Citrine had already guessed what Jete was up to. She wasn''t surprised.

Ever since the scandal about the Iverson family broke, shares of The Iverson Group had gone into a freefall. Sawyer was probably losing sleep trying to hold things together, and if he couldn''t, thepany would take a hit so hard it might never recover. In a ce like Havencrest, a family on the brink rarely finds friends willing to help-they just get pushed down even faster.

Citrine used to think Jete was an idiot, but now she realized the girl wasn''t entirely clueless. Unfortunately for Jete, she''d picked the wrong person to mess with.

Without even pausing to consider, Citrine replied, "With the Iverson Group''s stock tanking like this, five percent isn''t even worth my time."

"And why on earth would I help you?"

She had no intention of bailing out the Iverson family from this mess. Not a chance.

"You think it''s not enough?" Jete frowned, searching Citrine''s face.

Citrine stayed silent, and Jete assumed that meant she was considering it. Gritting her teeth, Jete upped the ante. "Ten percent. That''s the best I can do."

Citrine let out a coldugh. "You''ve got to be kidding me."

"What makes you think I''d ever agree to this?"

Blind confidence really is its own kind of stupidity.

Those scraps of shares meant nothing to her now-she''d build her own business empire one day. And besides, she hadn''t even gotten to see the Iversons tear each other apart yet. Last time, she''d gotten in the way before the chaos could unfold. This time, she wanted a front row seat.

Jete stared at her in disbelief. "Citrine, that''s ten percent of thepany! With that, you''d never have to worry about money again. Even Clifford and Norton don''t get that much."

Her voice had risen, trembling with emotion.

For years, Jete and her mother Aline had schemed to keep Citrine away from the Iverson fortune-plotting, manipting, even trying to get rid of her altogether. They''d been terrified she''d fight for her share.

But now, Citrine had cut ties with the Iversons of her own ord. Even with this kind of temptation in front of her, she didn''t so much as blink. Jete could see it she really didn''t care about the family''s money.

Suddenly, all those years of backstabbing and paranoia felt like a sick joke.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jete snapped, herposure cracking as she shouted at Citrine.

Citrine didn''t get angry. She just smiled, but her eyes were as cold as winter. "Did you forget everything you''ve done to me?"

Jete paled under her stare. "Th-that was all in the past..."

"You''d really give up ten percent of thepany just because of some old

grudges?" Jete was desperate now, clinging to her offer.

Citrine stepped closer, her voice low and deliberate as she leaned in. "That''s right.

I don''t want your shares. I just want you and your mother to rot in hell."

Her words were venom, and when Jete looked up into Citrine''s icy eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Shut up!" Jete stumbled backwards, putting as much distance between them as she could, her voice shaking as she yelled.

Citrine was about to answer when a group of students burst into the ssroom.

Amelia saw Jete sitting across from Citrine and marched over, grabbing Jete by the arm and yanking her up. "Who do you think you''re yelling at? Get out of our ss."

She started to shove her toward the door.

"Don''t touch me!" Jete nearly tripped, only just managing to steady herself against a desk.

The whole school already knew about the Iverson family drama-social media was aze, and everyone had picked a side. Most students had long since lost patience with Jete; now, with her academic reputation in tatters, she was just the spiteful little sister who''d tried to ruin her own sibling, and the Iversons were nothing but a cruel, dysfunctional foster family.

Someone shouted at her from the back, "Jete, how do you even have the nerve to show your face here? After everything your family did to Citrine, don''t you feel any shame?"

"Seriously, the Iversons are disgusting. Citrine cut ties with you guys, so why are you still haunting her?"

"Just get out! I don''t want you here trying to frame me, too."

Voices echoed with contempt.

Jete''s days at school had be a nightmare. Her ssmates avoided her, students in other grades whispered behind her back, and now, Citrine''s friends were openly shouting her down. She''d never felt so humiliated in her life.