The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Citrine was thoroughly exhausted, and for once, she slept soundly, showing no sign of waking even as dinnertime approached.

Sebastian, worried she'd miss a meal and upset her stomach, finally leaned in and gently called her name.

"Citrine, time to wake up."

She didn't respond.

Sebastian sighed, settling himself on the edge of the bed and moving closer. "Citrine," he murmured again, his voice as soft as ever.

Still, she showed no intention of stirring. Watching her sleep so peacefully, Sebastian couldn't bring himself to raise his voice. With no other choice, he leaned in until his lips were almost brushing her ear and whispered, "Citrine, it's time to get up."

Half-awake, Citrine heard someone calling her name, but she was convinced she was still dreaming. With a faint furrow in her brow, she turned over, and in the next moment, her lips brushed against something cool and soft. Not realizing what it was, she absentmindedly thought it was some delicious candy, and even stuck out her pink tongue to taste it.

Her eyes remained closed. She had no idea her lips were pressed against Sebastian's.

Sebastian's eyes went wide in shock. For a moment, he completely forgot what to do with his hands or where to look.

Her warm, petal-soft tongue traced lightly over his lips, sending an electric thrill through every nerve in his body. His ears flushed crimson, and his heart hammered so hard he thought it might leap out of his chest.

He knew he should pull away, but he was frozen in place, caught between panic and a desperate wish for this moment to last just a little longer.

After what felt like an eternity, Sebastian finally managed to pull himself together. Reluctantly, he sat up, his lips still tingling and damp with the taste of her. He licked them clean, savoring the fleeting sensation.

Once he'd gathered himself, he leaned over her again, but this time he gently patted her back, coaxing, "Citrine, time to get up.”

This time, Citrine finally stirred. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly came to her senses.

All she could remember was dreaming of eating sweets, but now, awake, there was nothing left.

Sebastian's gaze lingered on Citrine's dewy lips, his eyes darkening.

After a brief pause, he cleared his throat and said, "Citrine, the housekeeper just called us down for dinner."

Her stomach gave a quiet rumble, and at the mention of food, she immediately perked up, sitting up straight.

She ran a hand through her hair and turned to Sebastian. "Let's go, then."

The Archer family had always made a point of dining together.

When Citrine and Sebastian arrived, Vester, Jason, and Ileana were already seated at the table.

Citrine nodded in greeting to the three of them.

Vester beamed at them. "Ms. Carmichael, Mr. Vesper, good to see you. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," Citrine replied.

But as she and Sebastian began to sit, Jason let out a pointed little scoff. It wasn't loud, but it carried far enough for them to hear.

Citrine glanced across the table at him, and found Jason staring right back at her.

Before she could speak, Jason's

tone turned cold. "Ms. Carmichael, Mr. Vesper, I know you're our guests, but don't you think you're taking a few too many liberties? We've been waiting for you for ages."noveldrama

It was true; they were late. Citrine offered a polite apology. "I'm sorry. I overslept. It won't happen again."

She was nothing if not courteous,

but Jason clearly wasn't in the mood to let it go. He kept pushing, his eyes flicking from Citrine to Sebastian, à mocking glint in his gaze. "In the middle of the day, no less. If the two of you can't keep your hands off each other, maybe you shouldn't be staying under our roof."

Even Citrine, who usually let things slide, could see Jason was picking a fight.

Her expression cooled. "Mr. Archer,

if you're going to be so aggressive, maybe you should check your own manners. You keep this up, and someone's bound to take a swing at you."