The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 635

Weston's eyes widened in disbelief, his glare sharp and unkind as he stared down the elderly gentleman standing beside Nathanael. “Grandfather? Are you kidding me? I'm right here! What makes this old man think he's Citrine's grandfather?"

He could have understood if it were Inez or Herschel, but this stranger? He'd never even seen the man before, didn't have the faintest clue where he'd sprung from-yet the moment he appeared, he was claiming to be Citrine's grandfather.

Weston was her real grandfather, her only grandfather by blood. And to make matters worse, Citrine had never even called him Grandpa. Hmph. What right did this old codger have?

Trying to steal his granddaughter? Over his dead body.

Nathanael almost forgot, for a split second, that Weston Carmichael was the chairman's true grandfather. He shot an awkward glance at Ogden, standing

nearby.

Ogden's expression was stone-cold, his silence icy and foreboding, like the calm before a storm.

Nathanael knew better than to provoke either of these titans.

The tension in the room was so thick it was suffocating, as if the air itself had frozen.

Nathanael's gaze darted nervously between the two men, painfully aware of the awkwardness.

He swallowed hard and attempted a weak smile, fumbling for an explanation. "Mr. Ogden and the chairman have known each other for a very long time. She's always... held him in high regard—”

he could finish. "Nathanael,

in Crestwood from the start. I thought the Carmichaels would take good care of her, but it's been less than two years and you've

in his voice. He couldn't believe it-he'd only been out of the country for a short while, and

one could possibly understand the pain he felt when

private jet,

Carmichaels, already wracked with guilt over Citrine, fell silent, unable to

word in their defense after

been about to protest Ogden seeing Citrine, but Raymond grabbed his arm and held him

the end, Nathanael led Ogden alone into Citrine's

she heard someone enter. Assuming it was a nurse, she croaked

close the curtains? I

some sleep."

battlefield, she'd never been

so frail; his eyes welled

he turned away,

face before

he'd been when Nathanael

was his granddaughter-maybe not by blood, but their bond ran deeper than any blood

for Nathanael to leave

by the bedside,