Chapter 20
Raymond no longer looked sickly, the pallor from his illness had vanished. As he rose from the couch, the cold, steely expression he was known for retumed, though if you looked closely, there was a subtle warmth in his eyes–a softness that hadn’t been there before..
Tm much better now”
He hesitated, then added, “Thank you for taking care of me yesterday.”
Raymond quickly averted his gaze, almost as if embarrassed by his own words. He never imagined himself saying something like that to anyone. What surprised him even more was that he’d lain awake all night the evening she didn’t come home, unable to sleep, feeling the pull of concem for the first time in his life.
Citrine, on the other hand, looked a little uncomfortable. She paused, then managed, “It’s it’s nothing.”
On weekends, the house was quiet–no butler, no staff, no one to look after the child left alone at home. Raymond glanced at Citrine, a little uncertain. “Do you want to come to the office with me later?“8
Citrine seemed lost in thought for a moment but then nodded quickly
When she was a child, Sawyer used to take her to the office all the time. But ever since she’d returned from abroad six months ago, Sawyer’s attitude had changed. He’d made it clear–more than once–that he didn’t want her coming to the company. Even though, in Sawyer’s eyes, she was just an adopted daughter and posed no real threat.
Back then, she hadn’t understood. But now, after everything she’d been through, she realized the truth: Sawyer only saw Jeanette as the true heir of the Iverson family. Every cold shoulder was a warning–don’t reach for what isn’t yours, don’t even think about competing with Jeanette.
The Carmichael Group was much larger than the Iverson Group. As Citrine walked beside Raymond through the gleaming lobby, she could feel eyes turning their way
It was rare to see President Carmichael with a young woman by his side. The gossip was immediate.
“Whoa, who’s that girl with President Carmichael?”
“I can’t believe he’s brought someone to the office. That’s a first,”
“She’s gorgeous–looks like a real princess. Even the way she walks, you can tell she’s from a wealthy family.”
“Oh my god, she looked right at me. I think I’m going to faint.”
The female employees stared at Citrine with wide, sparkling eyes, their expressions hungry with curiosity–like wolves eyeing a juicy
steak
al
Citrine felt a bit uneasy under their scrutiny, but there was no malice in their gazes–just fascination.
It wasn’t until they reached Raymond’s office that the feeling of being watched finally faded.
Raymond had made arrangements ahead of time: a beautiful new desk was set up beside his own, complete with a state–of–the–art computer, a sleek gaming chair, and a pair of high–end headphones–the kind that were all the rage among young people. Everything was spotless, clearly prepared just for her?
Citrine’s eyes lit up with delight 8
As a child, she’d loved video games, but Jeanette had been into singing and dancing. Almost every spare room in the house had been tumed into a dance studio or a music room for Jeanette. There had been a year when Citrine studied hard and finished first in her grade Sawyer had asked what she wanted as a reward, and she’d said she wanted a computer and some gaming gear for her room. At first, Sawyer had agreed. Later, though, he’d claimed the noise would disturb Jeanette’s rest and told Citrine not to be so selfish,&
After that, she’d never asked Sawyer for anything again.
“Do you like it?” Raymond asked, watching her reaction with quiet satisfaction. He’d never seen Citrine look like this before–genuinely happy, like a child who’d just been given the perfect gift.
She didn’t say much, but Raymond could tell how pleased she was. He fought back a smile, making a mental note to give Adler a bonus for handling the arrangements so well!!
Citrine nodded. “I love it,” she said, already taking a seat and settling in.!!
“I have a meeting” Raymond said, seeing how content she was. “You can hang out here for a while. If you need anything, just ask Adler” With that, he left her to enjoy her new setup.!!
Citrine sat alone at the computer, a little bored, so she logged into the website where she posted her stories. The moment she signed in, she was stunned by the flood of notifications–over ninety–nine messages waiting for her!
In just a few days, her latest novel had racked up thousands of comments and an outpouring of requests for new chapters. Skimming through the feedback, she saw that almost all of it was positive; only a handful of negative remarks stood out!!
On top of that, her inbox was full of offers from editors asking her to sign a contract.
She picked one at random, read through the contract carefully to make sure there were no hidden traps, and signed the deal without hesitation.
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