The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 664

Citrine couldn’t help but laugh out loud when she heard that.

How could anyone be so full of themselves? She’d truly never seen someone quite like this before.

Hilda took a deep breath, exasperated. “Please, stop flattering yourself,” she said. “Ever since Citrine went missing all those years ago, it hasn’t just been you. Whenever I came across a girl around my daughter’s age, no matter who she was, if she was in trouble, I’d do everything I could to help.”

She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice softer. “I did all of this to build up good karma for my daughter. I just hoped that maybe, by doing so, God would watch over me and help me find her sooner.”

Even now, Hilda was deeply grateful for all those things she’d done. Maybe she really had accumulated enough good will, and that’s why—by some miracle—she’d finally found her Citrine.

It was the first time Citrine had ever heard any of this. Outwardly, she seemed unmoved, her expression unreadable, but her eyes reflected a storm of emotion.

She’d never imagined her mother was out there, trying to earn blessings for her in such a way. What made her happiest, though, was knowing her mother had never forgotten her.

Citrine couldn’t help but wonder: if she and her mother had never reunited, would her mom still be out there, seeing every bright-eyed college girl and thinking of the daughter who should have been living her best years in the sunlight?

That kind of longing filled her heart with warmth—and a little ache.

Citrine’s feelings were a tangled knot of joy, gratitude, and sorrow. Across from her, Leda seemed on the verge of breaking down as she listened, absolutely refusing to accept what she was hearing.

Leda’s voice trembled as she shouted, “No way—Mrs. Saunders, you and my mom have always been close friends! You’ve always treated me so well, and you even promised my mom you’d take me in as your goddaughter. Mrs. Saunders, there’s no way you could forget that!”

Turning back to Leda, Hilda’s expression grew firm and composed.

“Leda, let me make things clear for you, once and for all. Listen carefully.”

“First, your mother was never my close friend. She was just a client, nothing more. After all, the Saunders family and the Swift family move in completely different circles; I would never have socialized with people from your background.”

“Second, I never agreed to take you as my goddaughter. It’s true, your mother brought it up once, but I didn’t answer her. I only stayed silent because I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of everyone.”

“And finally, the only reason I was ever kind to you was because you reminded me of my daughter, nothing else.”