NovelEnglishChapter 110 Section Two.
Clifford watched from the back of the hall, his gaze drifting as Citrine stood on stage, radiant under the spotlight.
It was hard to believe how much she'd changed in just a few months.
He could still remember when Citrine was considered a nobody, clueless and unremarkable.
As Clifford drifted off in thought, someone nudged his arm.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Hey, what's going on?" Laird asked, sounding irritated. "Didn't Jeanette swear she'd take first place this time? So why is Citrine still at the top?" Laird had always clashed with Citrine, and after watching her hog the spotlight for several contests in a row, he couldn't help but voice his frustration.
Clifford let out a sigh. "There's been strouble with the Iverson family lately. Jeanette... well, she must've been distracted, that's why she didn't do her best." Just thinking about the Iverson family's recent troubles brought a shadow to Clifford's face.
He'd heard about the company's crisis-his father and older brother had been so busy trying to fix things, they hadn't been hin weeks.
He was the last in the family to learn that Citrine was actually Raymond's biological daughter. Before that, he and Jeanette both believed Citrine's real father was just spenniless nobody.
All these revelations, layered on top of the family's mess, left Clifford feeling conflicted and confused. He couldn't understand why Citrine had aligned herself with the Carmichaels against the Iversons.
After the school awards ceremony, Citrine received a scholarship notification-ten thousand dollars. She was so thrilled that when she got hthat afternoon, she did something unheard of: she polished off two full plates at dinner.
Raymond noticed immediately. "You've got quite the appetite tonight." Citrine was usually picky about food, rarely ate meat, and barely finished half a plate. Her enthusiasm tonight took him by surprise.
"I got first in my year," Citrine blurted out, unable to hide her delight. Her eyes sparkled with genuine happiness. Raymond rarely saw her this joyful. Even at home, when she smiled at him, there was always a trace of distance, as if her happiness was never quite real.
Watching her now, he couldn't help but smile warmly. "But you always cfirst, don't you? I've never seen you this excited before." For the longest time, Raymond had misunderstood and thought Citrine was a poor student. In reality, she'd been acing every monthly exam lately, nearly scoring perfect marks-even on those notoriously tough essays.
He felt a surge of pride. His daughter was simply born to excel.
Citrine focused on her meal. "It's different this time. I broke the school's all-trecord and there's a cash prize, too." At the mention of the prize, her eyes lit up even more.
Raymond chuckled. "Do you really love money that much?" She hesitated, then answered with sincerity, "Of course." Having money meant she could control her own fate. People could change, but money never would.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn her last life, everyone she loved had betrayed her. Only the money in her bank account had stayed by her side.
Most importantly, she'd known what it meant to go without ithout That's why she understood so well the importance of security and power.
The mention of money jogged Raymond's memory, and he frowned gently. "By the way, why haven't you used the card I gave you?" He'd given Citrine his main bank card, the one with all his savings, but he'd noticed she hadn't touched it once.
She glanced down, her voice calm. "There's nothing I need to buy."
What she didn't know was that Raymond had given her his primary account. She'd accepted the card when he offered it, but she'd never intended to use it.
Raymond had plenty of money and could afford to take care of her, but with the Iverson family looming in the background, Qitrine couldn't guarantee what her place in his life would be if he remarried and had another daughter someday. She'd decided from the start not to owe him anything. Raymond took her answer at face value. He didn't press any further.
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