The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 311

Clifford felt as if someone had gouged a hole straight through his heart at Citrine's words. The pain was almost physical.

She wasn't wrong. He really was a hopeless mess, incapable of getting his act together.

Travis glanced at Citrine with a smirk and scoffed, "He's the only one in your whole graduating class at Primus Academy who didn't get into college. Honestly, how did someone like him even get accepted in the first place?"

Citrine said nothing, but Clifford's eyes snapped to her the moment he heard Travis's words.

He remembered the day he tried to sign up to repeat his senior year. Clifford had gone to see the principal at Primus Academy, desperate for another chance.

With the Iverson family now fallen from grace, there was no way he could afford the steep tuition at Elegance Peak Academy. Havencrest Technical College was more affordable, sure, but its resources and reputation were a far cry from what he wanted. When he weighed his options, Primus Academy was the obvious choice-good teachers, low tuition.

So, clinging to a sliver of hope, Clifford had gone to the principal and pleaded for a spot to repeat his final year, promising he'd catch up and keep pace with the rest of the class.

principal turned him down. "Your scores aren't high enough to qualify for a

the truth-it was because the Iversons had lost

was scraping the bottom of the rankings year after year, I never saw you

were supposed to be expelled. Yet somehow, he'd managed to be the only one who didn't get tossed out, no matter how bad his grades

school whispered that the Iversons' influence in Havencrest

had always believed

must have worried Clifford would do something reckless. He finally broke down and told

was because of Citrine-not the Iverson family.

utterly stunned. "Citrine?" he repeated,

We wanted her to transfer here more than anything, but she refused at first. The only way we convinced her was by promising to admit

lost

came flooding back. Back then, when Citrine had just returned from abroad, she'd planned to attend Elegance Peak Academy-just like he did

tried again and again to get into Primus Academy,