The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 731

Rumor had it that Claire had completely severed ties with the main branch of the James family.

As members of the extended family, they likely weren't exactly on her welcome list either.

It was better to let Shirley go alone, strictly as a friend, especially since they were busy anyway.

"Just skip it. Dad is swamped, and you need to keep an eye on Dexter," Shirley suggested.

"Mom, I'm telling you, I found a love letter in Dexter's backpack, and he wrote it! He's definitely dating someone."

"You have to teach him a lesson. He's a freshman in high school—does he even want to get into college?"

Hearing that, Patti's maternal alarms blared. Absolutely not!

She was lenient with her daughter, figuring their wealth guaranteed Shirley a comfortable life as a rich socialite.

But her son was a different story!

He was the heir meant to carry the family legacy.

If he fooled around, neglected his studies, and ended up a failure, was he just going to leech off them forever?

"That little brat has a death wish! How dare he date at his age!"

Predictably, Patti's attention was instantly diverted.

Shirley hummed a tune as she returned to her room, mentally planning her outfit for tomorrow night.

With school officials and teachers present, she couldn't dress too provocatively.

But asking her to be overly modest was basically an impossible mission.

She had been swathed in luxury since birth. In the past, she dressed to outshine Claire; now, it was simply an ingrained habit.

Oh, right—she couldn't upstage the guest of honor, either.

She wondered what Claire would wear tomorrow.

It was funny to think about. She used to compete with Claire relentlessly, yet now she had no desire to steal her thunder.

Claire had no idea what was running through Shirley's mind. If she did, she would have frankly told her their styles were leagues apart.

Even if Shirley wanted to outshine her, she didn't stand a chance.

But those in the know recognized it as an incredibly exclusive private dining club.

It was the kind of place where a reservation was virtually impossible to score.

Nobody knew what strings Claire had pulled to book the entire venue.

The teachers arrived right on time, feeling a bit out of place in such opulent surroundings.

Fortunately, Edison—who had previously attended parent-teacher conferences for Claire—had arrived early and was warmly greeting guests.

Upon seeing the faculty, he immediately ushered them to their seats with practiced hospitality.

The teachers were seated together. Instead of a standard private room, they were placed in a cozy, elegant lounge area.

This specific lounge was designed for VIP hosting, rarely open to the public, and notoriously difficult to book.

Principal Garrison, however, had dined at Hearth & Kettle a few times before.

He was astonished that a young girl like Claire had this level of influence. Clearly, she wasn't someone to be underestimated.

Thank goodness the school hadn't caved to Octavia's unreasonable demands to expel Claire back then.