Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 450:

With a mocking gesture, she lifted her pinky finger and tilted her head, continuing, “Why are you making such a big deal? Guess you’re just a newbie.”

“I’m a newbie?” Melanie’s anger shifted to laughter. “You, from Class Three, have the nerve to question me?”

“And why can’t I?” Marisa took a step forward, her voice steady. “Only the weak make excuses. The strong prove themselves.”

Melanie lost her temper. Her entire life, people had worshipped her. No one had ever dared speak to her like this. She took a step forward, gritting her teeth. “I don’t waste my time like you. Anyone from this class could wipe the floor with you, Class Three trash, at gaming!”

“Anyone can talk tough,” Marisa sneered, crossing her arms. “Are you really worried about wasting time, or is it that you’re afraid that when you face real competition, without your fancy last name, everyone will see what a joke you are?”

“You!” Melanie was at a loss for words, her chest rising and falling with fury.

Marisa had really gotten under Melanie’s skin. No one had ever insulted her like this, let alone twice.

Melanie had always been the top student. How could she possibly lose to someone like Marisa in anything, especially gaming?

“I’m not a newbie!” Melanie snapped. “Even when it comes to games, I’m way better than you!”

Marisa’s grin widened. “Oh really? Fine, let’s settle this. But I don’t waste time with weaklings. I’ll give you a week to practice. It only took me that long to crack the top ten on the leaderboard.”

Melanie’s face grew even darker. “Quit pretending! Fine, what game? I’m going to beat you!”

The students around them stared in shock, not believing that Melanie had fallen for it so easily.

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But it looked like they were in for quite a show.

Marisa seemed at ease. “Right on time. There’s a tournament for this game next week. If you make it to the finals, we can finally have our showdown.”

She then added casually after a brief pause, “Oh, and the first prize is a hundred thousand dollars. The competition’s fierce.”

Ethan felt a jolt in his chest.

A hundred thousand dollars!?

If he won that, it might be enough to ease some of the load on his sister.

And Maia’s birthday was just around the corner.

Ethan recalled Kathie mentioning that Maia and Rosanna had been born on the same day. That was how the baby swap had happened. With that money, he could get Maia the perfect birthday gift. Ethan quietly balled his fists.

Melanie, however, dismissed the idea of prize money with a laugh. “A hundred grand? Who cares about that? I just want to defeat you!”noveldrama

Earlier, apologizing to Ethan had completely shattered Melanie’s reputation in class. Melanie had been struggling to rebuild her image, and now Marisa had given her a chance to do just that. If she could beat Marisa, Melanie wouldn’t just fix her reputation; she’d be back on top of the social ladder.

Melanie tilted her head with confidence. “If we’re going to compete, let’s make it interesting. If I win, you’ll have to call me boss whenever you see me.”

“Fine!” Marisa responded with a carefree laugh. “But if you lose…” Marisa paused, thinking it over. Having Melanie call her boss seemed too dull. Marisa didn’t even care about her enough for that.

Then, Marisa spotted Ethan, and a devilish idea popped into her head. She grinned sweetly and said, “If you lose, you’ll have to apologize to Ethan and his sister Maia again — right in front of everyone — and promise that you won’t cross them again. How’s that?”

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