Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 925: A chill swept over him, making his hands slick with sweat. His loyalties had already shifted, and he found himself bending the truth to protect Maia, even if it meant betraying his own client. Faced with this conflict, Cade wondered if it was time to walk away from the case altogether and come clean to Maia. Inside Starlight Café, mellow lighting spilled across polished wood, casting a golden glow over the tables and chairs. The trio-Kiley, Raegan, and Mariana-made their entrance and found a quiet corner to settle in.

Though tucked away, their vantage point offered an unobstructed view of Claudius, who sat framed by the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the room. As a waiter approached, Kiley drummed her fingers gently against the table. "Three lattes for us," she said, her eyes never straying from Claudius, her focus sharp and unwavering. Not much time passed before the waiter arrived, carrying the coffees the women had requested. With unhurried grace, Kiley lifted her cup, wearing an expression that suggested she was simply enjoying a break, her composure unshaken.

On the other hand, Mariana couldn't resist stealing glances at Claudius, her face barely masking her simmering frustration and displeasure. Raegan kept mostly silent, her eyes occasionally flickering upward, revealing a complicated mixture of curiosity and detachment. In the meantime, Cade slipped through the café's entrance, doing his best to go unnoticed. His baseball cap sat low over his brow, the collar of his trench coat turned up, helping him melt into the background.

Choosing a spot just a few tables away, he settled where he could observe Kiley without drawing attention, all while keeping an eye on the ebb and flow of the café. He sipped his coffee quietly, tracking Kiley's gaze across the room-until surprise caught him off guard. Claudius? The famously disciplined successor of the Cooper Group? He reminded himself that Claudius was Kiley's younger brother. So Kiley was here, observing her own sibling? A frown formed on Cade's face, suspicion sharpening his features. At that precise moment, the door to Starlight Café swung open.

Instinctively, he looked up to see who had just entered. gⲁν﹒ Maia stepped in, dressed in a sleek black suit, every step radiating assurance. Her eyes swept across the café before landing directly on Claudius. Without hesitation, she strode to his table, pulled out a chair, and sat facing him. A sharp glint flashed in Cade's eyes. Was this meeting with Claudius her true purpose? His attention shifted to where Kiley and her friends sat. As expected, tension visibly tightened their expressions.

Though Kiley sipped her coffee with practiced calm, her piercing gaze never wavered from the pair across the room, and irritation simmered just beneath the surface. Both women beside her fixed cold, critical stares on Claudius and Maia. Watching the scene, Cade squinted and clicked his tongue, pondering the possibility of a secret pact between Maia and Claudius. The feeling of being tangled up in the Cooper Group's complicated web only grew stronger for him. All this had spun out from what should have been a simple contract-a twenty-thousand-dollar job for some discreet digging.

In his mind, Cade let out a silent sigh. "This is turning into a real mess," he admitted to himself. He understood all too well that battles for control in the Cooper Group usually ended with someone paying a steep price. Getting out now was impossible for Cade. Any misstep could bring the wrath of powerful enemies down on his head. He thought back to the dark history of the Cooper Group, recalling the deadly feud that claimed the life of their eldest son, Kyle, and left their gifted daughter, Zoey, behind bars-while others never even made it out alive. . . .