Chapter 1297:


    Rnd met her gaze briefly, his lips parting as if to speak, but he stayed silent.


    Instead, he returned the gesture, his hand firm over hers.


    Mnie bit her lip hard, tugging at her father’s sleeve as she whispered, “Dad, shouldn’t we do something? Kiley’s being awful to Maia. It’s so obvious she’s trying to humiliate her.” Her voice trembled with frustration.


    She had hoped Maia would one day be her stepmother. Seeing her cornered like this in front of everyone filled her with helpless anger.


    Hurst forced aposed expression, though his eyes darkened.


    He patted Mnie’s hand and said quietly, “Calm down. Maia’s smart—she’ll find a way to handle it.”


    Inwardly, even he wasn’t sure. But his mind was already made up. If Maia ended up disgraced tonight, he would wee her. This entire event was a setup from the start, after all.


    Still, one question gnawed at him—why was Kiley so intent on targeting Maia? His thoughts darkened. Was it because of him?


    Kolton, being the head of the family, had long restricted the Cooper Group’s expansion, stifling his ventures at every turn. And now, he was allowing his people to publicly crush the woman Hurst had feelings for.


    That, Hurst thought grimly, was something he could never forgive.


    With that thought, Hurst silently cursed Kolton and Kiley under his breath, his jaw tightening.


    He quickly typed a message to his assistant. “Get me a few jewelry design drafts—now!”


    He nned to send the sketches to Maia immediately, hoping to give her an edge in thepetition.


    Meanwhile, Chris could no longer keep hisposure. Fury burned through him as he red at the stage.


    Aurielle’s every question dripped with malice, each word meant to corner Maia and drag her name through the mud.


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    Chris, gifted in lip reading, caught every venomous exchange between Aurielle and Richie. His fists clenched. It was infuriating.


    Without hesitation, he sent a sharpmand to Hawk, ST’s top hacker. “Dig up everything on Aurielle Margaret—every scandal, every skeleton. I want her reputation ruined by tonight!”


    Hawk’s response came instantly, and the keys began to fly.


    At the same time, Pris’s chief hacker had alreadyunched an investigation of his own, tracing the so-called Anti’s credentials.


    “How dare they question my boss? That fake Anti and her little association are done for. I’ll expose every one of them.”


    Under the bright stage lights, Maia finally spoke, her voice calm yet cutting through the tension like ss. “I didn’t want to humiliate you, but if you insist—fine. I’ll ept.”


    She turned away from Kiley, her expression unreadable.


    She knew exactly what game Kiley was ying.


    But Kiley would never understand—schemes meant nothing when faced with true skill.


    Maia’s eyesnded on Anti, who was ring daggers at her. “I’ve already given you a chance,” she said evenly.


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