Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 372: Chris tucked away his phone and looked up, his stern features softening as he spotted her. "Hey, kiddo," he replied, raising his hand in greeting. As an illegitimate son of the Cooper dynasty, Chris lacked the standing to attend the Cooper Group's exclusive gathering on his own merit. He had no choice but to summon Mariana to secure his entrance. Mariana was the treasure of the Cooper family, born into privilege. After she had a quiet word with the security staff scrutinizing guest credentials, they immediately stepped aside respectfully to let Chris through.

Rosanna stood waiting, her attention caught by Mariana's radiant approach alongside a striking figure whose height and bearing commanded notice even from a distance. Only when they halted before her did Rosanna fully absorb the man's features in the glow of the crystal chandeliers. He wore a simple black shirt, one hand casually tucked into the pocket of his dark trousers. Though his physique - broad-shouldered with a tapered waist and long, powerful limbs - would turn heads anywhere, it paled compared to his face.

His countenance seemed carved by a divine sculptor's hand, each angle and plane existing in perfect harmony. When he smiled, his eyes sparked with playful intelligence, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. Before Rosanna could marshal her composure, her heartbeat had already quickened to a frantic rhythm. Chris dipped his head slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. The light caught him just right, wrapping his figure in a soft golden glow. His narrowed eyes gave him an air of quiet mystery.

Your imagination starts at g Ɐ ln σ ν s․conn Rosanna couldn't tear her gaze away; not even when she had first met Vince had she felt this kind of breathless excitement. Somehow, Chris managed to stir her emotions with nothing more than a look. While Rosanna stood frozen in her thoughts, Chris' deep, magnetic voice cut through the haze. "Where's Grandfather?" he asked, his attention shifting to Mariana. Mariana answered without hesitation, "He's with Dad right now. When the party kicks off, Dad will bring him over." Chris' brow furrowed.

His relationship with Kolton, Mariana's father, had always been strained, and he had no intention of going to him directly. "Chris, sometimes it feels like Grandfather is the only one you care about," Mariana teased gently, catching his mood. Her lips curving into a playful pout. Chris let out a quiet laugh. "It's not just him. There are plenty of people in my heart." Though Chris spoke softly, his words carried clearly enough for the nearby society women who had been secretly observing him. Their hearts quickened, and admiration flushed across their faces.

Rosanna felt her own heart skip a beat. Seeing how close Mariana stood to him, she wondered if Chris was tied to the Cooper family. That thought made her straighten her back and work even harder to present herself with elegance. However, Chris' gaze never once drifted toward her. It was as if Rosanna did not exist at all, leaving her biting her lip in frustration.

Just then, one of the braver society women leaned closer to Mariana and asked curiously, "Mariana, may I ask who this gentleman is?" Keeping her smile poised, Mariana responded, "He's my cousin, Chris Cooper." The moment the words were spoken, the expressions of the society women shifted subtly, and a flurry of whispers quickly followed. . . .