Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 936: Kiley's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "I haven't forgotten-Maia has a brother, doesn't she?" She leaned in, brought her mouth close to Raegan's ear, and quietly revealed her plan. For a heartbeat, Raegan's eyes went wide with surprise. Then she nodded, the answer clear. "Consider it handled. Leave the rest to me." Over at the Cooper Villa, tension clung to the walls of the study, as if the whole room held its breath. Behind his massive desk, Kolton's attention was glued to his phone, ice-cold eyes scanning the headlines.

Every new headline ratcheted up the pressure, each one more shocking than the last: "Cooper Group's heir shocks everyone by striking his own sister and losing control over Maia Watson!" "Maia Watson's involvement with the Cooper family's heir came to light during her marriage-affairs exposed!" "Mariana Cooper's knife attack on Maia Watson created chaos and sent the public into a frenzy!" Kolton's eyelid twitched as he read. His grip on the phone tightened with every headline, and the gloom on his face deepened.

Maia had only returned for two days, and already she had dragged the Cooper Group back into the storm of public scandal. A loud bang echoed as Kolton brought his fist down on the desk. The sudden force sent the cup rattling, its lid skittering close to the edge. Nothing stung worse than these humiliating headlines. Years of effort had gone into shaping his heir's public image, only for all that work to turn into the town's running joke. Claudius's infatuation with Maia made Kolton uneasy. In his eyes, she posed a real danger to the Cooper Group.

Now, just as Kiley had returned to clean up the mess, another incident had erupted. Kolton hadn't even considered that things could spiral so quickly. A creeping loss of authority gnawed at him; he prided himself on always having the upper hand. He paused, drew a long breath, and tried to talk himself down from the edge. : ⲅⱥν⸳ That was when the video flashed across the screen. The footage showed Claudius striking Mariana's cheek for everyone to see, then stepping in to defend Maia. With Mariana unraveling in front of the crowd, her voice cracked as she faced Claudius.

"How can you ask me to humble myself to someone who isn't even family? You're not the same brother anymore! What is it about Maia that's turned you upside down? Is your obsession so deep you'd throw us away for her? You're so disgusting! Have you forgotten Maia's married?" Every word in that recording tore through the Cooper Group's reputation, leaving Kolton feeling hollow and betrayed by his own son. He felt trapped in a waking nightmare. A tremor ran through his body, cold sweat sliding down his face. The shame Claudius brought weighed him down.

Maia's composure never broke; her voice was sharp and clear from start to finish. Kolton's opinion of Chris had always been low, but even he showed up, wrested the knife from Mariana, and shielded Maia with all the courage of a loyal guardian. "Unbelievable!" Rage twisted Kolton's features. His jaw clenched, knuckles whitening. "Perfect. Just perfect," he muttered in a harsh whisper. "Every one of you wants to ruin the Cooper name. Maybe I've gone too easy on you all this time." Seething, Kolton snatched up his phone and punched in Claudius's number. The call barely rang before connecting. .

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