Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 411: Her fingers tightened around her wine glass, her knuckles whitening as she inhaled sharply, stepping closer to the fray. Chris's brows knitted into a slight frown. He parted his lips, clearly about to say something, but before he could, Rosanna had already closed the distance and positioned herself beside him. Her voice was gentle but laced with a challenging undertone as she interjected, "Mr. Cooper, you might not be aware, but Maia is already married." Claudius turned sharply, his gaze drilling into Rosanna's.

"And you are?" He rifled through his memories, a recognition flickering across his face as he flatly replied, "Ah, yes. Now I recall. You're the one who was bested by Maia at the piano competition, weren't you?" Rosanna's expression froze instantly, a slight twitch betraying her lips before she steadied into a practiced smile. "My sister had the luxury of growing up with the Morgans, blessed with top-notch education. If it weren't for that unfortunate theft incident, she wouldn't have been disowned.

Without that mess, backed by the Morgans, she could have been gracing the world's grandest stages as a pianist by now. What a tragic waste," she lamented. Claudius, upon hearing her words, shot Rosanna a penetrating look. The whispers that Rosanna was the legitimate Morgan heir, while Maia had been the one mistakenly embraced as their child for over a decade, echoed in his mind. Maia stayed cool and collected, her gaze steady as it locked onto Rosanna. "Didn't you brag so confidently before, saying I couldn't even touch a piano properly? Funny how fast you've switched sides now.

And now you're telling everyone I've been playing since I was a kid? Strange, though... if I remember right, you only came back to the Morgan family about four years ago. So tell me - how could you possibly know what I was doing as a child? Not to mention, the Morgan family didn't even own a piano until after you returned." Maia's lips curled into a soft, mocking smile as she narrowed her eyes.

"Still, I'll give you credit - having grown up in the slums, you actually can play a few notes on a piano." galnovels.cóm is the source Rosanna's face drained of color, as if she'd been slapped across the cheek. The thing Rosanna despised most - her lowly origins - had just been dragged out into the open by Maia, right in front of Claudius, with ruthless precision. Rosanna's hands stiffened, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the hem of her dress, barely restraining the fierce urge to lunge at Maia right then and there.

At Maia's cutting words, Claudius turned his head slightly, casting a cold, evaluating stare at Rosanna, a flicker of scorn rising in his usually indifferent gaze. Although Maia was mistakenly believed to be a member of the prestigious Morgan family, her actual upbringing in an equally distinguished household had endowed her with a poise and adeptness that starkly contrasted with Rosanna's more humble origins. Claudius found himself also captivated by the swirling rumors of Maia's supposed theft.

It baffled him that a woman of Maia's caliber, so evidently refined and capable, could be accused of such a petty crime. Having spent years navigating the treacherous waters of the elite, Chris understood better than most how cruel and deceitful the rich could be. Deep down, he couldn't help but wonder - was Maia truly guilty, or had she simply been another casualty of their ruthless games? When it came to Rosanna - the so-called rightful daughter of the Morgan family - her soft and graceful appearance was nothing more than a mask.

Time and again, she deliberately brought up Maia's imprisonment in front of others, each mention sharper than the last. While others might have brushed off her sly little tricks, Claudius caught on instantly, his sharp gaze slicing right through her act. Having dealt with countless cunning women throughout his years in the ruthless world of business, Claudius recognized Rosanna's kind right away - a . . .