The Billionaire's True Heiress: From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 454

"Lance, do you like Claire?" Cindy blurted it out the second Claire was out of sight. She’d been barely holding herself back, but now she just charged right at him.

Lance was totally thrown. He hadn’t even realized Cindy had seen them talking. For a second, he just stood there, searching for the right words. "Cindy, don’t make stuff up," he managed, remembering how Claire had looked at him earlier.

If he messed this up, it could turn into a disaster, and honestly, Claire was the type who’d only shut people out more if they pushed her. Plus, she already thought he was interested in her just for Hearth & Kettle. He couldn’t blame her, really—it was true that his dad had his eye on Claire because of that estate. But for Lance, his feelings for Claire went way beyond some sibling connection.

He couldn’t even remember when it started. For the longest time, he tried to smother the way he felt, but the second he found out Claire wasn’t actually his sister, everything changed. He started thinking up all these ways to reveal who she really was, just so she could stop being his sister and become something more.

"What do you mean 'making stuff up'? I heard the whole thing!" Cindy’s eyes brimmed with disappointment. "You brought me back here just because of her, didn’t you, Lance?"

"I thought I meant something to you, but it was all fake."

"You really let me down, Lance."

Without another word, Cindy spun around and ran off. Lance was too stunned to chase after her. When he finally snapped out of it and got to the entrance of the complex, she was already gone.

If Claire felt grossed out by Lance confessing his feelings, Cindy was just plain jealous. No, more than that—she was eaten alive by it. She was supposed to be his real sister, but Lance clearly cared about Claire more. Even if it wasn’t just a sibling thing, Cindy knew if Lance had to choose, she would always lose out to Claire.

It felt like a joke now. She had thought Lance cared about her, that’s why he wanted her back, why he worked so hard to get rid of Claire... But now it was obvious—he’d just wanted the world to know Claire wasn’t the rightful heiress of the James family. As soon as Claire cut ties with the family, Lance would turn around and marry her. Was Cindy supposed to live in Claire’s shadow forever? At this point, she thought it might even be better to have Molly for a sister-in-law, brainless as she was.

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