Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 104: Rosanna sprang up to defend Jarrod. "Dad, please, calm down! Mom's devastated - she could barely breathe earlier. Besides, something about this whole thing feels wrong. Let's hear Jarrod's side first."

Just as her words hung in the air, the front door swung open.

All heads turned - and there stood Jarrod, staggering into the room, a shadow of the man he once was.

He moved like someone crushed by disaster, his once-slicked hair now a wild, matted mess, his designer clothes shredded beyond recognition. To an outsider, he might have passed for a beggar.

"Jarrod…" Rosanna whispered, though the memory of those images flashed so vividly in her mind that she could barely meet his eyes.

"You shameless disgrace!" Richard, seething, crossed the room in two strides and landed a heavy slap across Jarrod's cheek. "You still dare show your face here? Get out! I have no son like you!"

Jarrod's head jerked from the force, but he stood rooted, mute and hollow-eyed.

Sandra's heart twisted painfully.

No matter how far Jarrod had fallen, he was still her son.

She rushed forward and threw herself between them, her voice cracking as she cried out, "Honey, we don't even know the full story yet! How can you just hit him like this?"

"What story is left to tell? This ungrateful fool - it's bad enough he's lazy and has no drive. But now, with the Morgan family in trouble, he's not just useless; he's out there making a complete mess of things. What good is he?" Richard thundered, his voice shaking the walls.

Already simmering with humiliation, Jarrod finally snapped. "You think I wanted this? I was kidnapped! I was forced!"

"Kidnapped?" Sandra gasped, her face going pale. "What happened to you?"

Fresh chapters uploaded on gαℓησv????ls․cøm

Jarrod finally recounted his experience in detail.

Shock rippled through the room as everyone absorbed his story.

Under her breath, Sandra murmured, "Whoever's behind this doesn't want money or anything else. They just want to destroy your reputation. Jarrod, is there anyone out there you've made an enemy of?"

No matter how hard he tried, Jarrod couldn't figure it out. That question had gnawed at him the whole way back.

Sure, he had gotten into his share of petty arguments over the years, but he had never faced anyone ruthless enough to do something so vicious.

The level of cruelty behind it chilled him to the bone.

After a long moment of silence, Richard finally spoke, his voice steadier. "Then call the police already! We need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to do it fast! If we let it go, I'll be too ashamed to even step outside!"

"I already called them," Jarrod said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The moment Jarrod had regained consciousness in that filthy shack, he realized he had been left alone. The chains were gone, and aside from his ripped clothes, nothing else had been disturbed.

Grabbing his phone the second he spotted it, Jarrod wasted no time reporting everything. The officers had come, surveyed the scene, jotted down a few notes, and then sent him on his way.

Nothing he had ever experienced matched the humiliation he felt now. Deep inside, he made a fierce promise - he would hunt down whoever had done this, no matter what it took.

Meanwhile, Maia had just finished arranging her new apartment. In the kitchen, she moved around with practiced ease, carefully preparing a meal packed with healing properties.

Over the years, Maia had sharpened this skill until it became second nature. To her, food wasn't just about filling a stomach. Every bite was meant to nourish, strengthen, and protect the body from illness or decline.

.

.

.