The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

June slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Final exams were just around the corner at colleges all across the city.

On this particular day, Citrine was heading to Havencrest Technical College, just as she always did, to tutor Travis and his friends.

She had barely stepped into the academic building when a sweet-faced girl darted up and blocked her path, arms outstretched.

"Would you... could you give this to Travis for me?" The girl carefully pulled a pink envelope from her pocket, holding it out with both hands. Her eyes sparkled with hope as she pressed her palms together in a silent plea. "Please?"

Nervously clutching the envelope, the girl's cheeks flushed a gentle pink.

Citrine glanced at the letter but didn't take it right away. Instead, she asked, "Do you have a crush on my brother?"

The girl nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've liked him for a long time......." With that, Dulcie Sinclair shyly dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I'll give him your letter," Citrine replied, finally accepting the pink envelope, "but whether he reads it or not is up to him."

It took real courage to admit you liked someone-Citrine could tell Dulcie had been building up to this moment for a while.

"Thank you!" Dulcie's face lit up as Citrine took the letter, her excitement barely contained.noveldrama

Before heading upstairs, Citrine paused to look at Dulcie, her expression softening. "My brother's going to be someone really impressive one day. If you like him, then work on becoming someone remarkable too."

With those words, Citrine climbed the stairs, leaving Dulcie behind.

Dulcie watched Citrine's retreating figure, and in that instant, something inside her shifted. Suddenly, she felt braver than ever.

Later, Citrine handed the letter to Travis, but what he did with it was a mystery- she never found out.

Maybe it was Citrine's words that snapped Dulcie out of her rut, because a few days later, while Citrine was tutoring Travis and the others, Dulcie appeared at the door of the empty classroom.

"Excuse me, um..." Dulcie hesitated, backpack slung over her shoulders. "Is it okay if I join you? I want to get better too." She looked at Citrine at the front of the room, hope shining in her eyes.

Dulcie's parents had split up when she was six, and she'd ended up living with her mother. Her mom had been injured years ago and struggled to get around, so Dulcie took on all the housework and cared for her mother alone. She barely had any time for studying, and unsurprisingly, she hadn't passed her high school entrance exams. That was how she ended up at Havencrest Technical College.

She actually loved learning, but after coming to Havencrest, she found herself surrounded by students who didn't care about school at all. It was hard not to get pulled down with them. On top of that, the teachers weren't great, the classrooms were chaotic, and over time, Dulcie just gave up trying.

But that day, Citrine's words broke through the numbness. Dulcie realized she didn't want to keep drifting. She wanted to change not just for Travis, but for herself and her future.

"Come on in," Citrine said, giving her a quick look and nodding her inside. Dulcie's face lit up. "Thank you!"

Word spread quickly through Havencrest Technical College that Dulcie had joined Travis's study group.

To everyone's surprise, over the next few days, more and more students showed up, eager to study with Citrine. She never turned anyone away-if they wanted to learn, she was willing to teach.

Soon, so many students crowded in that one classroom couldn't hold them all. Those who couldn't find a seat pressed up against the windows, straining to hear Citrine's explanations.

The commotion didn't go unnoticed. Within a week, news of the crowded lessons reached the teachers and administrators—even the school principal heard about

it.

At Havencrest, students usually spent class time sleeping or goofing off. No one had ever seen them this eager to learn. When the principal and several teachers first heard the rumors, they just couldn't believe it.

So, one day, the principal, accompanied by a few teachers and school officials, decided to see for themselves what was really going on at Havencrest Technical College.