The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Could it be that Raymond's already been discharged from the hospital?

Lying in bed, Raymond immediately looked toward the door as soon as he heard the voices.

When he spotted Citrine, he instinctively grabbed the nearest pillow and lobbed it at Calvin.

"You old fool, what the hell are you saying? Get out!" Raymond's eyes darkened as he recalled what Calvin had just been saying to Citrine a moment before.

Calvin caught the flying pillow and glanced back and forth between the two of them, suddenly piecing it all together.

"So this is your daughter!"

Calvin, who rarely knew the meaning of embarrassment, now wished the ground would swallow him up as he remembered the nonsense he'd been spouting just moments ago.

"Come on in," he said, scratching his head awkwardly, his voice tinged with

unease.

After speaking, he shot a cautious look at Raymond.

Raymond ignored him completely, apparently worried that Calvin might be a bad influence on his daughter.

Right now, his entire attention was fixed on Citrine.

"Don't mind him he never knows when to keep his mouth shut," Raymond muttered.

But even so, Citrine could tell from their banter that these two must be close friends.

Carrying a thermos, Citrine stepped into the room and offered Calvin a polite smile.

Calvin nodded back in greeting.

"This is Calvin-my friend and private doctor. Just call him Calvin," Raymond introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Calvin," Citrine said, sensing no ill intent from him.

"Pleasure's all mine," Calvin replied, giving her a playful wink.

What a character, Citrine thought, stealing a glance at Raymond-so different

from his friend-and wondered how the two ever became close.

Night had already fallen, and Raymond was more than a little worried.

"How did you get here?" he asked, sitting up in bed, his tone gentle.

Citrine hesitated for a second before answering, "It was Ismael—he told me you were sick, so I came to check on you."

She spoke with perfect composure, not the least bit guilty about selling Ismael out.

As she spoke, she calmly unpacked the simple, nourishing soup and some sides she had brought along.

Raymond didn't press her, whether or not he believed her excuse. Citrine let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Here, have something to eat," she said, setting up the hospital's overbed table and adjusting it to a comfortable height for him.

Although Raymond didn't feel particularly unwell at the moment, he was still

surprised by how deftly Citrine handled everything.

"Have you looked after patients before?" Raymond asked, feeling awkward about letting her fuss over him and sitting up straighter.

"I have," Citrine replied simply, not offering any further details.

Raymond understood and didn't probe further.noveldrama

After all this time, he knew his daughter well enough: if there was something she didn't want to talk about, no amount of questions would get her to open up. Most

of the time, her silence just meant she didn't want to explain.

Citrine set out the soup and sides on the table, unwrapping each with care.

"Eat up," she said, handing him a fork.

Raymond reached for it, took a sip of the warm, comforting soup, and couldn't help but smile.

It tasted exactly the same as last time.

She'd made it herself-he knew it.

Standing off to the side, Calvin caught sight of Raymond's oddly contented grin as he sipped his soup and felt a sudden chill down his spine. "Raymond, maybe you should take a look in the mirror-you'd see what a sight you are right now."

Raymond, clearly in a good mood, couldn't be bothered to respond.

Calvin wouldn't have dared tease him otherwise.