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.

at her, stunned, unable to believe what he was

much attention to Citrine. As a child and even later, she'd never stood out in school or any other way—at

remembered. All this time, she'd been hiding her true abilities behind a mask of

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 with CICI Group. You

no trace left of the daughter who once looked up to

in

felt a sharp pain

"Are you really going to just stand by and watch the Iversons fall

"That's right. The Iversons have brought this on themselves. Don't

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

in case you forgot, the Iverson Group is the second most powerful in Havencrest-right behind the Carmichaels. Do you really

of course, was that CICI Group did belong to Citrine, and her word

only smiled, tilting her head. "Maybe I don't get the final

its head above water. What reason