The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 439

Sensing the tension in the room, Citrine couldn't help but laugh. "Relax, I'm not going to bite you," she teased. "Seriously, lighten up."

She glanced around at her friends. "No matter what my background is, we're still roommates—and friends." The last thing she wanted was for her identity to change the way they treated her.

Her words seemed to break the ice. The girls visibly relaxed and slipped back into their usual selves.

Ingrid looked genuinely moved. "Citrine, you're unbelievable. You're not stuck up at all. I swear, you're the most down-to-earth CEO I've ever met."

Lisa grinned. “I can't believe the chairman of a Fortune 500 company is my roommate. Makes Crestwood University feel totally worth it."

Jane's eyes practically sparkled as she stared at Citrine. Who could blame her? Her idol was standing right in front of her.

She was so excited she could barely get the words out. "Citrine, you're honestly amazing. You're my role model."

Listening to their praise, Citrine just smiled. "You're all incredible, too. If you made it to Crestwood, that means we're all exceptional.”

The girls glowed with pride at her words.

the chairwoman

no more skipping 8 a.m. classes. If Citrine could lead by example, so could

so inspiring-they wanted to follow her lead, not fall

Hastings was hit with a mix of shock and

news.

connection was to the Carmichael family, and he'd

this girl he'd thought of as ordinary suddenly turned out to be the head of a multinational corporation. The realization left him shaken and

days, unable to snap out of it, and now

lost count of how many he'd

hours of wrestling with himself, he changed

arrived, the

a strange man at the threshold, she didn't let him in right away. Instead, she called

moment later, leisurely

frozen, taking

a simple nightgown,

makeup-free and fresh.