The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 45

Citrine could feel the air around Raymond growing colder, bit by bit.

In this moment, it was as if they'd been transported back to their very first encounter-strangers to the core, each harboring nothing but suspicion and the worst intentions toward the other.

That felt right, somehow.

A faint, sardonic smile tugged at Citrine's lips.

Warm, sentimental family moments were never her forte; scenes like this were better left to seasoned performers like Jeanette.

Raymond, for his part, felt a knot tightening in his chest-he was completely at a loss for the first time. He couldn't begin to guess what was running through the girl's mind, but he knew one thing: this little troublemaker in front of him was just a prickly hedgehog desperate for affection.

He scoffed, shifting uncomfortably. "Kid, don't forget-you're officially part of the Carmichael family now. I'm your father."

"What could I possibly want from you?" he went on, voice gruff but not unkind. "I have everything I could ever need. I'm certainly not scheming against a scrappy kid like you."

Even if he was out of his depth, Raymond had no intention of stripping away her defenses by force. Someday, he believed, she'd let her guard down on her own.

Raymond

supposed to be cold and dismissive? Wasn't

eyes went wide and round, her whole body frozen like a startled penguin- adorable,

are supposed to

kid," Citrine grumbled, turning away with a pout. She certainly

Raymond's words swept away

something and asked, "By the way, were

her grandfather hadn't done it, maybe

"Yeah, that

him seriously. "Could you let it stay up

made things easier for whoever was pulling

caught her meaning with a single

every call without a second thought. The caller was persistent, though, dialing

Citrine's clear, inquisitive voice cut through the silence. "Aren't you going to answer?

his

as he glanced at the familiar number flashing on