The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 422

Hastings stared coldly at Citrine, then slapped her twice, sharp and dismissive. “I’m warning you—don’t make Kali upset again. Next time, you won’t get off this easy.”

Citrine was still in the dark about what had happened the night before. She looked at the two of them, bewildered. Not long ago, they’d been falling over themselves to be kind to her, calling her “sis” and treating her like family. Now, in the blink of an eye, their warmth had turned to ice.

Before she could speak, Hastings hurled a stack of photographs at her. The pictures scattered in a messy flurry across the floor. As Citrine bent to pick them up, her face drained of color.

Every photo was of her.

She saw herself, disheveled, skin exposed, her clothes slipping off her shoulders. In a few of the shots, a powerful, masculine arm was wrapped tightly around her chest—a man’s arm, unmistakably.

Suddenly, Citrine understood what Quentin had meant by “the real deal.”

“How could you do this?” Her hand trembled as she gripped the photos, her face ashen.

Quentin just laughed, utterly unfazed. “That’s what you get for crossing our princess Kali.”

Hastings’ gaze was razor-sharp as he fixed it on her. “Listen to me, Citrine. Kali is our darling, our princess. You? You’re just a stray with no one to care about you. You’re not even fit to shine her shoes. If you make Kali unhappy again, I won’t let it slide.”

Citrine looked at them in disbelief. “Is this all because of Kali?”

“That’s right,” Hastings replied without hesitation.

Still lost, Citrine stammered, “But I haven’t done anything to her.”

Quentin’s temper snapped. He jabbed a finger at her face, shouting, “You nearly killed Kali, and you act like you’re blameless? How can you be so heartless?”

He seemed to get angrier just thinking about it. “If I wasn’t a man, I’d teach you a lesson right now.” To vent his frustration, he kicked the sofa hard enough to make it shudder.

Citrine stood frozen, her mind spinning.