The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 193

As soon as the exam results from Havencrest Preparatory Academy were released, Jeanette rushed to check her scores.

A lot had happened at home lately. She hadn't studied at all before the exams, and though she'd braced herself for a drop in her ranking, she never expected to fall so far.

"How could this happen?" Jeanette stared at her results, momentarily dizzy with disbelief. She'd somehow landed at 150th in her grade—a freefall she could hardly comprehend.

Her expression darkened as she scrolled back to the top of the page and glanced at Citrine's results. The color drained from her face.

Why? That top spot had always belonged to her. She used to keep Citrine firmly beneath her—how had everything changed?

The thought of The Iverson Group's recent collapse only made her mood worse.

Her family's prestige, her academic achievements—everything she'd once taken pride in—now belonged to Citrine.

Why? What made her so special?

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The next morning, Citrine had just woken up when she received a message from Patten.

Patten: Chairwoman, someone from the Iverson family is here again. Holbrook's condition has taken a turn for the worse over the past few days.

Citrine glanced at the message, picked up her phone, and sent a voice reply: Tell them Holbrook's been poisoned. That's all they need to know.

On the other side of town, when Sawyer heard the news about Holbrook's poisoning, his exhaustion was replaced by disbelief.

He blurted out, "There's no way my father was poisoned!" After all, every meal Holbrook ate was prepared by a trusted housekeeper—how could something like this happen?

Sawyer was still shaken, taking a long moment before answering, "The director of Viridis Medical Institute told me."

His eyes darkened as he asked, "Is there an antidote?"

The doctor shook his head, clearly reluctant to deliver more bad news. "The poison's already spread throughout his system. We can only buy your father a few more months—there's no cure. He'll need liver and kidney dialysis, and whether he can withstand that is uncertain. The risk will be yours to bear."

Sawyer felt a chill settle over him, helplessness washing through his body.

When he left the hospital, he headed straight for Viridis Medical Institute. But luck wasn't on his side; this time, he didn't run into Patten.

Patten, still in his office, sent someone to relay a message when he heard Sawyer had come by.

"Mr. Iverson, our director says your father missed his best window for treatment. Had you come sooner, we could have extended his life for several years, but it's too late now. Even with surgery, he doesn't have long. We won't be taking the case." With that, the staff member turned and left.