The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 518

And now, it was time for the final item of the night.

Earlier, the NecroBlitz Tablets had wowed the crowd, and every auction lot since had seemed lackluster by comparison. No one expected much from this last piece; anticipation was low as the auctioneer calmly lifted the red velvet cloth.

He took a look, blinked in surprise, and his voice faltered. “How is this possible? The final item is a duplicate.”

He glanced at the audience, then announced, “The last auction lot is from Ms. Citrine Carmichael...”

He paused, then added, “It’s the NecroBlitz Tablets—identical to Ms. Glenwood’s earlier lot.”

With that, the room fell into a confused hush. Even Sebastian, up on the second-floor balcony, turned his attention to Citrine.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“President Carmichael, why is your auction item the NecroBlitz Tablets again?”

“Didn’t Ms. Glenwood say there’s only one of these in existence? How do you have another?”

“Is yours a fake, President Carmichael?”

“Your item is exactly the same as Ms. Glenwood’s. Don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”

…

Kali hadn’t seen this coming. She stared at the stage, a flicker of worry crossing her face. Just then, Jeanette leaned in and whispered something in her ear. As soon as she heard it, Kali’s concern vanished, replaced by a sly, scheming grin.

The guests’ chatter swelled to a raucous din. Citrine pressed her lips together, brow furrowing as she prepared to speak—only for Kali to leap to her feet.

She pointed straight at Citrine, her tone sharp and accusing. “Citrine Carmichael, I’m the one who developed the NecroBlitz Tablets—there’s only one in the world! Where did you get yours?”

Monica’s voice trembled with concern as she examined Citrine’s reddened fingers. “No wonder it hurts—look how red your hand is.”

She shot Kali a withering glare, then spat, “Her face must be made of brick.”

Monica cradled Citrine’s hand, blowing gently to soothe the sting. “Don’t worry, Citrine. I’ll make it better. Just let me.”

Meanwhile, Wade fussed over Citrine’s hand with a scowl, dabbing at it while grumbling, “That’s what you get for being so thick-skinned. If anything happens to Citrine’s hand, you’ll answer to me.”

Citrine hesitated for a moment. She’d only meant to put on a show, but the siblings were taking it seriously.

Awkwardly, she said, “Really… there’s no need to fuss so much.”

She tried to pull her hand free, but after a few failed tugs, she realized it was pointless and gave up.