?Chapter 929:


    Jules, still unsure of Maxine’s intention, darted a nce toward Katrina. “It’s the truth. Katrina carries the same powder on her clothes.”


    Maxine’s gaze shifted to Katrina.


    Katrina wouldn’t dare hide anything. “Yes, Grandma,” she confirmed immediately. “Elliana threw that powder at us.”


    The confession settled over the room like a stone sinking into water. Maxine leaned back, her expression distant, her thoughts sealed away behind unreadable eyes.


    An unnatural stillness stretched between them.


    Jules kept his head bowed, and Katrina watched Maxine’s face, her breath held. Neither of them dared to make a sound.


    Maxine’s temper was notoriously unpredictable. Everyone in her service walked on eggshells, terrified of displeasing her.


    Among all the Griffiths heirs, Maxine stood out. Tradition dictated that every Griffiths heir traveled far, sought out a partner of impable bloodline, and bore a daughter worthy of the mantle. For generations, this duty was upheld without fail. But Maxine defied that legacy.


    During her younger years, Maxine had spent three long years abroad, yet returned empty-handed, without either a partner or a child. rmed, the family had scrambled to arrange suitors for her.


    But Maxine had rejected every suitor they presented. Time had passed, her youth had waned, and the hope of a natural-born heir had slipped away. In the end, Maxine never had a biological child of her own.


    To preserve the family’s lineage, Maxine had forged another path. She took in her nephew, Miguel Griffiths, andter adopted a gifted girl, hoping the two would wed and provide the next sessor. That adopted daughter was her mother.


    Found as an infant during Maxine’s travels, Rita’s parentage had been cloaked in mystery. No record of her origins existed, and no one dared question how Maxine hade to find her.


    Every story starts at gα?ησν????s


    From the start, Maxine had treated Rita as though she were her own blood. She’d guided Rita personally, molding her talents, and ultimately entrusted her with the sacred teachings of the Medical Codex. Rita had be the chosen heir.


    Rita had rewarded that trust with brilliance. Her intelligence and skill had elevated her above every expectation until her name became legend among the Griffiths. But in one matter, she failed Maxine—she did not fall in love with Miguel. No effort from Maxine could change that.


    Miguel, on the other hand, had adored Rita with a desperate intensity. From childhood, he had viewed her as his, and that affection had twisted into an obsession that only grew darker with time.


    The rift between Rita and Miguel was a wound that could never heal. She longed for freedom, while he longed to possess her. Though she didn’t reciprocate his feelings and tried to avoid him as much as possible, he poured all his passion into the futile pursuit.


    The tension had boiled over when Rita turned twenty.


    At Maxine’smand, a wedding had been arranged to bind Rita and Miguel, but Rita had shattered the n. On the eve of the ceremony, she fled—and she didn’t go alone. She took the Medical Codex with her.


    When Maxine learned of Rita’s escape, fury consumed her. She ordered a worldwide hunt.


    But Rita was no easy prey. Despite the vast number of skilled operatives dispatched by the Griffiths, she slipped through their fingers, a ghost in their own web. For years, she vanished, until a trail finally appeared.


    .<fnd785> The source of th?s content is find·novel</fnd785>


    .


    .