Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 412:

Manipulator who wore a fragile smile like armor. There was truth to the old saying that hardship bred cruelty. And with Rosanna, Claudius couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of darkness she kept hidden beneath that tender facade.

With these thoughts, Claudius’s expression toward Rosanna grew colder. However, her earlier revelation still surprised him. He turned to Maia and asked, “Ms. Watson, is it true that you’re married?”

Maia simply nodded, her affirmation calm yet firm.

Claudius’s eyes then darted to Maia’s hand, which lingered in Chris’s gentle grasp.

In a swift, almost reflexive movement, Maia withdrew her hand, severing the intimate connection.

Rosanna, ever observant, watched this unfold with a thinly veiled sneer. “Maia, your charm truly knows no bounds. Even the bond of marriage can’t keep the admirers at bay, can it?”noveldrama

Claudius brushed off Rosanna’s snide remark, his expression tinged with both regret and genuine curiosity. Leaning in slightly, he asked, his tone warm yet edged with a hint of wistfulness, “Ms. Watson, may I ask which fortunate man had the honor of marrying such a stunning and remarkable woman like you?”

At this, Chris’s eyebrow quirked up, a smug sparkle lighting his gaze. At the same time, Rosanna’s hands curled into fists at her sides as she gritted her teeth in silent fury.

How could Claudius speak so casually, so unaffected? Didn’t he care the slightest bit?

Maia’s eyes momentarily darted to Chris before she offered Claudius a soft, polite smile. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Cooper,” she said with a gentle laugh. “But my husband is just an ordinary man. He prefers a quiet life away from the spotlight and has no interest in becoming a topic for gossip.”

An ordinary man?

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Claudius blinked in disbelief, the smugness quickly fading from his face. How could an ordinary man possibly offer the kind of life, the kind of brilliance, that someone like Maia deserved?

A slow, dangerous thought crept into his mind — did this mean that he still had a shot at winning her heart after all?

Claudius’s spirits, previously dampened, soared with newfound excitement. For the first time, he found himself deeply intrigued by a woman.

A thought flickered through his mind.

Despite Mariana’s mishandling of Aurora Apparel Company, which had inflicted significant losses on the Cooper Group, a recent conversation hinted that Maia wielded considerable influence at MCN. She was likely the major shareholder.

Should he succeed in bringing Maia into the Cooper fold through marriage, MCN—and consequently Aurora Apparel, acquired by MCN—would effectively revert to Cooper control.

Besides, Maia’s talents as a designer would truly flourish under the guidance of the Cooper Group.

His eyes fixed on Maia with increasing intensity.

Rosanna, observing the focus of Claudius’s attention on Maia, felt a surge of envy. Her thoughts quickly turned to plotting.

She moved closer, and with a calculated stumble, found herself in Claudius’s embrace.

Tears brimming in her eyes, she looked up at him pitifully. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cooper. I… I seem to have sprained my ankle, and it’s difficult to walk. Could you assist me to stand?”

Claudius’s expression instantly turned sour. He had already extended a courtesy by catching her before she hit the floor, and now she was asking for more?

As a distinguished heir of the Cooper family, was it fitting for him to offer further assistance?

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