The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Jeanette put on a look of gratefulness, her eyes brimming with tears that

threatened to spill over. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Mr. Gorman, I can't thank you enough for getting me out of there. I have nothing left now. This is all I can do."

Seeing how nervous she was, Gorman finally relented and took a seat at the dining table.

He picked up a small dinner roll, took a bite, and nodded. "Not bad. Tastes good."

Then he gestured for her to sit down as well. "Come on, eat with me."

Jeanette's heart leapt. She quickly took the seat across from him.

As they ate, Gorman finally remembered to ask, "You're about the age most people are heading off to college. How did you end up in the Neon Hive?"

Jeanette's eyes flickered with bitterness. "My family went bankrupt. My father's in prison, my mother left the country-I was all alone, completely broke. I tried to find a job, but ended up getting tricked and dragged into the Neon Hive."

Gorman glanced at her, suddenly thinking of his own younger sister. If she hadn't disappeared, she'd be about Jeanette's age now. He pressed his lips together. "Don't worry. I'll find whoever did this to you."

Jeanette stared at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to go that far for her -it caught her off guard.

"Mr. Gorman, can I ask why you're helping me like this?"

He didn't even like her. So what did he want out of all this?

Gorman paused, silent for a long while. He absently rolled the prayer beads around his wrist before answering in a low voice, "Just lending a hand, that's all." Jeanette noticed the darkness in his eyes and decided not to press any further. Mr. Gorman was cold by nature and rarely spoke much. Whenever he fixed his deep, unfathomable gaze on her, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

She always felt as if he was looking through her, seeing someone else.

Maybe he was using her as a stand-in.

After all, the heirs from Crestwood

were known to play around, and ite wasn't unheard of for them to keep girls around as substitutes for someone they'd lost.

Jeanette quietly tucked the thought away.

But she didn't mind. If she could marry into high society, she didn't care what role she played.noveldrama

Testing the waters, she asked, "Mr. Gorman, will you always treat me this kindly?"

Gorman didn't answer right away. Nearly two minutes passed before he finally spoke.

"I'll make sure you're taken care of. You'll have nothing to worry about from now on."

The light in Jeanette's eyes slowly faded.

"Thank you, Mr. Gorman." She could tell he had no intention of keeping her around for long, but she smiled anyway.

Gorman was always efficient. The very next day, he had people investigate exactly how Jeanette ended up in the Neon Hive.

It didn't take long before the trail led

to CICI Group's chaman. became clear.

Everything became

A short while later, someone reported Citrine's situation to Gorman.

Hearing the details, Gorman's brow furrowed. "That Citrine Carmichael-young as

she is, she's got quite the ruthless streak."

On the other end, someone tried to

dissuade him. "Maybe just let it go. We've only just returned to the country. Getting tangled up with CICI Group right now might not be the best idea."

Gorman shook his head. "No. There's no way I'm letting this slide."