The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 305

By midday, Citrine's fever had finally broken. The fog in her mind slowly lifted, and as she blinked awake, a familiar silhouette came into focus.

Raymond? That couldn't be. Wasn't he supposed to be in Havencrest? There was no way he'd be here-she must still be delirious.

But then that unmistakable figure stepped right up to her bedside, the surprise clear in his voice. "Citrine, you're awake! Are you hungry?"

It wasn't a dream. She was suddenly, acutely aware of that.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, still confused. He was supposed to be in Havencrest-why was he standing in her hospital room?

Raymond just sighed, a blend of exasperation and affection in his words. "Silly girl. You're sick. Of course your dad's here to take care of you."

When Citrine tried to sit up, he was quick to help, adjusting the bed and arranging the pillows behind her so she'd be comfortable.

"What would you like to eat? I'll go grab it for you." He hadn't seen her for only two days, but Raymond was sure she'd lost weight. The thought tugged at his heart.

scratchy and soft. Maybe it was

sick that stripped away her usual defenses. Hearing her father's gentle fussing, she felt her eyes sting with tears she stubbornly

a little proud. He loved fussing over his daughter.

guard down in front of her father-shown him a side of

family and coming to Crestwood for college was her first step toward independence, away from everything she'd known. This was exactly the path she had planned for herself so why

she stared blankly out

Raymond returned with a piping hot beef pie. Citrine hadn't moved-she was still lost in her thoughts, eyes fixed

set the food down in front of her, bringing her slowly back to

first: she needed to

bite, her eyes going wide with delight. "This is really good," she said, grinning and

But as he watched his daughter, a pang of melancholy hit him-she'd be at university for four years. Four years of being apart, of seeing

he spoke up. "Citrine, I've been thinking about moving the company to Crestwood. What do

already made up his