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.

her, stunned, unable

out in school or any other way—at least, that's what he believed. He'd forgotten that even the professors at Crestwood University used to call her a

for the first time in years, he remembered. All this time, she'd been hiding her true abilities behind a mask

curled into a cold, humorless smile. Her voice was flat and merciless, shattering whatever hope Sawyer had left. "Give it up, Sawyer. You're not getting a deal

left of the daughter who once

in

felt a sharp

speak. "Are you

on themselves. Don't even

Citrine in front of everyone. "Well, aren't you full of yourself, big sister? What makes you think the head of

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

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

final say, but why are you so sure CICI

keeping its head above water. What reason would CICI have to partner with you? What's in it for