Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 1265

But Claire knew better. Money alone couldn't just magically summon this piece.

Morning's Promise was one of Faye's pre-fame creations—her very first design, and the one she was most proud of.

When Faye designed it, she had been pregnant. She intended for it to be a gift for her unborn daughter. They had already found out the gender and picked out the name: Claire. So, her mother had named the necklace Morning's Promise.

But before Claire was even born, her father, Victor Chase, hit a crisis with his fledgling business. His cash flow dried up entirely.

Without telling Victor, Faye sold the necklace to save the company.

When Victor eventually found out, he spent years trying to buy it back, but the piece had vanished without a trace.

Years later, when Claire finally started making her own money, she began tracking down and purchasing her mother's works piece by piece. She had searched endlessly for Morning's Promise, but every lead turned out to be a dead end.

She thought she would never see it in her lifetime.

Yet here it was. The necklace she had dreamed of finding for three decades had been placed around her neck by Wilbur.

To say she wasn't moved would be a lie. She was completely, utterly overwhelmed.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him down and kissed him fiercely.

It was the first time she had genuinely, proactively initiated a kiss.

Even though it was born out of gratitude rather than romantic love, Wilbur was deeply satisfied.

He gladly surrendered to her enthusiasm, a profound sense of contentment settling into his dark, magnetic eyes.

When she finally broke the kiss and pulled back, he shifted her so she was straddling his lap, looking down at him.

He arched a brow, his features striking and affectionate. "One little gift gets me a reaction like this? What does my entire night of backbreaking labor get me?"

Claire matched his playful tone. "A gold star for stamina."

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