Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 918: As Claudius left the parking lot, he remained completely unaware that another vehicle-part of a sleek black convoy-was easing into a side entrance not far behind him. At the center of the convoy cruised a sleek, understated Maybach S680. Settled in the rear seat, Kiley wore her usual faint smile-cool, distant, unreadable. Through the tinted window, her eyes quickly landed on a rare carbon-fiber Porsche pulling away. That wasn't just any car. She had gifted it to Claudius-a model so rare that no one else in Wront owned one.

"Hold on a second." Kiley's tone was smooth, yet there was an unmistakable edge to it. Raegan, sensing something, turned to look in the same direction and spotted the Porsche stopped at a red light. "Follow that car," Kiley said, her voice firmer now, her eyes narrowing with focus. "Yes, Ms. Cooper," the driver replied, steering swiftly without hesitation. Breaking from the formation, the Maybach eased into traffic and began tailing the Porsche with smooth precision.

Meanwhile, in the sleek kitchen of Elysium Apartments, Maia was wiping down the counter, putting the last of the clean dishes away. Chris had just stepped out, drying his hands on a towel as he walked past the dining table. Suddenly, Maia's phone buzzed against the polished surface. The screen lit up with a message preview. Chris's eyes flicked to the screen unintentionally, catching a single line: "Maia, I'm heading to Otruitho soon to oversee the operations there. Before I leave, there's something important I need to say face-to-face.

I know this might come out of nowhere, but if I let this moment slip, I might never get the chance again. Can we meet?" Chris stopped in his tracks, the towel in his hands forgotten. He silently repeated the words from the message in his mind. "Before I leave... Something important? Say face-to-face?" A flicker of unease passed through him. : Ɐν﹒ⅽ Chris had seen through Claudius's motives long ago. Claudius's admiration for Maia had been obvious from the start of the winery project, and Ethan's tournament win only fueled it.

He used business meetings as a front, but Chris knew exactly why he kept trying to meet with her. Chris's lips curled into a cold, ironic smile. "What a shame for you, Claudius-the woman you so openly desire is already my wife," he muttered to himself. And even if Claudius didn't know that Chris was the husband, he surely knew that Maia was married. So how could he still dare to pursue her? No doubt about it, Claudius had inherited Kolton's brazen streak. As Chris stood brooding, Maia finished tidying up and walked over, drying her hands on a towel.

"Your phone buzzed just now," Chris said casually, masking the edge in his voice. Maia nodded, picked up the phone, and checked the screen. She frowned instinctively after reading the message. As far as she could tell, there wasn't anything worth discussing with Claudius. Could this be about him trying to acquire her design label, Genius? She had anticipated that Claudius might find out she was the designer, as it wouldn't be difficult for Cooper Group. Or maybe he was still trying to poach Ethan for his gaming empire. Not unlikely.

But recalling that Claudius was heading to Otruitho made her second-guess herself. Maybe she had jumped to conclusions. Suddenly, a new thought struck her. If Claudius was stepping away from Wront... then who was stepping in? . . .