointment written all over his face. It was like he just couldn’t understand how York had turned out this way.

“I can’t believe my own son is so naive,” he said, voice heavy. “Unless… is this about Cindy? You actually like her, so you don’t want to hurt her?”

York didn’t answer, but he didn’t argue either.

The truth was, Cindy wasn’t as pretty as Claire, and she definitely wasn’t as impressive. But Cindy had her own kind of charm. She was gentle, kind of shy, and always seemed to need him. That made York feel important, like he actually mattered. If Claire left, she’d be perfectly fine on her own—but Cindy wouldn’t be. If he had to choose, he was honestly more afraid of letting Cindy down.

Frederic watched him, sighing quietly. “York, you need to think things through. What matters more, the Byron family or your high school crush?”

***

Riding home with Dane, Claire couldn’t stop sneezing.

“Is someone out there talking about me?” She rubbed her nose and laughed.

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