The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 243

Citrine’s words cut into Sawyer and Holbrook like sharp knives, leaving them reeling. Their faces drained of color, as if someone had ripped away their masks and left them exposed for all to see.

She watched their humiliation with a bright, careless laugh. “Well, now that I’ve seen you two like this, I’ll finally sleep well tonight.”

With that, Citrine stood up and walked away without so much as a backward glance.

Stepping out of the hospital, she drew in the crisp night air, feeling an unexpected lightness. In her previous life, Holbrook Iverson and Theo Glenwood had conspired to put her on the operating table, sacrificing her so Jeanette could have a new kidney. This time around, she would make sure every debt was paid in full.

The Iversons’ suffering? So far, it was nothing—Holbrook was only on the verge of death. That was just an appetizer. The real reckoning was still to come, and Citrine couldn’t help but smile with anticipation. Soon, the Iverson family would become a much more interesting spectacle.

Leaving the hospital behind, Citrine headed straight back to the Carmichael estate.

Ever since that day at the hospital, when she’d sensed how unconditionally the Carmichaels indulged her, she had stopped pretending—revealing her true, mischievous self. She didn’t bother to hide her devilish side, letting it show in all its glory. In her mind, the day the Carmichaels grew tired of her would be the day she walked away for good.

But what Citrine didn’t know was that from the moment she was discharged, Raymond and Manley had begun an all-out war in Havencrest, shaking the whole city’s business world.

Over the years, Manley had quietly built up considerable resources, founding a respected tech company overseas called Deep Horizon Enterprises. Its scale nearly matched that of the Carmichael Group, and just recently, Deep Horizon’s headquarters had relocated to Havencrest.

In the days since, Deep Horizon had been relentlessly sabotaging the Carmichael Group—wrecking several of their deals in quick succession and even poaching some of their top clients. The losses to the Carmichael Group were staggering.

Citrine rarely saw Raymond at home these days. Even when he did make it back, there were dark circles under his eyes—clear evidence he hadn’t been sleeping well. She might not have cared much about the Carmichael Group before, but she could guess that something serious was going on.

Citrine didn’t notice any of that. She just looked at him, her tone even. “I was waiting for you,” she said, a hint of reproach in her eyes. “You haven’t come home in time for dinner in ages.”

Raymond paused, but warmth flooded his heart. He smiled. “Does that mean you missed your dad, Citrine?”

“I did not,” she insisted, looking away.

Raymond just kept smiling at her, feeling a rare and precious happiness in that moment.

Sitting so close, Citrine finally noticed how pale and drawn he looked. For some reason, seeing him this way made her chest tighten with guilt over the words she’d just said. Awkwardly, she tried to explain, “It’s just… with you gone so much, eating alone isn’t nearly as nice.”