Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 622:

Pattie’s expression brightened with satisfaction at Maia’s praise. She opened her mouth, ready to deliver her trademark response, “Naturally! You know I never do anything halfway.”

But something in Maia’s expression stopped her cold. There was a familiar spark of mischief dancing in her eyes. Experience had taught Pattie to recognize this particular look. It usually meant that Maia had read her like an open book.

A flutter of panic seized Pattie’s chest as her hand flew instinctively to her ear, suddenly feeling exposed. “Maia, what’s with that look? Do I have something stuck to my face?”

Maia’s wink was pure mischief as she leaned forward, dropping her voice to a teasing whisper. “So tell me, what really happened between you and Roland last night?” Heat flooded Pattie’s ears instantly.

Her gaze darted away as she scrambled for a casual explanation. “Last night? Oh, that was nothing special. Just some silly truth or dare game, you know? I was simply staying close to Roland to help your situation along. I wasn’t being too transparent, was I?”

Maia’s lips curved into a knowing smile as she observed Pattie’s slightly flushed cheeks. “Oh, you were quite the actress,” she teased.

office décor. “Don’t read too much into it,

its playful edge. “Just be careful not to get lost in

of her heart made Pattie catch her breath. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, wrestling with words that seemed determined to

she tilted

visible in the way she fidgeted. Finally, the question tumbled out in a rush of vulnerability.

question left her lips, Pattie was startled by her own audacity, her gaze

those fragile, barely acknowledged feelings for Roland that had been stirring

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“Never. Roland’s wonderful, but there’s something almost arctic between us, not exactly

from Pattie, relief evident in the