From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 256

Chapter 256 Silence Speaks Louder

The guards froze the moment he saw Maya.

Of course, he recognized her. Years ago, when Zaden was dating Maya. Everyone thought she would become the future lady of the house. No one expected them to break up.

After all these years, he’d assumed Maya was long gone from their lives, never to return. Yet here she was, standing at the gates again.

“Hi, Ms. Rice,” he greeted politely, straightening his posture.

Maya smiled gracefully and said softly, “I’d like to visit Beverly. Is she home? Please let her know I’m here.”

The guard hesitated, his tone turning awkward. “Hmm, Mrs. Storm hasn’t been well. She’s been admitted to the hospital for a long time.”

After the last incident, Zaden had practically confined Beverly to the hospital.

She still hadn’t been released.

Maya’s eyes widened in surprise. She hurriedly asked, “What? Which hospital is she in? Tell me, and I’ll go see her right now.”

Meanwhile, Athena had just returned to the villa after leaving the mall. She dropped her things by the door and glanced around the empty house.

The cheerful mood she’d had earlier completely vanished, replaced by a strange, unsettling feeling she couldn’t quite describe.

After thinking for a moment, she picked up her phone and called Harriet.

The call connected quickly.

“Athena? What’s up? I’m in a meeting,” Harriet whispered, clearly not in a convenient place to talk.

Athena swallowed all of her words and said softly, “Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Get back to work.”

She hung up with a sigh.

Athena wanted to ask about Maya. Since Harriet was busy, there was nothing she could do.

Just as Athena was about to put her phone away, a sudden notification popped up on her screen.

“Renowned surgeon Maya Rice has returned from her overseas research project. She announced she’ll continue her medical work in Vlephia.”

Athena blinked at the headline, a little stunned. She had never paid much attention to Maya before.

She never expected that Zaden’s ex–girlfriend was also in the medical field. What a strange coincidence.

Linked to the news was an Instagram account.

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The profile picture showed a woman in a white lab coat–elegant, calm, and beautiful. It was Maya herself.

Out of curiosity, Athena clicked on it.

Maya had just posted five minutes ago. The photo showed a hospital room with the caption. “Visiting an old relative I haven’t seen in years. So much has changed, yet some memories never fade.”

The tone carried warmth and nostalgia.

As Athena scrolled down, something caught her off guard. One of the photos showed Maya paying a visit to Zaden’s mother.

The two women were chatting and smiling together, the photo clearly taken by someone nearby. The photos showed them laughing together, clearly close.

Maya’s account was active and popular. Her follower count rivaled that of a celebrity. Within minutes, her new post had already exploded with likes and comments.

Athena clicked on the comments section out of curiosity.

The top caption stood out right away.

[Wow, Professor Rice actually came back to Vlephia! I didn’t believe it at first. And wait! Isn’t that Mrs. Storm in the photo?“]

[Professor Rice used to date Zaden Storm years ago! They broke up because of her medical research overseas. Now that she’s back, could they get back together?]

Someone else chimed in. [I doubt it. Didn’t Zaden already have a wife?]

[You call that woman a wife? Please. Everyone knows she’s just a temporary stand–in. Professor Rice was his first love, the one that got away. No one can compete with that.]

The comments were almost all the same–praising Maya, defending her, romanticizing the past.

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