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.

stared at Raymond in quiet

be cold and dismissive? Wasn't that how

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

reached out and gave her fluffy hair a firm ruffle, chuckling. "Kids are supposed to act like kids. Don't overthink things.

kid," Citrine grumbled, turning away with a pout. She certainly didn't care about

swept away the gloom that

Citrine remembered something and asked, "By the way, were you the

grandfather hadn't done it, maybe Raymond was

"Yeah, that was

him seriously. "Could you let it stay up for a few

things easier for whoever was pulling strings behind

a single glance. Without

times, but he declined every call without a second thought. The caller was persistent,

as Raymond was about to switch off his phone, Citrine's clear, inquisitive voice cut through the silence. "Aren't you going to answer? What if it's

stared at his phone

hardening as he glanced at the familiar