The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 559

“Thank you, President Carmichael.”

“President Carmichael, consider this a favor we owe you. If there’s ever anything we can do for you in the future, just say the word.”

“President Carmichael, you’re a good person. We’re truly sorry for letting you down.”

“We really are sorry, President Carmichael.”

Citrine was far too gracious; even those who had planned to walk away from Blood Rain couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt and a certain fondness for her. Still, the terrifying prospect of Mirage Cay left them with no real choice.

Citrine understood, of course, and bore no grudge against them.

Now, only The Carmichael Group, C. Corp, The Watkins Group, and The Shaw Group remained in Blood Rain.

Lately, Citrine could hardly sleep through the night.

It was only a few days until New Year’s.

But just then, an aggressive viral flu broke out in Crestwood. Highly contagious, it swept through the city in mere days, bringing Crestwood to its knees.

When everyone thought things couldn’t possibly get worse, Havencrest and Blackhollow succumbed next. Soon after, cities across the country fell one by one—no place was spared by the epidemic.

Hospitals everywhere were packed beyond capacity, but even so, resources were woefully insufficient. Many seriously ill patients couldn’t even get an appointment, let alone a bed.

The flu struck with a vengeance, targeting the immune system. Standard treatments proved useless; doctors couldn’t identify the underlying cause and had no effective medication. Ordinary flu remedies only seemed to make things worse, sometimes even accelerating the decline.

In a matter of days, the hospitals saw wave after wave of fatalities.

On New Year’s Day, Raymond’s father, Weston Carmichael, and Raymond themselves both fell ill.

The next day, after the housekeeper finished preparing breakfast, neither Weston nor Raymond made their way downstairs. That’s when Citrine sensed something was wrong. She went upstairs and headed first to Raymond’s room.

Raymond lay on his bed, face ghostly pale. An ominous feeling crept over Citrine as she stepped closer and pressed her hand to his forehead.