Claimed by the Crown Heir novel Chapter 115

"What kind of urgent mail requires Arthur's personal attention?"

Eleanor reached out to the servant. "Hand it over, let me see."

The servant respectfully handed over the package.

Giselle recognized it instantly, lowering her eyelashes to conceal the barely contained excitement sparkling in her eyes.

It was finally here.

Eleanor flipped the envelope over a few times, frowning slightly. "There's no return address on this. Arthur, do you have any idea who sent this?"

"No clue," Julian answered dryly. At his age, he certainly didn't do any online shopping. Anything he needed was handled by the staff; he never received strange packages like this.

Eleanor didn't press the matter and simply ripped the envelope open. The moment she saw the contents, she froze.

The photos were taken at a golf course, showing an incredibly handsome man and a stunning woman locked in an intimate pose. They looked like a picture-perfect couple.

Julian glanced over. "What is it?"

Eleanor was just about to hand the photos over when Giselle suddenly leaned in, dramatically covering her mouth in mock horror, her timing impeccable.

"Isn't that Vanessa?"

She shot a panicked look at Benedict, rushing to explain. "Mr. Howard, please don't get the wrong idea! The man in the picture with my sister is just a friend."

It was a textbook guilt trip.

Such a blatantly transparent defense only stoked everyone's suspicions even further.

Vanessa's heart sank as she looked up at Eleanor.

"Mrs. Howard, may I see those?"

With a warm smile, Eleanor placed the photos on the dining table and slowly slid them over.

The moment Vanessa saw the pictures, her stomach dropped and her blood ran cold.

Arthur took them, stroking his gray beard. "They certainly do."

Vanessa was stunned.

Weren't they supposed to fly into a rage, accuse her of being scandalous, and call off the engagement right there on the spot?

Why was this playing out completely differently than she expected?

She instinctively looked over at 'Alistair', only to see him raise an eyebrow. A faint smirk played on his lips, yet he remained silent, looking as though he didn't care about the misunderstanding at all.

Was he really not going to explain anything?

When push came to shove, she could only rely on herself.

"Grandpa Howard, actually, he..."

"Vanessa," Arthur interrupted with a chuckle. "Ace is excellent at golf. He even taught his uncle how to play. That boy didn't lose his temper while teaching you, did he?"