The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 104

Sawyer's face went deathly pale, shame flickering in his eyes as if someone had just exposed his deepest secret.

He stayed silent.

Citrine spoke again, her voice unwavering. "Yes, I'm ambitious. But I've always known I was adopted. Nothing in the Iverson family truly belongs to me, so I never once thought of competing with Jeanette. Still, you kept your guard up around me. You secretly handed Jeanette twenty-five percent of the shares."

Her words were as cold as ice, stripping away the last pretense Sawyer had left.

"So what? You can't deny that I loved you, too." Sawyer's protest was tinged with bitterness and unwillingness.

"Loved me?" Citrine scoffed, her tone icy. "Don't flatter yourself. It's disgusting."

She didn't give him a chance to recover. "You're here today to talk business with the head of CICI Group, aren't you? And you know exactly why you came looking for me first."

With ruthless precision, she tore away the last shred of dignity Sawyer had tried to preserve.

stunned, unable to believe

any other way—at least,

in years, he remembered. All this time, she'd been hiding

Her voice was flat and merciless, shattering whatever hope Sawyer had left. "Give it up, Sawyer. You're not getting a deal with CICI Group. You can stop

was no trace left of the daughter who once

remained in Citrine's

sharp pain in

Iverson family's predicament, he forced himself to speak. "Are you

hesitation. "That's right. The Iversons have brought this on themselves. Don't even dream about landing a deal with

burst out, glaring at Citrine in front of everyone. "Well, aren't you full of yourself, big sister? What makes you think the head of CICI Group would listen to you? Just because you say there's no

behind the Carmichaels. Do you really believe that your say-so decides who CICI does business

of course, was that CICI Group did belong to Citrine, and her word was law-but she didn't bother

get the final say, but why are you so sure

is drowning in scandals, barely keeping its head above water. What reason would CICI have to partner