Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 37:

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed his phone, thumbed through his gallery, and pulled up a saved video. “Watch this. Her school recital. Then maybe you’ll shut up and stop acting like I’m making things up.”

The guys didn’t wait. They all reached for the phone as if it were treasure, eyes locked on the screen.

There she was — walking onto a simple school stage in a white dress. Her voice, pure and clear, spilled into the room through the tiny speakers.

“Alright, that’s actually decent,” one of them said, surprised.

“Wow, look at you now. Back when Maia was your sister, you barely even said her name. Now it’s Rosanna this, Rosanna that, every five minutes. You sound like a fanboy.”

The mention of Maia’s name was enough to make Jarrod tense up. All the ease in his shoulders vanished.

Jarrod’s eyes turned sharp as he retorted, “She wasn’t real. Just a fraud from the start. She’s nothing without our last name.”

“Didn’t your family go pick her up today after she got out?” someone asked, a hint of curiosity in their tone.

Clearly annoyed, Jarrod took another swig of whiskey. “We went there, did what any decent family would. And what did she do? Talked back like we owed her something. Dragged all those prison habits with her. She’s nothing but a backstabber. I’d had it — I kicked her out right then.”

With an approving grin, the guy threw him a big thumbs-up. “Smart move. Women like that — fresh out of prison? You never know what kind of mess they’re carrying. Now that you’ve let her go, keep it that way. She’ll just bring trouble to your family if she stays.”

“She’s out of our lives unless she comes crawling back on her knees,” Jarrod said, grinding his jaw. He tipped his glass and took another drink.

At that moment, the overhead lights flickered and dimmed, drawing everyone’s attention. The music cut out completely. Performers shuffled offstage in a hurry.

L𝑎t𝑒st ch𝑎pt𝑒rs in gαl𝑛ovels.cøm

“What’s happening? Is this part of the show?”noveldrama

Excited whispers rippled through the crowd. Around here, a sudden blackout only meant two things — a surprise act or a celebrity making an entrance.

A few haunting piano notes floated through the silence.

Heads turned as recognition hit all at once.

It was the opening chords of One More Day.

Was Brielle really here?

Before anyone could respond, a woman stepped into the spotlight — slim, confident, each step graceful, every movement like poetry.

With each step Maia took, the spotlight followed her until she reached the center of the stage. A silver butterfly mask covered the upper half of her face, but her eyes — sharp and unwavering — cut through the beams of light like twin blades.

Her dress was ocean-blue, shaped like a mermaid’s tail, the fabric catching the light with every move. Tiny gems sparkled across it like sunlight dancing on the tide.

The dress looked as if it had been stitched straight from the sea. Fitted perfectly at the waist, it gave her a shape that was almost otherworldly in its elegance.

She carried herself like a dream come to life — graceful, polished, and absolutely breathtaking.

No one could deny it. She was absolutely mesmerizing.

“Wait… is that…?”

Something about her struck a nerve — despite the mask, Jarrod narrowed his eyes, convinced it was Maia.

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