Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 535:

Rosanna’s face turned scarlet, as though he had slapped her in front of the entire room. Her jaw tightened, her teeth clamped hard on her bottom lip. The sting of humiliation seared through her chest as her hands curled into trembling fists.

Just a few steps away, Maia lifted her gaze — and their eyes locked. The world stilled. The chatter, the laughter, the music — all fell away as if someone had pressed mute on the entire courtyard.

Recognizing the shift in atmosphere, the surrounding guests instinctively parted, forming a corridor between Claudius and Maia.

With his left hand tucked behind his back, Claudius approached. Calm, composed, every movement deliberate. His right hand rose to his chest, then flipped open with a graceful flourish. He leaned forward slightly, palm extended to Maia with the poise of a practiced gentleman. A slight tilt of his head accompanied his polished smile. “Ms. Watson,” he said, his voice smooth as silk, “may I have the pleasure of this dance?”

It was perfection — refined, effortless, almost cinematic.

Claudius stood like a man out of time, elegance etched into every line of his frame, confident that this gesture — this moment — would sweep Maia off her feet.

She stared at him, frozen. For a heartbeat, she simply blinked, stunned. Just as she parted her lips to decline, a ripple of excitement surged through the crowd. “Say yes!”

on, say yes!” The cheers rose like waves crashing against

unwavering. Her eyes glimmered beneath the soft lighting, like stardust

tonight. Even more radiant than she had at

a moment, Claudius forgot the crowd, the music, the entire evening.

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on his lips. He believed that no woman could refuse his invitation. Not after everything he had done today — surely, this was enough. Surely,

he had imagined. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cooper,” she said gently. “I’m not

a hammer. Claudius’ smile froze. His hand

Inside, something cracked.

accept a worthless playboy like

them, the crowd gasped. The disbelief spread like wildfire. Did Maia just reject Claudius, heir to

being asked to dance by Claudius was the stuff

whispers and then in