Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 1040 Chapter 1041: "When I do count the clock that tells the time, and see the brave day sunk in hideous night..." Those verses were unmistakably from Shakespeare. Even more striking was her father's handwriting-bold, flowing, and refined in its elegance. That discovery made Maia hesitate, her doubts about her father's education deepening. Clearly, her parents had not come from this place originally. Without a word, Maia slipped the letter back into its envelope and walked out with Kathie, stepping onto the street once more.

Chris stood at the entrance, his back to the door, surveying the surroundings. Watching Chris stand so alert, Kathie whispered under her breath, "Could a man like that really be only a bodyguard?" Her gaze drifted beyond Chris to a crumbling house several rows away. "Maia, that's the place your parents once lived. It's been empty for years. A vagrant stayed there for a while, but I don't know where they've gone now." Chris lifted his eyes toward the spot Kathie pointed out. The building looked charred, as though fire had eaten through its walls, leaving it more like wreckage than a home.

"Didn't that house used to be quite decent, Kathie?" Chris said thoughtfully. "Yes. Back then, it stood out as one of the nicest homes on this street. People used to say Maia's parents must have been well-off, but they always claimed otherwise. The place had been passed down from a relative," Kathie said, before lifting her hand to point toward the far end of the road. "Do you see that house? It once served as a grocery store. Maia's father went there often. The owner's son manages it now, and he might still remember something about your father." "The owner's son?" Maia said with interest.

"That's right. His father died years ago. He worked as a repairman in the neighborhood, and your father frequently visited him to get things fixed. If the man were still alive, it would have been easier. At least then you'd know exactly what your father once worked on." Stories live now on galnσℓ․o Within the shadowed grocery store, the atmosphere carried the weight of moisture and lingering age. Even though the sun shone brightly outside, it failed to illuminate the interior. The shopkeeper had deliberately avoided switching on the bulbs, clearly conserving the electricity bill.

A single kerosene lamp cast a dim shimmer. Upon a timeworn wooden cabinet nearby, various items rested in tidy order. The young shopkeeper noticed a presence at the entrance but continued his task, simply asking, "What are you here for?" "It's me, Kathie," Kathie said confidently as she stepped inside behind Maia. "I used to look after you when you were small. You once behaved with good manners. Why are you acting like your father now? Someone comes in, and you don't even lift your head?" Startled by her tone, the young man spun around, a trace of eagerness slipping into his voice. "Kathie!

I assumed you had left this place. Why return now?" "I did leave, but I came back to meet you and ask a few things," Kathie replied. The young shopkeeper's gaze shifted toward Maia beside Kathie, scanning her from head to toe. "This must be Watson's true daughter, right?" Maia gave a small nod. "You've heard about me?" The young shopkeeper nodded again. "Yes. Others mentioned it. The moment I saw you, I was sure you belonged to Mr. Watson. You carry a resemblance...

his aura rests in you." After saying that, he set down what he had been holding, brushed his hands against his clothes, and extended a hand to Maia. "I'm Royce Adams. Please call me Royce." . . .