Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 813:

Why Maia? What did that woman have that set her apart?

A prison record and four wasted years — Raegan saw nothing in Maia that could rival her own loyalty and accomplishments.

Therefore, Raegan refused to believe the leader held any true affection for Maia. She had to be nothing more than a piece on the chessboard, another of the leader’s carefully placed shadows.

Yet when Raegan glanced down, she saw the deep crescent marks her nails had pressed into her palms.

The sudden creak of a door pulled her from her thoughts. Clouds of steam rolled out from the bathroom, drawing her back to the present.

Kiley stepped into the room, her hair still damp as she ran a towel through it, the belt of her bathrobe loosely knotted. With an easy tone, she asked, “So, did you find anything interesting?”

turmoil she’d just felt. “It could be nothing. Maybe Maia isn’t

slender fingers against the laptop screen, she turned to Kiley with a small, knowing smile and continued, “My guess? He’s the one pulling strings for Maia, inventing all these credentials and stories for her. And honestly, I haven’t

take the towel from Kiley, gently running it through her hair as she

Raegan’s analysis aligned with her own views, and the doubt

had taught Kiley that plenty of people approached her with hidden motives, each hoping to use her for their own gain. Yet Raegan stood apart from

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was a quality about her that felt almost otherworldly, a beauty that seemed to belong to some visiting

was blurred by the immediate bond they had formed, as if

had been inseparable ever since. Remarkably, only a month

of this, Kiley kept her guard up — not completely trusting, but more afraid of