Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 572:

Maia’s heart ached. “So that’s how your life ended up like this?”

To keep himself alive, he’d turned into the reckless playboy everyone gossiped about — the man who drowned his pain in parties, fights, and chaos. The further he fell, the safer he was.

“It was the only way I could survive.” Chris’s gaze met Maia’s. “Do you see me as pathetic?”

A hush settled between them.

Maia stared at him, and a deep pain surfaced in her eyes. So everything Chris had said before was true!

The reason he had acted wild and aimless wasn’t that he wanted to. By doing so, he wanted to put Kolton at ease and avoid becoming a target.

Getting into Ocktin University, a globally renowned institution, proved his real ability. But growing up in the Cooper family, surrounded by bitter competition, he’d been forced to hide his potential — trading his future for safety and letting people call him useless.

Maia’s mind. If Zoey hadn’t sent her to help Chris, would he have spent his whole life drifting, wasting his gifts just to stay under the

turned out that growing up in a rich family didn’t guarantee happiness; it came

squeezed his hand, looking at him for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. “No one who fights to survive is pathetic in my eyes. You don’t have to worry — I won’t let this happen again.” She made up her mind right then. She would do whatever it took to see Chris become the head of the Cooper family, sweeping away every threat so

expression. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let it happen again either.” For a moment, an unspoken promise passed between

checked at the hospital tomorrow.” A spark lit up

chapter is

was a doctor herself, and her mentor was one of the brightest minds

reputation for loving difficult and unusual cases. Without a doubt, he would be interested in learning more about

gaze gentle. “I’ll do whatever you say.” The

her thoughts drifted, Maia remembered Ethan’s gift and then Chris’ unfinished painting — the one where his mother’s face was missing. She turned to him and asked quietly, “Is

voice, “After the shooting, I slowly realized that I can’t remember clearly many people

skip a beat, afraid that Chris might one day lose

bullet fragment stayed lodged in his brain, there