Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 421:

Chris paused, allowing his words to settle between them before continuing, “You don’t have to believe me today. Just give me time. One day, you’ll see for yourself — I wasn’t lying.”

“I will never be with any woman other than you,” he declared suddenly, with a conviction that left no room for doubt. “My heart, my body — they’re all yours, Maia. Even my first kiss.”

Maia blinked, momentarily stunned. “What? First kiss?”

Chris was definitely drunk. She glanced at the empty bottle beside him. When had he polished that off? And what was this nonsense about a ‘first kiss’?

As though hearing her silent disbelief, Chris said, “Did you forget the day you kissed me out of the blue?”

Maia’s thoughts screeched to a halt.

Suddenly, fragments of the night came flooding back, and the hazy curtain over her mind was lifted.

Everything became clear.

It was the night Vince had drugged her. In her foggy, altered state… she had kissed Chris?noveldrama

Maia faltered. “That night… I… I wasn’t in my right mind. Don’t read too much into it. I didn’t mean…”

But then a thought interrupted her rambling. She looked up, eyes wide. “Wait. Are you saying that was really your first kiss?”

Chris narrowed his eyes, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You doubt me? Want me to prove it to you?”

That playful glint on his perfectly chiseled face was nothing short of unfair warfare.

Cⲟntent ⲟriginally frⲟm gⲁl𝓝𝑜ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫸𝒸𝗈𝗺

Maia’s palms began to sweat, betraying her calm facade.

Before she could retreat, Chris leaned in, his breath brushing her ear, sending shivers dancing down her spine. “It was your first time too, wasn’t it?” he whispered.

Maia’s breath hitched. Her petite earlobes flushed a brilliant crimson, as though her body betrayed the secrets that her mouth refused to speak.

How could he possibly know that?

A realization dawned with humiliating clarity.

Was he… questioning her kissing skills?

Sure, it had been her first kiss, but she had been completely out of it at the time. How could that even count?

An inexplicable spark of competitive fire was ignited within her chest. She lifted her chin, meeting Chris’s gaze head-on, her eyes gleaming with challenge.

The air between them thickened, growing almost heavy enough to cut with a knife. The wine might not have intoxicated her — but the moment surely did.

Chris had always been the one toying with her, but not this time. This time, she wasn’t backing down.

After all, this wasn’t their first kiss anymore. What was there to fear? And to be honest — kissing a good-looking man like Chris? Hardly a tragedy.

With her heart hammering against her ribs, Maia boldly wrapped her arms around his strong neck and smirked. “Alright, let’s settle this. I’m willing to bet I’m a better kisser than you.”

Before Chris could breathe a word, her lips were against his — soft, warm, and bold. Maia took the lead.

Chris froze, the surprise flickering in his eyes as his pupils shrank. Her sudden confidence was like a hidden treasure that he hadn’t expected to find, stirring something deep within him.

Just as he was about to pull her close and return the favor with fervor, Maia pushed him away, a sly glint dancing in her eyes.

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