The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 741

Citrine didn’t say a word. She just looked at him, steady and unwavering, her heart stirring ever so slightly.

Most people, faced with a situation like this, would think of themselves first. But not him.

Citrine’s silence made Sebastian anxious. He reached out, fumbling for the oxygen tank strapped to his side, determined to hand it to her. But as soon as his fingers brushed the tank, a soft, warm hand covered his.

Startled, Sebastian looked up and found Citrine watching him intently.

She signed to him gently, as if trying to reassure a child: “Don’t worry. I’m not going to die.”

Done, she pointed upward and continued signing, her intention clear: “We’ll go up together.”

Sebastian saw the resolve in her eyes, and considering how long she had already endured underwater, he guessed she was probably a professional freediver. That thought eased his nerves a little.

After a brief hesitation, he nodded at her.

Citrine smiled faintly and reached her hand out to him.

Sebastian, feeling both surprised and humbled by the gesture, took her hand carefully, afraid to hold on too tightly.

They exchanged a glance, then kicked upward, swimming toward the surface.

In her previous life and this one, freediving was second nature to Citrine. She’d helped recover countless artifacts for her country—diving without equipment was as familiar to her as walking down the street.

Still, worry eventually outweighed his irritation. Hastings, afraid something might happen to Citrine, spread his arms in the water to block her and Sebastian’s path.

He tried to unclip his oxygen tank to give it to Citrine, but the moment his hand touched it, Citrine pushed him away without hesitation, towing Sebastian with her as she shot toward the surface.