The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

In the end, the Archer family still kept silent about Mirage Cay. Citrine didn't press them, wary of scaring them off, nor did she agree to any partnership. All she said was that she'd think it over.

After dinner, Citrine had medical equipment and supplies delivered. She watched as her team carried everything into the makeshift operating room Vester had set up, only returning to her room once the installation was finished.

That afternoon, under the pretense of getting familiar with the castle, Citrine asked one of the staff to show her around.

They toured the grounds first, then Citrine requested a look inside.

The castle was massive. The housekeeper did their best to introduce every room, one by one, until they reached the fifth floor. There, the maid came to an abrupt halt.

Citrine looked at her, puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

The maid offered an apologetic smile. "Ms. Carmichael, the entire fifth floor is our master's private office suite. No one's allowed up there without his permission."

Citrine glanced at the door, noting the keypad lock, then turned away. "Alright, let's move on."

Seeing that Citrine didn't seem upset, the maid relaxed and finished showing her the rest of the castle.

By the time she'd seen every floor, Citrine was completely worn out and headed straight for her room.

She was still catching her breath when Sebastian Vesper came over. "What on earth did you do to get this tired?"

Citrine poured herself a glass of water, then collapsed onto the sofa. “If I didn't know how big and important the Archer family was, I'd think they were trying to mess with me on purpose."

She drained the glass in one go, poured herself another, and went on. "This place is enormous. I felt like I was walking across my entire college campus."

Sebastian sat down beside her. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Citrine nodded. "Yeah, it's on the fifth floor. But there's a security camera and a lock on the door. It'll take some time to get in."

Sebastian's tone grew serious. "Is there anything I can do?" After all, he was here to help her in any way he could.

Citrine thought for a moment. "Are you any good at cracking codes?"

Sebastian grinned. "Leave the password to me."

"I'll be waiting for good news, then." Citrine Stood up. "I'm going to t

shower. I worked up quite a lake a

walking around, and I feel gross."

Sebastian smiled. "The hot water's ready. You go ahead."

Just like she would at home, Citrine tossed her hair up into a messy bun and headed into the bathroom.

The bath was heavenly, and she felt lighter with every minute that passed.

When she was done, Citrine reached for her clothes-only to realize, with a sinking feeling, that she'd been so comfortable she'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes, just like she might at home.

Great. That was embarrassing.

She frowned, rifling through every cabinet until she finally found a fresh pack of towels. Ripping open the packaging, she wrapped herself up tightly and stepped out of the bathroom.

Sebastian was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. Hearing her, he looked up and they locked eyes.noveldrama

For a second, the air was thick with awkwardness.

Citrine's bare shoulders glistened with droplets of water, pale against the towel. Sebastian, suddenly flustered, quickly looked away.

Citrine forced a laugh, her voice a little strained. “Uh, I forgot to bring my clothes."

She started to cross the room to grab them, but the moment she took a step, her slippers decided to betray her, sliding out from under her feet.

Citrine lost her balance.