Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 249: He lowered his head, aiming for her lips, the distance between them vanishing.

But before he could get any closer, a sudden jolt of searing pain shot through his shoulder, wrenching a sharp grunt from his throat.

Shock flickered across his face as he reeled back.

Maia had sunk her teeth into his shoulder. "Maia! How dare you sink your teeth into me!" Vince exclaimed, his eyes as cold as ice. "Fine then, this only makes things more exciting." His face twisted into something grim and menacing, ready to force her down once more.

Out of nowhere, the door burst open with a violent crash, shaking the walls as it slammed against the frame.

Spinning around instinctively, Vince barely caught a glimpse of movement before a brutal punch slammed into him.

The sheer force of it sent him reeling backward, crashing off the sofa and hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

For a long second, he just lay there, stunned by the unexpected blow.

He let out a sharp breath of pain, swiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and fought to push himself upright. His bloodshot eyes rose - only for his pupils to abruptly shrink when he caught sight of who stood there.

It was the same man he had crossed paths with at the private restaurant on the day he had spotted Maia.

That face, that bearing - Vince hadn't forgotten for a second. The man's commanding presence had been impossible to ignore.

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Everything about him radiated a cold, unshakable authority, a razor-sharp aura that made the air itself feel heavier.

But why had he shown up here? No, something about this did not sit right.

Vince's mind raced, a chilling suspicion creeping into his thoughts. Was the man who had shared a meal with Maia at the restaurant that day actually this very man? Could it be… he was the true force behind Maia?

Vince's mind spun out of control. He jerked his head toward Maia, then quickly toward the man drawing near, whose eyes were dark and full of threat.

"Who are you?!" Vince yelled.

Chris stood tall, his expression frigid, casting a cold stare down at him without giving a reply.

His eyes were like frozen steel, as if he were staring at a man whose life was hanging by a thread.

He shifted his gaze to Maia, a faint crease forming between his brows. Maia's lips, bruised and red, stood out against the pale strain of her face, and the emotions swirling in her eyes - shock, fury, fear - made his own expression darken even further.

Chris felt his chest clench tight, a sharp, unfamiliar ache striking him at the sight before him.

For as long as he had known her, Maia had always worn a shield of cool indifference, untouched by anything.

The rawness of her expression now sliced straight through his defenses.

Without wasting a second, he crossed the room in a few strides, sweeping Maia into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

Vince stumbled back onto his feet, rage flashing like lightning in his wild eyes.

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