The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 308

She stared straight at Hastings, her eyes wide and searching. In a careful, almost timid voice, she asked, "Hastings, you once told me I was the most important person in your life. I just want to know... am I still?"

Kali's gaze was deadly serious, brimming with a desperate need for reassurance.

Hastings couldn't quite figure out why she was asking this now. He hesitated, then finally replied, "Of course you are."

Relief washed over Kali the moment she heard the answer she'd been hoping for. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but she quickly swapped it for a pout, putting on her best wounded expression as she complained, "Hastings, you have no idea how awful that freshman you're mentoring-Citrine Carmichael- has been."

At the mention of that familiar name, Hastings' eyebrows rose. "Citrine Carmichael? What did she do?"

Kali perked up instantly, all too eager to spill the details. She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "She sent me a video of you two sparring."

"And..." Kali hesitated, as if what came next was too humiliating to say out loud, "she said some pretty nasty things about you."

Hastings took her phone and clicked on the video. It was from a month ago— footage of his training session with Citrine.

the video ended, he finally noticed the string of messages Citrine had sent along with

your dog's loyal, but

to Sebastian, he's nowhere

this, but Sebastian is so gentle and thoughtful. There was this one time... He actually

and furious flared up inside him. Kali, pretending to be even more outraged, huffed, "Did you see that? Not only did she call you a dog,

had always liked Kali, and nothing got under his skin faster than hearing someone say he wasn't as good as Sebastian. The last person who'd made that comparison had ended up with their entire life in ruins, courtesy

"Seriously, she's gone way too far. How can

voice was cold as steel, eyes locked

idea that what truly drove Hastings to the edge wasn't being

on between her and Sebastian?

When had they gotten that

destructive urge welled

something off in his expression, Kali's worry