Chapter 1274:


    “You impress me, Maia,” Kiley said. “How’d you manage to level up like that in prison? Can you share the story with us?” Her voice kept that gentle quality, but it stabbed at Maia like a thin needle going straight for the heart.


    Nobody made a sound in that hall. Even the cameras quit clicking for a few seconds.


    Rosanna sat somewhere in the audience section. Her mouth curved up a bit. As she watched everything y out, a quiet kind of satisfaction filled her up inside.


    If she had that “evidence” Raegan had, maybe she could’ve humiliated Maia like Kiley was doing right now.


    Rosanna had been through enough that she could look at her old failures without getting emotional about it. She could admit to herself now that Kiley’s approach beat hers by a mile. At least Kiley didn’t put herself in direct opposition to Maia.


    That was where Kiley’s real talent showed. She didn’t go for shy moves, but pushed people right to the edge using nothing but soft words.


    “Thanks for the kind words, Ms. Cooper.” Maia didn’t budge an inch. Her face stayed peaceful. That faint smile never left her lips. Her voice came out steady and polite, like none of this touched her. “There’s really not much to tell about it.”


    Kiley’s eyes got a bit narrower. She was getting ready to push harder.


    Right then, Maia cut Kiley off. Her head came up. Her voice rang out clearly through the whole ce. “After all, today is Radiant Jewels’ new productunch.”


    Maia stopped talking for a moment. Her eyes looked gentle but held deeper meaning. “No more jewelry will be lost, right?” she asked.


    Those calm words dropped like a bomb. The crowd sat there, totally shocked and silent.


    Maia gave a little shrug. A slight smile crossed her face. She made it sound like a joke when she added, “I really don’t want to be falsely used again or recall anything rted to prison.”


    The atmosphere seemed to freeze up.


    More content now at g?lησv???s


    That was when Kiley’s coolposure finally fell apart. The perfect smile she’d been wearing went stiff. Some anxiety showed through the calm front she’d been keeping up. She hadn’t expected Maia to throw out a “joke” like that with all the cameras broadcasting live.


    The remark seemed casual enough, but it pointed to betrayals from the past. It also hinted that the same thing might happen again. The worst part? Maia had cleverly changed the subject and shifted where the conflict was headed. This left Kiley stuck—she couldn’t keep grilling Maia in front of everyone.


    They were on live TV, after all. Kiley knew what would happen if she kept pushing. The public might get the wrong idea and think she was scheming against Maia all over again. That would be way too obvious. It would also turn her into Maia’s enemy and mess up her ns down the road.


    Kiley had been hoping Maia would drop her guard sooner. She’d wanted Maia to talk about her prison experience. That would’ve given Raegan’s crew an opening toe forward and go after Maia. But the evening was just getting started. There’d be plenty more chances.


    Kiley clenched her jaw. She worked hard to keep that smile stered on. She got herself under control and quickly responded, “Of course, Miss Watson. You can rest assured about that.”


    Maia’s eyes lifted a bit. Her hand waved elegantly. “I was just joking,” she said. Her tone stayed light and didn’t seem aggressive at all. This didn’t give Kiley any way to fire back.


    Over on the inte, people were going crazy debating the short exchange between the two women.


    .


    .


    .