The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 819

On the second and third day of the New Year, Citrine was swept along by the Carmichaels and the Saunders as they visited relatives. Not only did she leave with a stack of generous holiday envelopes, but she also won the affection of nearly every aunt, uncle, and cousin she met—becoming, for a moment, the "golden child" everyone wished they had.

If it had been her old self, she would have been overwhelmed, almost anxious about being the center of so much affection.

But now, with a loving family by her side, all that warmth kindled a voice inside her loud, clear, and unshakeable.

Citrine Carmichael, look at you. You deserve this. You deserve to be loved by everyone.

If your last life ended the way it did, it was only because you had the misfortune to meet all the wrong people. It was their cruelty, not your unworthiness.

Magnolia.

Ever since Jeanette Iverson's true colors were exposed by Theo Glenwood, and after she'd been suspended for a few days for lashing out and hurting someone, Jeanette found herself unable to stay in Crestwood any longer. The school sent her an expulsion notice. For now, she was finished here.

Luckily, Jeanette had cultivated a number of friendships-mostly with boys. One of them was Chuck, whose family ran a successful restaurant chain, and who had made a small fortune as a livestream influencer over the past couple of years.

To Jeanette, no matter how much money Chuck's family had, they were still new money-loud, flashy, and utterly beneath her standards, at least in the past.

But times had changed. These days, Chuck was the most eligible bachelor she had access to, and more importantly, he was willing to drop his studies at home and take her abroad with him.

It wasn't exactly an Ivy League school, but where there were trust-fund kids and spoiled heirs, there were always opportunities.

She couldn't stay in her home country anymore, so following Chuck overseas seemed like a golden ticket.

with Chuck as a stepping stone, she was sure her looks would help her find

speed, calculating her odds

was going on behind her pretty eyes. He just kept introducing

having a girlfriend as striking as Jeanette felt like

new circle of friends had gathered for a party. When he introduced Jeanette, the guys all played along, greeting her as "sis-in-law" with

group of tall, glamorous Western women, Jeanette's

Chuck-your girlfriend

to study at the

seen a lot of Northriver girls, but none as

the last, placing Jeanette on a pedestal and

head held high, savoring a respect

more she felt she deserved better than Chuck. Chuck, oblivious, kept his arm around her, bragging to anyone who'd listen. Jeanette half-closed her eyes, a flicker of impatience passing through them. Just then, someone called out, "Heads up, the birthday

up instantly. Chuck had mentioned this birthday

a mirror and touched up her makeup,

minutes later,

dark-skinned man entered. He

he had a

was clearly worth a

before making his way to the center seat that everyone instinctively cleated for him. Every move he made spoke of privilege and nobility.

initial excitement

man? Wasn't he

close to Chuck and whispered, "What's going on?