The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 20

Raymond no longer looked sickly; the pallor from his illness had vanished. As he rose from the couch, the cold, steely expression he was known for returned, though if you looked closely, there was a subtle warmth in his eyes-a softness that hadn't been there before.

"I'm much better now."

He hesitated, then added, "Thank you for taking care of me yesterday."

Raymond quickly averted his gaze, almost as if embarrassed by his own words. He never imagined himself saying something like that to anyone. What surprised him even more was that he'd lain awake all night the evening she didn't come home, unable to sleep, feeling the pull of concern for the first time in his life.

Citrine, on the other hand, looked a little uncomfortable. She paused, then managed, "It's... it's nothing."

On weekends, the house was quiet-no butler, no staff, no one to look after the child left alone at home. Raymond glanced at Citrine, a little uncertain. "Do you want to come to the office with me later?"

Citrine seemed lost in thought for a moment but then nodded quickly.

When she was a child, Sawyer used to take her to the office all the time. But ever since she'd returned from abroad six months ago, Sawyer's attitude had changed. He'd made it clear-more than once-that he didn't want her coming to the company. Even though, in Sawyer's eyes, she was just an adopted daughter and posed no real threat.

hadn't understood. But now, after everything she'd been through, she realized the truth: Sawyer only saw Jeanette as the true

Carmichael Group was much larger than the Iverson Group. As Citrine walked beside

see President Carmichael with a young woman by his side.

girl with

someone to the office. That's a

like a real princess. Even the way she walks, you can tell she's from a wealthy

my god, she looked right at me. I think I'm going

employees stared at Citrine with wide, sparkling

with curiosity-like wolves eyeing

a bit uneasy under their scrutiny, but there was no malice

Raymond's office that the feeling of

time: a beautiful new desk was set up beside his own, complete with a state-of-the-art computer, a sleek gaming chair, and a pair of high-end headphones-the kind that were all the rage among young people. Everything was spotless,

eyes lit up

had been into singing and dancing. Almost every spare room in the house had been turned into a dance studio or a music room for Jeanette. There had been a year when Citrine studied hard and finished first in her grade. Sawyer had asked what she wanted as a reward,

never asked