The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 23

Citrine froze, staring at Raymond in confusion. Wasn't he just telling her to get out?

Seeing the way the girl tensed up, Raymond's dislike for the Iverson family only deepened. Clearly, she'd been blamed for things she didn't do more than once in that house.

He knew she was sensitive, so his tone softened as he quickly explained, "No one's asking you to apologize."

Then, glancing at the red mark on Valerie's cheek, he asked in an even voice, "Did your hand get hurt?"

Citrine blinked, her large, beautiful eyes widening in surprise. "Aren't you going to ask why I hit her?"

Back at the Iversons', whenever something like this happened, Sawyer never cared about the reason—he'd just force her to apologize. Citrine had gotten used to it.

Raymond just shrugged, as if it were nothing. "You already told me—she deserved it. That's good enough for me."

For a moment, Citrine's calm heart started to race with a strange spark of excitement. She looked at Raymond, eager for reassurance. "You really believe me?"

Her eyes glittered like the night sky, full of hope.

Raymond felt a sudden warmth in his chest as he met her gaze. "Of course I do. You're my daughter," he said, without a hint of doubt.

He thought for a moment, then added, "Right or wrong doesn't matter. What matters is that no one gets to push you around."

"If anyone tries to mess with you, you have every right to stand up for yourself."

"My daughter has nothing to fear in Havencrest," he finished, a touch of pride in his voice.

Raymond's reputation in Havencrest's elite circles was that of a madman—someone everyone wanted to stay on the good side of. He'd never cared about what people thought of him.

Because of what he said, Citrine felt lighter than she had in a long time. The two of them, father and daughter, grew closer that day without even realizing it.