The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 199

Both Clarence and Seraphina had powerful connections—people you simply couldn't afford to offend. But then again, Obsidian was the author of *Innocent*, and upsetting her was equally out of the question.

The director's gaze darted anxiously between Clarence, Seraphina, and finally landed on Citrine, caught squarely in the middle of an impossible situation. These were all VIPs; nothing he did would please everyone. With a deep, frustrated sigh, he wondered if it wasn't time to quit this job altogether.

Seeing how serious Citrine looked, the director realized there was no simple fix here.

Helpless, he shot a covert pleading look at Clarence and Seraphina, silently begging them to show a little more professionalism.

Finally, he mustered up his courage and made the introduction. "This is Obsidian, the original author of *Innocent*."

"What? That's impossible!" Clarence and Seraphina blurted out in unison.

"The internet says Obsidian's a middle-aged man. How could it possibly be her?" Seraphina's eyes swept Citrine from head to toe, utterly baffled.

Clarence was equally stunned. "Exactly. She can't be more than a teenager—how could someone so young write a story like that?"

Edith stepped forward to clear things up. "I'm Obsidian's editor. There's really no reason for us to lie. If you don't believe it, you can call our publisher and confirm."

No matter how shocked they were, Clarence and Seraphina had no choice but to accept the truth.

Still, knowing Citrine only had one acclaimed novel to her name, and that she was a newcomer in literary circles, neither of them took her too seriously.

The director, desperate to keep the situation from spiraling further, seized the moment to speak to Citrine. "Obsidian, we have a few more scenes to shoot this afternoon. Why not stay and watch? I promise, our actors are professionals."

He'd said all he could. Citrine had nothing left to argue, so she simply nodded.

All she could hope for now was that Clarence and Seraphina would show a little more professionalism this afternoon than they had earlier.