Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 893: Silence hung for a heartbeat before the table erupted in laughter. "Maxwell's so terrified of his sister, isn't he?" Pattie said, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's really something else." Maia chuckled, her gaze softening as Chris slid another piece of beef onto her plate. He didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a quiet smile, his focus unwavering. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, Axel's sprawling villa glowed faintly under the starlit sky. The bedroom was a cocoon of warmth, scented with the faint musk of perfume.

On the bed, Axel stirred in his sleep, muttering incoherently before sinking back into dreams. On the plush carpet beside a velvet sofa, Rosanna sat curled in a silk robe, her knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the television, its flickering images casting shadows across her face. The television kept running the report on what had happened to Maia. The room rang with clapping, loud whoops, and the crowd shouting, "Maia Watson" over and over again. Rosanna stared blankly ahead. Her mouth was clamped shut, as if she had bottled everything up for ages.

At last, a crooked smile crept onto her face, but no sound escaped her lips. She rose to her feet without hurry and wandered to the tall window. The robe she wore made her reflection look pale and ghostlike against the glass. "Vince... Vince... You still can't move on from Maia, can you?" she murmured under her breath. Then, like a switch, her tone snapped ice-cold. "You really are a pitiful idiot! I gave it my all once. I dreamed of being your wife. And now? It all looks like a cruel punchline!" Rosanna dipped her head, a strange grin spreading across her face.

Her shoulders shook with a soft, jittery laugh. In a heartbeat, that laugh twisted into something wild and shrill-cutting through the past like a knife through silk. : gν⸳ⅽ "Ha... what a joke! I actually used to picture myself as Mrs. Ward. The thought is laughable now! Vince, you've let me down in every possible way. You couldn't even drag Maia down with you. What on earth was I thinking, falling for someone like you?" Rosanna ranted in a half-crazed way, her voice full of bitter laughter-taunting Vince and, maybe, deep down, ridiculing who she used to be.

She sank into the sofa again, dragging her fingers through her tangled hair, every movement heavy. After sitting in silence for some time, she inhaled deeply. When she lifted her gaze, her face was composed-there was even a strange peace in her eyes, something entirely new to her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man lying fast asleep in the bed: Axell. The very man she had loathed, pushed away, and sworn she would never let near was now the only person she could lean on. Axell had already left his mark on her.

She had gotten used to his smell, his habits, and the way he always had to be in control. Still, none of it made a difference now. Rosanna had finally seen things for what they were. "Turns out... not a single man out there is worth a damn," she laughed softly, her grin twisted with both freedom and a touch of madness. . . .