NovelGoldChapter 16 Citrine's arrival in his life had been completely unexpected.
And for Raymond, that surprise cwith a tangle of emotions he could scarcely unravel.
When Citrine first cto him, he hadn't believed her claims. Only after the DNA test confirmed she was indeed his biological daughter did he force himself to accept the truth-however much it unsettled him.
But now, as he watched her, Raymond finally realized just how much he owed this girl.
He had brought her into the world, yet failed utterly to protect her.
That afternoon, when school let out at five, Citrine was wandering the curb, scanning for the Carmichael family's car, when she suddenly spotted a familiar black Phantom idling nearby.
"Don't bother looking-there's no driver today," Raymond called, striding over with his long, purposeful steps as he climbed out of the car.
Citrine stared, wide-eyed, as he approached her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"What are you doing here?" she asked, the question lingering in her mind though she kept her face carefully neutral.
He had taken her out for dinner once before, but Citrine never really believed Raymond wanted to pick her up from school, not after how obviously reluctant he'd been to acknowledge her at first.
"The driver had something urgent, and I happened to be free," Raymond replied, his expression stiff for a moment as he avoided her gaze.
Citrine nodded, accepting his explanation without question.
Once they were both in the car, Raymond broke the silence. "We're going to get your paperwork sorted out." He'd made up his mind about this before he even arrived.
Citrine paused, puzzled by his sudden concern. She couldn't quite figure Raymond out.
"Why?" She could still remember all too well how hard he had resisted accepting her when they first met.
Raymond knew she hadn't forgotten that first, uncomfortable encounter, and for a brief second, he regretted it.
He offered an explanation: "I didn't realize you were really my daughter when we first met." Citrine understood what he was getting at.
"Do you want to change your name?" Raymond hesitated, thinking of how she might have struggled in the Iverson family. "You don't have to keep your old one if you don't want to." Citrine shook her head.
She'd been Citrine all her life. There was no reason to change that now.
Raymond assumed she must still feel sattachment to the Iversons and let the matter drop.
When they reached the appropriate office, Raymond handled all the paperwork with brisk efficiency. Everything went smoothly, and in no time, it was done.
Citrine watched as her new details were added-her own page now filed neatly behind Raymond's.
But this time, she wasn't just Citrine.
She was Citrine Carmichael.
Afterward, Citrine thought he'd drive her straight back to the Carmichael house- but instead, Raymond turned the car toward the mall.
"Aren't we going home?" she asked, puzzled.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"We're here to get you sproper clothes," Raymond replied, glancing at her faded sweatshirt and worn jeans with a slight frown.
For a moment, Citrine could almost feel his disapproval.
She looked down at her washed-out clothes and had to admit they did look a little shabby.
Raymond swept her into a designer boutique and, with a single decisive gesture, bought out all the fatest collections for her. Citrine didn't even have to try anything on, which made the process surprisingly easy. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, thinking his bold, no-nonsense style suited him perfectly.
They went from store to store, and Raymond did the sin each one. Citrine had to admit, it was nice not having to worry about anything. Still, seeing the sheer amount he was spending made her heart ache a little.
If she had that kind of money to herself, she couldn't imagine how happy she'd be.
Back at the Iversons', she'd been so focused on getting Jeanette out of the house that money or career had never ever crossed her mind. And with Aline-Jeanette's mother-refusing to give her a single cent, Citrine barely had a thousand dollars to her name.
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