The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 642

Chapter 642 Reckless Drunk Kiss

Chapter 642 Reckless Drunk Kiss

She’d been holding that question in the whole way over.

Claudia didn’t believe in free lunches-especially not from someone as sharp as Raymond.

When she finally asked him directly, he just took a slow sip of his iced temonade and tossed it back at her.

“Guess.”

“I don’t want to guess,” she shot back, irritated by his tone. She turned her face away. “Pine. Keep your secrets.”

Raymond set his glass down and leahed into the sofa cushions. “Alright, you asked yours. Now it’s my turn.”

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He leveled his gaze at her. “You’ve always struck me as someone with a good head on her shoulders-not the type to let people walk all over you. So how’d you end up getting played like that today?”

Claudia stiffened.

She knew exactly what he was referring to-the whole scene with Cyrus and Maeve at the hospital earlier.

All that humiliation she’d tried to swallow down, and he’d witnessed every bit of it.

The background music in the private room had dipped lower, and the soft glow of the pendant light flickered between them.

For a moment, Claudia stayed quiet. Yeah, how did she let that happen?

But then again, he’d already seen her at her lowest. What was one more shameful confession?

Besides, he was the one who’d stepped in and shielded her when the claws were out.

She drew a steadying breath and knocked back what was left in her glass.

“You really want to hear it? Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“Maeve and I went to high school together. Back then…” Claudia trailed off, her eyes drifting to some distant point in the memory. “Her family didn’t have much. She always wore the same faded hoodies and kept to herself in the back of the classroom-never really looked anyone in the eye.

“I was… comfortable, I guess. Popular. And I couldn’t stand seeing someone get left out. So Freached out. Gave her hand-me- downs, bought her lunch sometimes-always made up some excuse so she wouldn’t feel like a charity case. ‘My dad’s company gave out these gift cards,’ or ‘They had a two-for-one deal. Stupid stuff like that. I really thought we were friends.”

Raymond listened without a word, his fingers resting against his glass, his eyes fixed on her faintly flushed face.

“As for Cyrus…” Claudia let out a dry laugh. “He was top of the class. Valedictorian. I’ve always had a thing for smart guys-looks never mattered much to me. Brains did. So I chased him. Pretty shamelessly, looking back.”

Those years felt like some cringey one-woman show now.

“Cyrus was… distant. Took me forever to get him to even go out with me. We finally started dating right before college, but then my dad arranged for me to study abroad.”

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She sighed and reached for her drink again, only to find it empty. Setting it down, she went on. “We tried the long-distance thing.! missed him like crazy, and was so scared we’d drift apart. I knew his family wasn’t well-off and that he was proud, so I’d send him things from overseas-nice clothes, books, tech stuff.

“But I never mailed them directly I sent everything to Maeve first and asked her to pass them along. Told her to say they were on sale or that I’d gotten an extra one. Didn’t want him to think I was showing off.”

Claudia closed her eyes, feeling that familiar sting at the corners.

“I was so naive. It never occurred to me that through all that, Maeve was spending more time with Cyrus than I was-his actual girlfriend. She was the one handing him my gifts, over and over. When he needed someone to talk to, she was there. Not me.

“Later, Cyrus graduated. I still had two years left overseas, but I was already planning our future. I felt bad that he was struggling to land a good job, so I pulled some strings through my family’s connections and got him an in at a good firm. I even imagined that once ligraduated, I’d bring him home to meet my dad… talk about getting engaged

“But that Christmas, I decided to surprise him. Didn’t tell a soul-just booked a flight home. I dragged my suitcase to his apartment and used the key he’d given me. I walked into the bedroom, all excited, and then…”

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