Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 507:

“Alright.” Ethan gave a solemn nod, as though sealing a promise with himself.

Later that evening, back at home, Ethan lay in bed, tossing and turning like a ship caught in indecisive winds. No matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn’t settle on what kind of gift would truly express his gratitude to Maia.

Just then, his phone buzzed. A message popped up from Marisa. “Hey, champ! Got any grand plans for that million yet?”

Ethan stared at the screen, and a thought sparked. Maybe Marisa could help. She had a brother, after all, and being a girl herself, she might have a better sense of what kind of gift would really touch a woman’s heart. Taking a deep breath, he tapped her number and hit “call.” She picked up almost immediately.

“Well, well, calling me out of the blue — what’s this? Planning to blow that million on a fancy dinner for me?”

Ethan paused, caught off guard by her teasing tone.

But then he thought it over — had it not been for Marisa dragging him into the game, he wouldn’t even be in this position. Besides, a dinner would be a good excuse to pick her brain about gift ideas. So he replied, “Yes, I’m inviting you to dinner. Are you free now?”

Marisa blinked in surprise. She’d only been joking, never expecting him to take it seriously. A bold move? He usually acted a bit clueless, but this move? It was surprisingly thoughtful.

Without missing a beat, she answered, “Of course! If you’re buying, how could I say no?”

They quickly agreed on a place to meet — the lobster restaurant right outside the school gate. Marisa had been craving spicy crawfish, and the place wasn’t too pricey.

Though Ethan now had a million in his pocket, she had no intention of milking it for all it was worth. Still, her heart gave a little flutter as she recalled Ethan’s dazzling moment during the competition. Now that they were going out — just the two of them — was this a date? No way… Right? What was she thinking? At best, it was a friendly meal. A small victory feast, maybe. But she was absolutely making sure the guy who stole her championship paid for every dish.

𝓒𝒉𝒆𝓬𝓀 𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝒉𝓮𝓻𝑒: 𝓰𝓪𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝓈.𝓬𝑜𝓂

With that in mind, Marisa jumped to her feet and headed for the closet to choose an outfit.

It was nearing noon when Maxwell finally dragged himself out of bed. He’d stumbled home well past midnight and was still groggy, his head foggy from lack of sleep. If his stomach hadn’t growled loud enough to wake the dead, he might’ve slept straight into the afternoon.noveldrama

But the moment he opened his bedroom door, all trace of drowsiness vanished like mist under the morning sun.

Standing before him was his sister, Marisa — almost unrecognizable. She had light makeup on, and she was wearing that rare, graceful dress she’d all but sworn that she’d never touch.

Maxwell’s eyes widened. He knew that dress — it was the one he’d given her last year for her birthday, hoping that it would coax her into acting a little less like one of the boys.

She’d nearly thrown it out then and there. It had taken endless persuading for her to accept it, and even then, she’d just stuffed it away in the closet, untouched and forgotten.

So what was happening now? Had pigs started flying?

“Whoa, did I wake up too fast, or am I dreaming?” Maxwell muttered as he pinched his arm, half-expecting to wake up.

Marisa, hoping to sneak past unnoticed, winced as she came face-to-face with her brother. Rolling her eyes with a groan, she snapped, “If you’re dreaming, go back to bed!”

“Wait — what’s with the getup? Where are you off to?” Maxwell gawked at her, scanning her from head to toe like she was some rare species.

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