Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 447:

Marisa lifted one foot onto the beam beneath Ethan’s desk, leaning in toward him with a mischievous spark in her eyes.

Ethan, caught off guard, quickly pulled back a bit. “W-What’s happening?”

Marisa grinned. She wasn’t the type to pick on others for fun. She wasn’t like Melanie, one of those rich girls who used their status to boss people around.

“Do you really take everything your sister says so seriously? Has she ever told you not to play games?” Before Ethan could respond, Marisa’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Since you’re so dedicated to her, why don’t you tell me more about her? Is she a total control freak, like one of those hovering parents? And how did she even manage to get you into Class One?” She lowered her voice on the last question, making sure only Ethan could hear.

In that moment, the air around Ethan and Marisa felt completely still. The other students had scattered as soon as they saw Marisa heading their way.

Ethan gazed into Marisa’s bright, inquisitive eyes, feeling completely out of his depth.

Marisa leaned in, lollipop in hand, and teased, “What, you’re not allowed to talk about it? Alright, new question. What’s going on between your sister and Melanie’s dad? I heard Melanie’s getting a stepmother. It’s your sister, right?”

For days, Marisa had been burning with curiosity. As a member of Drakmire’s elite Payne family, she was surrounded by people from the city’s wealthiest families. Some of them had even attended the Cooper Group’s gala. Naturally, Marisa was always in the loop when it came to the latest gossip.

Even though the drama where Maia had embarrassed Mariana had been swept under the rug, Marisa’s group chats exploded with rumors as soon as anything scandalous surfaced.

When Marisa first saw her friends chatting about Maia and Hurst, her jaw nearly hit the floor. It was completely out of the blue.

Something about it made sense, but there was still something that felt off, something Marisa couldn’t quite put her finger on.

𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑬 𝑭𝑰𝑳𝑬: 𝒈⋅𝒂𝒍⋅𝒏⋅𝒐𝒗⋅𝒆𝒍⋅𝒔⋅𝒄𝒐⋅𝒎

That day, Marisa had seen for herself that Hurst’s behavior toward Maia was strange. It wasn’t exactly romantic, but it wasn’t not, either. It could have just been well-hidden.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s pupils widened, then shrank, as Marisa’s words repeated in his head over and over.

What on earth was Marisa talking about? Was his sister really going to be Melanie’s stepmother?

He found it hard to comprehend what Marisa was implying.

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked, his eyes wide, his heart racing.

“What else could I mean? I’m saying your sister and Melanie’s dad are definitely seeing each other!” Marisa said, popping the lollipop back in her mouth, staring at Ethan as if he were the most fascinating thing around.

A mix of shock, confusion, and now, anger was clearly visible on his face.noveldrama

Marisa figured that Ethan had no clue what was really going on.

“No way!” Ethan yelled, his hands shaking with fury. “You’re lying! My sister’s not like that!”

Ethan’s shout sliced through the room like a whip cracking in still air, pulling every student’s attention toward him — including Melanie, who sat only a few desks away, frozen mid-turn.

“What are you staring at?” Marisa snapped, crushing her lollipop as though it were the last shred of her patience. With a dismissive flick, she sent the candy stick soaring into the trash behind her.

“Need me to teach you some manners?” she challenged, arching a brow in icy confidence, her eyes scanning the room like a hawk circling its prey.

Melanie’s expression stiffened. She turned her head, letting silence serve as her shield.

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