Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 781:

Lenny stood beside her, his graying hair catching the light, his expression thoughtful. He seemed to be weighing every word before speaking.

Maia finally turned to him, her voice hushed but urgent. “Professor Bryant, considering his condition… how much hope do we have?”

Lenny’s brows drew together, the question striking a nerve. He didn’t respond right away, his eyes fixed on the closed door as if searching for answers beyond it. At last, he replied in a voice heavy with caution. “We’ll need to see the test results before we can say anything for certain.”

A cold unease crept into Maia’s chest. Though his words were reasonable, they carried the weight of someone preparing her for disappointment.

“So… is it because too much time has passed? That the bullet fragments haven’t just settled, but…” Her voice faltered, dropping to a near whisper. “That they’ve fused completely with the brain tissue?”

She had spent nights buried in case studies and knew this was the most dangerous possibility. Speaking it aloud felt like tempting fate.

reply. He merely exhaled, long and slow. “Maia,” he said at last, “you’ve reviewed clinical cases too. You know that extracting a fragment, in

our most delicate motor functions. Even if

like a fist around her heart. Her fingers curled instinctively. “What about now?” Her

right away. He looked out the window, letting the light

at g αℓ ησ ν𝒆

for parallel analysis. But if we go by precedent…” He turned his eyes toward Maia, sharp yet sympathetic. “Have his headaches grown

guard. She

“That suggests the condition is worsening. If we leave it alone, it’s only a matter of time before it starts impairing his motor function. And once that happens, we’ll be staring down not

dropped from under her. “How can that be?” she whispered, her voice

her eyes. “Professor Bryant, is that really your assessment? I thought the fragment was only disrupting his memory, causing migraines,