The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 247

After leaving the Jensen estate, Citrine heard that the Carmichael Group had called a shareholders’ meeting.

Manley was there too.

A sense of unease gnawed at her.

She didn’t dare waste a second—Citrine rushed straight to the Carmichael Group headquarters. When she arrived, she saw Raymond at the end of a long boardroom table, pen in hand, signing away his position as CEO.

She froze in the doorway, her face draining of color. In the next instant, she darted forward and snatched the pen from Raymond’s grasp.

“Citrine? What are you doing here?” Raymond stared at his daughter in surprise, but beneath it, shame flickered in his eyes.

He hated for her to see him like this—broken, defeated. It was humiliating.

Citrine’s face was composed, almost cold. She met her father’s gaze, her voice steady and clear. “You can’t sign that.”

Raymond tried to smile, ruffling her hair with a trembling hand. “Citrine, you’re still young. You don’t understand—this is the only way to save the Carmichael Group. If I don’t step down, the company will go under.”

“I said you can’t sign, and I mean it.” Citrine’s eyes never left his. There was a stubbornness there, fierce and unyielding—and maybe even a flicker of concern for him, though she didn’t seem to realize it herself.

Manley watched the scene unfold, feeling nothing but irritation.

He and Raymond would never reconcile—that much was certain. But Citrine was Raymond’s daughter.

If she saw how ruthlessly he was forcing her father out, she’d probably hate him forever.

Manley’s gaze darkened. He cleared his throat. “Citrine, if you stay with Raymond, life’s only going to get harder. Why not come with me? Everything I have—my future, my fortune—it could all be yours.”

He pressed his lips together, avoiding Citrine’s eyes, afraid of finding only hatred and contempt.

Citrine wasn’t sure what to think of Manley these days, and her tone chilled. “As long as I’m here, Raymond won’t have to suffer.”

Raymond and Manley exchanged puzzled looks, unsure what Citrine was getting at. But as they watched the video, their expressions changed in an instant.

That was the car—the same one Manley had been driving the day of the accident years ago. One glimpse, and both men recognized it.

They stared, tense, at the shadowy figure on the screen.

“In God’s name, who is that?” they demanded in unison.

Citrine didn’t answer directly. “Uncle Manley, I think you already have a suspicion, don’t you?”

Manley shook his head immediately. “That’s impossible. Zack’s been with me over ten years. He even saved my life when I was a kid. He would never betray me.”

Citrine brought up another file—this one, the hospital records for Zack’s daughter. “Uncle Manley, I’m guessing he never told you his daughter was born with a serious heart condition.”

“That’s his personal life—I never got involved.” Manley’s surprise was genuine. He hadn’t known, but he didn’t see what difference it made.