The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 399

“What are your terms?”

Raymond’s face lit up the moment he saw a glimmer of hope.

Citrine had no idea what he was so happy about; the whole thing struck her as odd. She watched him for a few seconds before finally speaking, her tone slow but steady: “I want to be your only child—and the sole heir to the Carmichael Group. If you can promise me those two things, I’ll consider accepting the Carmichael family.”

For a businessman, those demands were bordering on outrageous. Profit always came first, and Raymond was no exception.

Citrine seriously doubted he’d ever agree.

But when Raymond heard his daughter say she’d even consider giving him a chance, it was as if a ray of light broke through the clouds. He looked at Citrine, eyes earnest. “Do you like the Carmichael Group?”

Citrine shook her head, deliberate and calm. “No. What I like is power.” With power in her hands, she would always have a way out.

Raymond fell silent, and Citrine assumed her blunt honesty had startled him. Her tone turned mocking. “I’ve always been ambitious, you know. Surely this isn’t news to you.”

She figured the demands she’d just made were greedy enough to put him off for good.

Since she’d made her point, there was no reason to linger.

With a cold laugh and a hint of derision in her voice, she scoffed, “Seems I don’t weigh that much in your heart after all.”

She grabbed her bag and moved to leave.

“Don’t go.” Raymond’s voice, sharp and sudden, stopped her in her tracks.

His eyes now looked as dark and unfathomable as ink.

Raymond could tell, plain as day, that Citrine had made those demands on purpose. He knew she was trying to back him into a corner, to make him give up.

But he didn’t hesitate. His voice rang out, strong and clear. “I’ll agree to all of it.” Even though he understood this was just a test, that Citrine had never really planned to accept him, he rushed to answer, terrified he might be too late.

Looking back now, it obviously wasn’t about a house at all—it was the company shares.

It took her a long moment before she found her voice. “Why would you do that?”

They’d only really been father and daughter for a year and a half.

Raymond’s expression turned somber. “You’re my daughter. There’s no one else I’d trust to inherit the Carmichael Group. If anything ever happened to me, the company would be your only safety net. I’d never let anyone else have your way out.”

In the past, Raymond hadn’t cared much who would take over the Carmichael Group—whether it was Travis or anyone else. But everything changed the moment Citrine became his daughter.

Better his own child than anyone else, he thought.

Sure, Weston and Manley were fond of Citrine now, and her older brother Travis treated her well—but who could say what the future would bring?

Raymond had spent years among the upper crust; he knew all too well how ugly things could get in families like theirs.