Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 551: "Fine, then it's yours now," Mariana said offhandedly, looking at Maia. Inside, she mocked Maia for clearly having no clue about art. It seemed her father, Kolton, had been right. She might not have had Maia's flair for design, but when it came to paintings, things were different. Maia hadn't sensed the curses lurking in the painting. Before Maia could say a word, Sandra eagerly jumped in, "Of course, we'll take it!" Worried Maia might turn it down again, Sandra quickly added with a bright grin, "Maia, don't keep Miss Cooper waiting - go thank her." Maia gave a slight smile.

"Miss Cooper, thank you." Her voice was cool and a little sharp underneath. Mariana's lips curled into a smirk as she clapped her hands. Immediately, four waiters in tailcoats came forward, opened a big box, and expertly set up champagne glasses on a table nearby. Before long, a sparkling champagne tower, nearly 6.5 feet tall and fit for a grand celebration, stood proudly in front of everyone. Mariana moved forward, grabbed a bottle from the bottom of the box, and declared, "This champagne is a rare vintage from the Cooper Group's winery, aged carefully over the years.

Today, I'm giving it to Maia and Rosanna for their birthdays." She then passed the bottle to one of the waiters. The waiter popped the cork, climbed onto a chair, and slowly poured the champagne down the tower, letting its rich scent fill the room. After the entire box was emptied, every glass in the tower was perfectly topped off. The golden liquid gleamed brightly under the lights, looking irresistible. Some in the crowd, who knew their wines well, gasped with excitement.

"Is this the famous Golden Lover champagne the Cooper family snapped up for a fortune years ago?" : gⲁⳑν⩸ⅽ "The very last box of Golden Lover in existence? No chance! For wine lovers, this is beyond priceless!" "This is unbelievable! I'm dying to try it! People say Golden Lover bursts with rich, layered flavors and ends with a crisp, refreshing kick - truly one of the best champagnes ever crafted!" Sandra and Richard were left speechless.

They had never encountered this champagne before, and when they learned its true value, they could only think it was a huge shame to open such a gem right there. They figured it should have been sold at auction instead! Now that it was happening, all they could do was drown their disappointment by drinking as much as they could. Claudius' eye twitched. He never would have guessed Mariana would actually bring out the wine their dad usually refused to touch! Though the important guests kept their cool, many quietly edged closer, drawn by the tempting scent in the air.

Even Maia was taken aback by how generous Mariana was being this time. Maia had tried Golden Lover once before, but just a single glass. Zoey had been tightfisted and only let her have that much. It wasn't that the champagne was impossible to get. Maia had spotted plenty of bottles on Zoey's wine rack. The real problem was that the spring used to make this champagne had been wiped out by an earthquake, meaning the winery couldn't produce any more. Each bottle drunk was one less in the world.

Mariana's smirk grew wider as she stepped up, took the bottle from the waiter, and gestured with smooth, deliberate grace. Rosanna noticed Maia's hesitation and quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the champagne tower. "Maia, you go first!" . . .