NovelXXXChapter 395 At that moment, Citrine stood at the center of a crowd of friends.
Sylvan grinned, raising his hand in mock solemnity. "I swear, little sis, this is the highlight of my entire gaming career." Carney let out a low whistle. "First ttrying this strategy, and you pulled it off flawlessly. Seriously, you flattened Team Nine and wiped the floor with them. That was damn satisfying." Springer's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration. "You took their whole supply cache by yourself. I already thought you were impressive, but you keep blowing us away. Today was on another level." Travis snorted, a proud smirk tugging at his lips. "Well, what did you expect? She's my sister, after all." The group groaned in protest. "Oh, con, Travis. Don't be so possessive. She's everyone's little sister here." All the praise put a real, honest glow in Citrine's eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel a flicker of joy. But it lasted less than five minutes. Travis's smile suddenly vanished, and his jaw tightened as he noticed someone approaching.
He shot a warning glare at the newcomer. "What are you doing here?" Wade strode over, Curry trailing behind him. He'd cto congratulate his little sister in person, only to stumble upon the lively scene: Citrine, surrounded by friends, all sharing the thrill of victory. Travis kept ruffling her hair, and she didn't even shy away. She looked so genuinely happy, so at ease with this crowd.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtA pang of envy twisted in Wade's chest.
He'd always envied friends who had a little sister-someone to take racing, to mess around with, to look out for. When his aunt finally had a baby girl, he'd counted down the days, desperate to meet her. But soon after she was born, she disappeared.
Now, after all these years, he'd finally found her. But she already had other "older brothers" by her side. Wade might seem easygoing, but he wasn't clueless. He could see how well these guys looked after her.
He ignored Travis completely, his gaze fixed solely on Citrine.
Travis's face darkened. "Citrine, let's go. Don't pay attention to this lunatic." He took her hand, ready to lead her away.
"You're not leaving." Wade's voice cracked with urgency as he stepped in front of them, arms outstretched to block their path.
He looked at Citrine, careful to soften his tone as if he worried about scaring her. "Would you would you chwith me? Or maybe just to the hospital? We could... we could do a DNA test." Citrine frowned, her answer blunt and final. "No." Then, more firmly, she added, "And I'm not your sister. I won't go with you for a DNA test. Please stop bothering me." Her words left no room for hope.
The brutal lessons of her past had taught Citrine one thing: she could only ever truly rely on herself.
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The misfortune she'd suffered in her previous life felt etched into her very bones. Even now, after she'd finally Raymond acknowledged Raymond as her biological father, she knew that didn't mean she could trust him-or anyone completely. Whenever she dealt with the Carmichaels, there was always a mask between her and them.
At first, recognizing Raymond as her father had been about desperately wanting proof that her real dad loved her. But when the evidence was "El.
undeniable-when Raymond's love was right in front of her-her first reaction hadn't been happiness, but fear. She wanted to run. People raised in the cold crave warmth. But when they finally find it, they can't help wanting more; after all, people are greedy by nature.
But relying on someone else's kindness is never a real solution. Sooner or later, that warmth can be taken away, and then the pain is even worse.
Citrine would rather be alone. No expectations meant no disappointment, and most importantly, no one could hurt her again.
She knew she wasn't made for warmth. Her past had stripped away all hope for family. She'd once m believed the Carmichaels could fill that emptiness inside her, but the closer she got, the bigger the void seemed to grow-always accompanied by fear. And she hated that feeling most of all. Chapter 395 Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.
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