Chapter 23
Citrine froze, staring at Raymond in confusion. Wasn’t he just telling her to get out?
Seeing the way the girl tensed up, Raymond’s dislike for the Iverson family only deepened. Clearly, she’d been blamed for things she didn’t do more than once in that house.
He knew she was sensitive, so his tone softened as he quickly explained, “No one’s asking you to apologize.”
Then, glancing at the red mark on Valerie’s cheek, he asked in an even voice, “Did your hand get hurt?”
Citrine blinked, her large, beautiful eyes widening in surprise. “Aren’t you going to ask why I hit her?”
Back at the Iversons, whenever something like this happened, Sawyer never cared about the reason–he’d just force her to apologize. Citrine had gotten used to it.
Raymond just shrugged, as if it were nothing. “You already told me–she deserved it. That’s good enough for me.”
For a moment, Citrine’s calm heart started to “You really believe me??
ed to race with a stra
a strange spark of excitement. She looked at Raymond, eager for reassurance.
Her eyes glittered like the night sky, full of hope
Raymond felt a sudden warmth in his chest as he met her gaze. “Of course I do. You’re my daughter, he said, without a hint of doubt!!
He thought for a moment, then added, “Right or wrong doesn’t matter. What matters is that no one gets to push you around.“|||
“If anyone tries to mess with you, you have every right to stand up for yourself.”
“My daughter has nothing to fear in Havencrest, he finished, a touch of pride in his voice.
Raymond’s reputation in Havencrest’s elite circles was that of a madman–someone everyone wanted to stay on the good side of. Hed never cared about what people thought of him Σ
Because of what he said. Citrine felt lighter than she had in a long time. The two of them, father and daughter, grew closer that day without even realizing it…
The next morning, Raymond drove Citrine to school himself before heading to the office.
He’d already reviewed the secunty footage from yesterday–Valerie had been causing trouble from start to finish. Raymond’s expression stayed icy the whole time, but when he saw Valerie shouting at Citrine, the temperature in the room seemed to drop below zero R
As soon as the video ended, he called Adler into his office. “Tell Valerie not to come in tomorrow. And let it be known–any company that hires her is picking a fight with The Carmichael Group.”
Adler was about to agree, but then hesitated. “Mr. Carmichael, you personally brought Valerie onto the team
Raymond frowned. “So what?”
“You said she was an excellent asset, Adler reminded him.
Raymond let out a sharp laugh. “She’s good at her job, sure. But The Carmichael Group isn’t hurting for talented intems.”
Especially not ones who don’t know their place.
She’d used his trust as a weapon against her coworkers more than once. That kind of arrogance had no place at The Carmichael Group.
Meanwhile, when Citrine arrived at school, the seating chart for the exams was already up.
She’d landed sixth from the bottom–right behind Amelia
As soon as Amelia spotted her, her face lit up. “Citrine!”
“I read through those notes you gave me. Honestly, they’re better than anything the teachers explained.”
With exams looming, Amelia had picked up the notebook on a whim. She’d only meant to flip through it, but to her surprise, the problems she’d struggled with suddenly made sense. She’d stayed up two nights in a row, already halfway through.
Compared to Amelia’s excitement, Citrine was much more relaxed. “Of course. I told you, there’s no way you’ll get expelled.“2
Amelia didn’t take Citrine’s words too senously, but somehow, her nerves about the exam faded just a little X
