Claimed by the Crown Heir novel Chapter 82

"Mom, I'm not that wild..."

Vanessa had expected George to ask her about Savannah, but he didn't bring it up.

"I know you've always had a good head on your shoulders," George said. "Giselle has a sharp tongue, but she doesn't mean any real harm. Don't take it to heart."

She brushed it off with a smile.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm not that petty."

George nodded and stood up to take Gavin to preschool.

"Bye, Vanessa!" Gavin waved at her sweetly.

...

On her way to the office, Vanessa received a call from Seraphina.

"Babe, did you meet Alistair last night? What does he look like in person?"

"It was a wasted trip," Vanessa said flatly. "But not entirely uneventful. I ran into Lucas and Chloe."

Seraphina instantly started cursing. "You came face to face with them?"

"I avoided him, but he spotted me and started asking around. For some reason, he rushed back to Savannah overnight."

He had also gone to see Silas Sterling.

Silas must have let something slip.

But that was no longer her problem.

Last night, she received a call from the police informing her that Lucas had filed a report, demanding an investigation into her.

She simply told them she didn't know him and hung up.

If the police handed her file over to Lucas, he would undoubtedly figure out her true identity.

Yet, she had a feeling Lucas was still in the dark.

If he knew who she really was, he wouldn't have rushed back to Savannah to find Silas; he would have marched straight to the Grant estate.

"He actually brought his mistress to Sterling City just to show off how charming he is?" Seraphina scoffed. "You should have told me last night. I would've rushed over to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Try boxing gyms or underground fighting rings. You'll find plenty of tough guys in need of cash. Besides, if you calculate the time, your stepfather will be released from prison soon. Since he got screwed over by you, he's definitely holding a grudge."

Seraphina did the math, her tone darkening. "He'll probably be out by August next year."

That left her with barely a year and two months.

Time flew far too fast.

"That's why you need to prepare for the worst. You can't just rely on your current comfort."

"I'll think about it."

Grant Enterprises' open-air parking lot.

Vanessa parked her car smoothly and stepped out.

The moment she looked up, she unexpectedly locked eyes with a pair of dark, bottomless irises. She froze, her instincts screaming at her to turn around and get back into her car.

"Vanessa!"