Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 937: Kolton never gave Claudius a chance to speak. "Claudius, I want you home right now!" The line went quiet for a beat, then a voice came through: "I'm heading there now..." Without another word, the call dropped. Kolton slammed his phone onto the desk. He started pacing, each step more agitated than the last. Not even twenty minutes had passed when the door creaked open. Claudius entered the study, walking with measured steps. His face remained composed, untouched by guilt.

Kolton pushed himself up from the chair, his eyes narrowing the moment he noticed the lack of remorse in Claudius's stance. Fury rippled through him. "Do you have any idea what kind of disaster you've caused? You've dragged the Cooper Group through the mud! Take a look at what people are saying online. You might want to scroll through the trending tags-your name's all over it. What was going through your head? Did you forget your place? This isn't some love story you're living out. You're tearing down everything you've built-piece by piece.

As the heir to the Cooper Group, you're supposed to act with foresight. You're not allowed to throw it all away for something so reckless!" With a harsh breath, Kolton pierced Claudius with a glare. "You made a complete mess of things today." Kolton shared the same verdict Kiley had drawn-Claudius had acted like a fool. Had he not seen the footage with his own eyes, Kolton would never have believed his son capable of such madness. "Right now, I'm giving you one chance to speak," Kolton said through clenched teeth. "Start explaining." But Claudius remained still.

He didn't utter a word, nor did he bother checking his phone like he'd been told. His eyes dropped to the floor, shoulders slack like a boy who'd resigned himself to a scolding. He didn't argue. He didn't flinch. He let his father's fury pour out without interruption. That was when the study door slammed open again, rattling on its hinges. Storming inside with unsteady steps, Mariana looked completely undone. Her eyes were swollen, streaks of makeup stained her cheeks, and the left side of her face was red and puffy. "Dad... please look at what he did to me!

You can't just let this go!" - gⲁν﹐ She fell at Kolton's feet, her voice cracking through her sobs. "Claudius... he struck me! He hit me over that miserable woman, Maia! She's already married, and yet she still clings to Vince like some shameless con artist! Everything about her is a lie! But Claudius? He's so obsessed with her that nothing else matters-not me, not this family! Dad, she's taken everything I ever had. I've lost everything because of her!" Each word came out more desperate than the last, and her legs nearly gave way beneath her. Kolton didn't speak right away.

Instead, he slowly turned toward Claudius, whose silence didn't budge. His expression grew darker, brows tightening. "In front of a crowd, you struck your sister-do you even realize what kind of chaos that's caused? People are tearing us apart online. Mariana lost control in public, but you're no better, not after what you did!" Kolton's hands balled into fists as he narrowed his eyes at his son. His voice turned cold. "Is that it? Nothing to say for yourself?" The question caught Claudius off guard. His gaze slowly lifted to meet Kolton's.

There was a flicker-something unspoken-but still, he kept quiet. Until now, he'd never seen his father so furious. And even with the weight of that anger pressing down on him, he still couldn't form the right words. He loved Maia-that much he knew. But this mess? He'd never intended for things to spiral out of control like this. All he wanted was to show Maia what she meant to him before he left the country. If Mariana and Kiley hadn't meddled, none of this would've exploded the way it did. . . .