The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 600

“Yes, sir.”

At the order, the soldier in camouflage readied his rifle and crept slowly toward the corner.

It was a dead end—nowhere left to run. Hilda reached into her pocket and drew out a knife, gripping it tightly in her palm.

The footsteps drew nearer. Determined, Hilda sprang from her hiding spot, thrusting the blade toward the soldier’s chest.

She’d picked up a little self-defense over the years, but this man—one of Mirage Cay’s elite, trained to the bone—was in a different league. He knocked the knife from her hand before she could blink. With barely any effort, he pinned her arms and pressed the muzzle of his rifle against her back, shoving her up the stairs to the rooftop.

The moment Hilda appeared, Citrine’s eyes widened in shock. She quickly masked her reaction, forcing her emotions down and showing nothing on her face.

Talbot, on the other hand, looked genuinely surprised. His lips curled into a mocking smile.

“Well, President Saunders, shouldn’t you be enjoying your corner office? What brings you here?”

Hilda ignored him. Her gaze fell on Citrine—she looked her up and down, searching for injuries. Only when she saw Citrine was unharmed did her shoulders loosen.

She turned to Talbot, scoffing. “Let her go, Talbot. I’ll help you get out of the country.”

Talbot’s grin widened. This was getting more interesting by the minute—one after another, all of them so protective of Citrine. What spell had she cast on them?

But he no longer cared about escaping. His eyes narrowed, voice sharp. “President Saunders, what exactly is your relationship with Citrine Carmichael?”

The answer hovered in the air. Talbot barely waited a second before continuing, “She’s your long-lost daughter, isn’t she?”

Hilda didn’t answer, but her expression said enough.

He turned to Citrine, and without warning, forced a gun into her hands.

Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, “Citrine, do you remember what happened on Mirage Cay?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. “Do you remember what it felt like to be torn apart by those dogs? How those people lost their minds and tore each other to pieces? Blood everywhere, bones floating in the puddles the next morning.”

“You suffered there—night after night of beatings, torture. You almost died more times than you can count. And while you bled and cried, your parents were living it up, wining and dining without a care in the world. Tell me, don’t you resent them? Don’t you feel the injustice, deep in your bones?”

Talbot’s voice was a dark, poisonous wind. “If only they’d found you sooner, you wouldn’t have suffered like that. They’re the reason for everything that happened to you. You were just a child—eleven, twelve at most. You should have been the brightest jewel of both the Carmichaels and the Saunders. Instead, you became a pawn for the Glenwood family’s greed.”

He tightened his grip on Citrine’s hand, guiding the gun’s barrel until it pointed at Raymond.

“Go on,” Talbot urged, voice low and insidious. “Kill them.”