The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 396

She didn’t really care whether Wade was her brother or not. In fact, she’d prefer if he had nothing to do with her at all. Even if it turned out Wade truly was her brother, she still wouldn’t acknowledge him.

Wade listened to his sister’s cold, final words, and his heart ached. But instead of blaming her, he forced a smile and said gently, “I know this is hard for you to accept right now. I won’t push you.”

Worried she’d end up hating him even more, a flicker of sadness passed through Wade’s eyes. He added, “I’ll go now. Don’t let this ruin your day, okay?”

Curry, who’d been hovering nearby, could hardly believe what he was seeing. The young master of the Saunders family was usually the center of attention wherever he went; this was the first time Curry had ever seen him look so humble—almost pitiful.

Citrine eyed Wade with a frosty, unreadable expression.

After leaving the competition venue, Citrine and Travis went out to celebrate with a few friends. They’d just taken their seats at a cozy Italian restaurant when Citrine’s phone suddenly rang.

It was a video call from Raymond.

Citrine hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the call.

It had been a long time since Raymond had last spoken to his daughter. He took a deep breath, clearly nervous, and spoke carefully. “Citrine, I watched the live stream of your competition online. I heard you won the world championship.”

He hurried to add, “Congratulations, Citrine. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you.” Citrine managed a polite, distant smile for the camera, her tone cordial but cool.

Raymond could feel the distance in her voice and it made him anxious, more desperate than ever to see her.

After a pause, he tried again. “Citrine, we’ve prepared a big dinner at home to celebrate. Could you… would you please come home? Just for a bit?” His voice grew softer, almost pleading.

Citrine pressed her lips together and said nothing.

On the other end, Raymond and the rest of the family were over the moon at her answer. Weston, despite his age, was practically bouncing on the sofa with excitement.

Travis listened to the cheers from home and grinned, thinking surely it would be his turn next. After all, he’d just won a world championship too—it was only fair he got a little homecoming celebration of his own.

He waited. And waited. Even after Citrine hung up, nobody at home mentioned him.

Dumbfounded, Travis turned to Citrine. “Wait, that’s it? They didn’t say a single word about me?”

“Nope.” Citrine tried to look sympathetic, but she couldn’t hold back a smirk.

Travis was indignant. “Seriously? You’d think they’d show a little affection. I’ve been gone for months, and not one of them even asked about me. Am I really worth less than the family dog?”