Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 985: Since the previous afternoon, gossip about Maia had swept across the internet like a storm. Headlines screamed, "An affair with Claudius despite being married," "Scandalous behavior," and even "Plotting the explosion," each one climbing the trending charts on social media. Every accusation cut deep, like sharp blades slashing at Maia's reputation. Some went further, insisting that Maia had driven Vince to his desperate act by dumping him for Claudius, leaving him cornered with nowhere to turn. The more Pattie dwelled on it, the hotter her anger burned.

She could still hear the flood of phone calls from suppliers and department store executives ringing in her head from the night before. "Ms. Miller, is the gossip online true? Did Maia actually cheat on her husband?" "Will Maia's private mess affect MCN's new product launch?" "Are you planning to release a public response? If you don't, we may need to reconsider working together." Those questions, though wrapped in courtesy, felt like knives carving into Pattie's chest. She was certain the storm of rumors could never have erupted so quickly without the deliberate scheming of the Cooper Group.

Even so, Maia had been out of reach since the afternoon before. "A press conference today? To explain? To face the public?" Pattie scoffed, her gaze turning cold. "This is nothing but a trap to smear Maia. They're making a mountain out of a molehill." The thought made her slap her own forehead, furious that she hadn't thought to keep Chris's number. With Maia refusing to pick up, Pattie guessed she had collapsed under the weight of it all and chosen silence as her only escape. Ltst chptrs in gαlovels.cøm But silence had no place now. Maia had to face Claudius head-on.

"Maia, you're driving me out of my mind!" Pattie ground out, her thoughts spiraling in a frenzy. Without hesitation, she pressed Roland's number on her phone. The second the call went through, Pattie wasted no time. "Roland, the internet's exploding with scandals about Maia. What's your take? You're Zenith Legal's star attorney. You must defend her. We both know who Maia really is. This reeks of the Cooper Group and Claudius spreading poison." A short silence followed on the line. Then, a steady baritone replied. "I'm already at the press conference." Pattie froze in surprise.

Roland was there already? His voice flowed again, calm and resolute. "Leave it to me." That single promise washed over her like a wave, dousing the fire in her chest. "Good for you, Roland!" Pattie gave a quick laugh. "Hold on for me. I'm close by. I'll be there right away." She ended the call, snatched up her bag, and marched out. "Cooper Group, if you want to play dirty, don't blame me for striking back. For Maia's sake, I'll fight tooth and nail today," Pattie muttered.

Backstage, just before the press conference began, Roland ended the call and loosened his tie, though a private memory stubbornly clung to him. He couldn't shake off the image of Pattie leaning too close that night when she had one glass too many. . . .