The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 436

In that moment, Hilda's emotions were a tangled mess-she was proud of her

daughter's brilliance, but at the same time, a gnawing fear crept in: what if Citrine no longer needed her at all?

"Citrine." Hilda hesitated for a second, but in the end, she called out to her daughter.

Both Citrine and Raymond stopped at the sound of her voice.

Raymond recognized Hilda immediately-she was the woman who had spoken up for Citrine at the party. He nodded to her politely. "Thank you for standing up for my daughter earlier."

"It was nothing," Hilda replied offhandedly, though her eyes remained fixed on Citrine with an intensity she couldn't hide.

Citrine only looked back at her, silent.

A pang of discomfort twisted in Hilda's chest. She pressed her lips together, struggling to find the right words. There was so much she wanted to say, yet nothing came out but a quiet confession of regret: "Citrine, I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. If only she'd protected her better-if only Citrine hadn't been lost to her for all those years.

was about to respond when she noticed the dark circles under Hilda's eyes, the weariness etched across her face. It looked

because of

really care

Something inside Citrine wavered.

not to let herself go soft, but her tone softened anyway. "You don't need to apologize. Like I said, please don't come looking

but she forced herself to smile-though the expression looked more like she was about to cry. "Alright. I'll do as

already done her homework on Hilda: a formidable businesswoman, the head of the Saunders family,

hesitant, Citrine felt a sudden surge of irritation. Hilda wasn't supposed to be like this—she should be radiant, commanding, untouchable. She shouldn't have to watch for Citrine's

again and tried to explain, "I just

it, Citrine realized how awkward it sounded. She hesitated, then corrected herself, "Actually, it's fine.

disappointment in Hilda's eyes vanished, replaced by a flash of

happiness in Hilda's face, Citrine found herself unable to refuse. She nodded, almost

was her mother. There

didn't particularly like that feeling,