Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 609: In her mind, she saw flashes of Pattie flirting, all smiles and coy glances - and the image made her stomach twist. She turned sharply to Maxwell. "Where's my brother?" Casually, Maxwell gave a shrug. "He went to the restroom." Maia added, "Where'd Pattie go?" With a smirk, Maxwell replied, "Same place." The response made Elvira and Maia freeze. Confused glances passed between them before they rushed toward the hallway. Just as they arrived, the restroom door opened. Pattie stepped out slowly, one hand steadying Roland beside her.

Their faces were flushed, their breathing uneven. Elvira's jaw dropped. Her eyes bounced between the two of them in disbelief before she finally blurted out, "What were you two doing in there?" Heat rushed to both their faces the second the question landed. "Uh, it's not what it looks like," Pattie said quickly, tightening her hold on Roland. "Your brother was drinking with Chris. He had way too much, and I got worried. I just checked in to make sure he was okay. Seriously, it's not what you think!" From outside, a chorus rose in confusion. "Not what we think?

What exactly do you think we're thinking?" Caught mid-explanation, Pattie froze. She could already feel the words digging her a deeper hole. No matter how she tried to explain it, it just sounded worse. At this point, pretending to be clueless was probably her best bet. Elvira wasn't buying any of it. Her gaze swept over Pattie with suspicion, her lips pressed into a thin line. She clearly wanted to say more, but after glancing at her brother, she bit back her irritation. Instead, she marched up and pulled Roland away from Pattie, shooting her a sharp glare in the process.

With her arm looped through his, she softened her voice. "Roland, come back to Drakmire with me tomorrow, alright?" Maia had already filled her in on everything. There was no reason for Roland to stick around anymore. Find more books at gⱯlnσνls․com Pattie's heart dipped. Was he really leaving? To her surprise, Roland gave a slight shake of his head. "You go ahead without me. I still have things I need to deal with here." That wasn't what Elvira wanted to hear. Her brows creased. "What else is left for you to handle?" Wasn't Maia the only reason why he was here? What else did he need to do?

"There's still the case," Roland said, his voice suddenly heavy. "The Zenith Legal attorney who got into that car crash before the trial - I'm not leaving until I get to the bottom of it." Just saying it made his jaw tighten. The fury behind his eyes was impossible to miss. Elvira blinked, the memory coming back to her in full force. During Maia's last court appearance, her lawyer had been in a serious accident - rushed to the hospital and never woke up. Now that it was clear why he had to stay, she had no argument left.

All she could do was glance toward Maia with a look, as if saying, "Maia, I can't do anything about this." Maia looked away, her expression torn. That day still haunted her, and deep down, she knew they owed the injured man more than just silence. In that case, she needed to find a way to buy Roland some time from Zoey. "Then it's settled. Elvira, you should head back to Drakmire first," Maia said, her eyes shifting to Roland.

"And Roland, if you run into trouble with this case, don't hesitate to ask for help." Chris and Maxwell glanced at each other but kept quiet, reading the room and choosing silence over opinion. Night had blanketed the Cooper Estate, but the lights inside burned with restless energy. Mariana paced the living room like a caged animal, her heels clicking against the floor. Every few seconds, her eyes darted toward the front door. Fingers twisted anxiously at the edge of her sleeve, frustration and impatience bubbling just beneath the surface. . . .