Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 917:

The clock kept ticking, every second dragging heavier than the last. Claudius found himself growing more agitated by the minute. The wait was becoming unbearable.

Truthfully, he should have gone to Maia long before this. Still, a strange feeling crept in, leaving him oddly unmoored.

“How pathetic! You thought you could run things like Father did. But look at you, Claudius. You can’t even steer your own life,” he muttered under his breath with a bitter smile.

A second later, he pressed his fingers to his temples and drew a deep breath. The storm passed, and his usual composure settled back in.

After standing still for a few seconds, Claudius reached for his phone and opened Maia’s contact. He typed quickly: “Maia, I’m heading to Otruitho soon to oversee the operations there. Before I leave, there’s something important I need to say face-to-face. I know this might come out of nowhere, but if I let this moment slip, I might never get the chance again. Can we meet?”

He didn’t hit send right away. For a full minute, he just stared at the screen, weighing the tone and every word.

Once he was sure it sounded right, he pressed send. The message landed, and the screen quietly displayed a single word: “Delivered.” No response came—not right away.

screen until the light in

let out a long breath and set the

if the silence itself pressed down on

Claudius tapped his fingers against the desk, then stood up

then ten. Still, there was

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 @ 𝙜ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⸱𝙘𝙤𝙢

Claudius stopped pacing and

the office door open. “Secretary,”

Cooper. What

away.” Claudius’s voice held a firm edge that left no room

“Understood, Mr. Cooper.”

grabbed his coat and walked

look back at