Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 898:

Measured and thoughtful, his tone carried the familiar weight of reason. “Maia’s bravery struck a chord with everyone who saw what happened. To add to that, Vince is at the heart of a murder case this time—he’s the brains behind it all. What’s astonishing is how Maia never lost her composure and even managed to catch Vince off guard in such a volatile situation.”

A note of excitement crept in as Hurst continued, “She didn’t just step up as a hero—her actions directly led to the arrest of a dangerous criminal right here in Wront.”

At that, Melanie’s eyes grew wide in surprise. Words caught in her throat, unable to break through.

She hadn’t expected her father’s praise for Maia to eclipse her own admiration. What truly caught her off guard was how Hurst kept going, spending nearly twenty more minutes describing Maia’s tactical brilliance, the public controversy swirling around her, and the way all this attention had turned into an economic windfall.

According to Hurst, Maia came across as nothing short of a brilliant, fearless prodigy. He confidently predicted that MCN was on the verge of skyrocketing in fame, and everything Maia touched—be it fashion, art, or any product—was destined to stay in vogue for ages.

lips, Hurst said, “I’ve already secured the newest MCN designs for you. Honestly, if we wait much longer, even I might not be able to pull the

seriously considering meeting with her soon, just

left him a little dry-mouthed. He reached out, grasped his coffee from the table, and drank

her voice, she pleaded, “Dad, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you this

mug aside. He turned toward his daughter, and for once, the usual resistance in his eyes seemed to

𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 g𝓪𝗅𝗇𝓸ν𝓮𝗅𝓈﹐ⅽ𝗼𝗺

sparkled with hope as she pressed on. “Dad, I know I had the wrong impression of Maia before, but that’s all behind me. After Mom passed, I imagined so many women possibly filling that place in your life, and none

though this time her words rang with fresh sincerity. Setting aside her usual shyness, she spoke directly,

make the perfect stepmother if anyone could,” Melanie insisted, pushing past