Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 899:

A thoughtful silence settled between Hurst and Melanie before he spoke again, his tone dropping and the gravity of his words unmistakable. “Maia truly is remarkable, but she’s not unattached. You remember I told you before—she’s married.”

Catching the subtle shift, Melanie sensed something new in her father’s voice—a gentleness that hinted at hesitation rather than firm refusal. Years of experience had taught him to weigh every angle, analyzing consequences and possibilities with measured care.

Still, that wasn’t what Melanie hoped to hear.

Without warning, she rose from her seat, her playful demeanor replaced by resolve as she fixed her gaze on Hurst. “Dad, you’re the one who always said that if you care about someone, you should go after them. I know you feel something for Maia—this is more than simple admiration, isn’t it? Are you really going to let that slip away? Her marriage doesn’t change anything. After all, you’ve been married, too. Doesn’t that make you even better suited for each other? Most men might hesitate because of her past, but I know you wouldn’t let that get in the way.”

Melanie listed every argument she could muster, determined to leave no room for him to argue.

effect was immediate—Hurst

sort of places did Melanie pick up such unconventional logic? Odd as it was, her arguments somehow

tip of Hurst’s tongue, but Melanie charged ahead, building her case with even more conviction. “Look at the facts—she left the country without her husband, just took a bodyguard. That alone tells me I was right before. Either Maia isn’t married, or that so-called husband is

of doubt crossed Hurst’s features as he absorbed her reasoning, lines settling deep on his

even better than anyone else’s.” As she was speaking, her eyes were

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 ⍰ 𝙜ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀・𝖼𝗈𝗆

hit her—if her father married Maia, wouldn’t that make Ethan her

fact, she’d come to appreciate Ethan’s quiet, dependable presence, even if he was a bit on

last trace of stubbornness fading from his eyes. Privately, he admitted that he’d already been mulling over this very possibility

a stepmother who had become a local legend, especially