Chapter 647 - 644: If We’re Not Really Together, Can’t We Pretend?

Chapter 647: Chapter 644: If We’re Not Really Together, Can’t We Pretend?

Clara Grant caught up to Skylar Hayes by the restroom entrance. Skylar was leaning against the wall, a lost and dejected look in her eyes.

Clara slipped her arm through her mother’s and asked gently, "Mom, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I’m fine." Skylar seemed to snap back to reality only after hearing her daughter’s voice. She forced a smile. "It’s just... I didn’t expect to run into Jean Jarvis and the others here. And I certainly... didn’t expect that your Uncle Jarvis and she are cousins!"

Clara knew what really bothered her mother was the relationship between Marcus Jarvis and Jean Jarvis. While Clara was also surprised, it didn’t change her own favorable opinion of Uncle Jarvis.

Because, deep down, Clara felt that Marcus Jarvis and Jean Jarvis were simply not the same kind of people.

"Mom, you’re not going to start avoiding Uncle Jarvis just because he’s related to Jean Jarvis, are you?"

Skylar dropped her gaze, appearing to think it over. After a moment, she looked up. "I don’t know. But... he’s Jean Jarvis’s cousin, and you know how things are between her and me. And her character..."

"Mom, Jean Jarvis is Jean Jarvis, and Uncle Jarvis is Uncle Jarvis. They might be family, but that doesn’t mean they have the same character. You’ve spent more time with him than I have, so you should have a better sense of what he’s like, right?"

Skylar gave a bitter smile. "They say you can know a person’s face, but not their heart. How can you completely understand someone’s true nature in such a short time? I was married to your father... to Cedric Grant for over twenty years, and I still failed to see what kind of man he truly was, didn’t I?

What if Marcus Jarvis approached me on purpose just to humiliate me alongside Jean Jarvis? Or what if this coincidental meeting today was all part of their plan? All just to embarrass and humiliate me."

"Alright, alright, Mom." Seeing her mother’s thoughts spiraling into absurdity, Clara quickly cut off her wild speculation. She knew her mother had been hurt, which made her prone to overthinking and suspicion whenever it came to matters of the heart.

"Mom, you’re overthinking things. This isn’t a TV drama. Besides, Uncle Jarvis really doesn’t seem like that kind of person to me.

Even if you’re suspicious of him, and even if you decide you don’t want to see him ever again, you can’t just scurry away today. If you leave now, you’ll completely lose your poise in front of Jean Jarvis. It’ll just give her more to laugh about."

"Then what? Am I supposed to go back and say goodbye before we leave?"

"Leave? Who said we’re leaving? We’re not. Didn’t Jean Jarvis suggest we all have dinner together? Well, we’re absolutely going to have that dinner. For one, it shows Cedric Grant that you’ve moved on with another man, so he’ll stop thinking he can keep pestering you.

And two, Uncle Jarvis is Jean Jarvis’s cousin. If you’re with him, you’ll be her cousin-in-law, which outranks her socially. *She’s* the one who should feel awkward, not us. What do we have to be afraid of?"

Hearing Clara make her case so convincingly, Skylar couldn’t help but smile and chide, "What do you mean, cousin-in-law? It’s not like I’m actually together with your Uncle Jarvis."

"So what if you’re not? Can’t you pretend? Let’s not worry about whether you and Uncle Jarvis will stay friends or even see each other again. The point is, we have to eat this dinner tonight. Jean Jarvis wants to get under your skin, so we’re not going to give her the satisfaction. We’ll be happy and composed and put on a good show for her."

With that, Clara started pulling her toward the door. "Come on, Mom. Uncle Jarvis and Seth Quinn are waiting for us."

Skylar hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she followed her out.