Chapter 16
Citrine’s arrival in his life had been completely unexpected
And for Raymond, that surprise came with a tangle of emotions he could scarcely unravel
When Citrine first came to him, he hadn’t believed her claims. Only after the DNA test confirmed she was indeed his biological daughter did he force himself to accept the truth–however much it unsettled him. I.
But now, as he watched her, Paymond finally realized just how much he owed this girl
He had brought her into the world, yet failed utterly to protect her
That afternoon, when school let out at five, Citrine was wandering the curbs, scanning for the Carmichael family’s car, when she suddenly spotted a familiar black Phantom idling nearby.
“Don’t bother looking–there’s no driver today: Raymond called, striding over with his long, purposeful steps as he climbed out of t Citrine stared, wide eyed, as he approached her
“What are you doing here?” she asked, the question lingering in her mind though she kept her face carefully neutralit
He had taken her out for dinner once before, but Citrine never really believed Paymond wanted to pick her up from school, not after how obviously reluctant he’d been to acknowledge her at first
“The driver had something urgent, and I happened to be free,” Raymond replied, his expression stiff for a moment as he avoided gaze X
Citrine nodded, accepting his explanation without question.
Once they were both in the car, Raymond broke the silence. “We’re going to get your
get your paperwork sorted out
He’d made up his mind about this before he even arrived
Citrine paused, puzzled by his sudden concern. She couldn’t quite figure Raymond out
She could still remember all too well how hard he had resisted accepting her when they first met..
Raymond knew she hadn’t forgotten that first, uncomfortable encounter, and for a brief second, he regretted it
He offered an explanation: “I didn’t realize you were really my daughter when we first met”
Citrine understood what he was getting at
“Do you want to change your name?” Raymond hesitated, thinking of how she might have struggled in the Iverson family. “You don’t have to keep your old one if you don’t want to.“%
Citrine shook her head.
She’d been Citrine all her life. There was no reason to change that now.
Raymond assumed the must still feel some attachment to the Iversons and let the matter drop.
When they reached the appropriate office, Raymond handled all the paperwork with brisk efficiency. Everything went smoothly, and in no time, it was done.!
Citrine watched as her new details were added–her own page now filed neatly behind Raymond’s.
But this time, she wasn’t just Citrine
She was Citrine Carmichael
Afterward, Citrine thought he’d drive her straight back to the Carmichael house–but instead, Raymond tumed the car toward the mall.
“Aren’t we going home?” she asked, puzzled.
“We’re here to get you some proper clothes, Raymond replied, glancing at her faded sweatshirt and wom jeans with a slight frown.
For a moment, Citrine could almost feel his disapproval.
She looked down at her washed–out clothes and had to admit–they did look a little shabby!!
Raymond swept her into a designer boutique and, with a single decisive gesture, bought out all the latest collections for her Citrine didnt even have to try anything on, which made the process surprisingly easy
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, thanking his bold, no–nonsense style suited him perfectly
They went from store to store, and Raymond did the same in each one. Crtnine had to admit, it was nice not having to worry about anything
Still, seeing the sheer amount he was spending made her heart ache a little.
If she had that kind of money to herself, she couldn’t imagine how happy she’d be.
Back at the Iversons, she’d been so focused on getting Jeanette out of the house that money or career had never even crossed her mind. And with Aline–Jeanette’s mother–refusing to give her a single cent Citrine barely had a thousand dollars to her name.
