The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 635

Weston’s eyes widened in disbelief, his glare sharp and unkind as he stared down the elderly gentleman standing beside Nathanael. “Grandfather? Are you kidding me? I’m right here! What makes this old man think he’s Citrine’s grandfather?”

He could have understood if it were Inez or Herschel, but this stranger? He’d never even seen the man before, didn’t have the faintest clue where he’d sprung from—yet the moment he appeared, he was claiming to be Citrine’s grandfather.

Weston was her real grandfather, her only grandfather by blood. And to make matters worse, Citrine had never even called him Grandpa. Hmph. What right did this old codger have?

Trying to steal his granddaughter? Over his dead body.

Nathanael almost forgot, for a split second, that Weston Carmichael was the chairman’s true grandfather. He shot an awkward glance at Ogden, standing nearby.

Ogden’s expression was stone-cold, his silence icy and foreboding, like the calm before a storm.

Nathanael knew better than to provoke either of these titans.

The tension in the room was so thick it was suffocating, as if the air itself had frozen.

Nathanael’s gaze darted nervously between the two men, painfully aware of the awkwardness.

He swallowed hard and attempted a weak smile, fumbling for an explanation. “Mr. Ogden and the chairman have known each other for a very long time. She’s always… held him in high regard—”

Ogden cut him off before he could finish. “Nathanael, there’s no need to explain anything to them.”

He turned his steely eyes on Weston and those standing behind him, letting out a cold laugh. “I should have insisted that Citrine come live with me in Crestwood from the start. I thought the Carmichaels would take good care of her, but it’s been less than two years and you’ve already managed to land her in the hospital.”

The rebuke was unmistakable in his voice. He couldn’t believe it—he’d only been out of the country for a short while, and in his absence, his precious granddaughter had nearly lost her life.

No one could possibly understand the pain he felt when he got that call from Nathanael.

He’d dropped everything, chartered a private jet, and flown straight home.

The Carmichaels, already wracked with guilt over Citrine, fell silent, unable to say a word in their defense after Ogden’s accusation.

Weston had been about to protest Ogden seeing Citrine, but Raymond grabbed his arm and held him back.