Chapter 528
Chapter 528:
The fact that Maia once suffered an injury requiring specialized treatment had somehow escaped Claudius’ previous investigations.
It seemed that attending today had been unexpectedly rewarding.
While the scar-softening ointment was hard for most to acquire, it wasn’t a problem for Claudius. Cooper Group had teamed up with the Skin Research Institute, and Claudius had funded a large portion of their research last year. He quickly texted his assistant to order some, planning to surprise Maia with it later.
Maia caught the murmurs around her, glanced at the scar-softening ointment Jarrod held out, and let out a soft laugh.
She hadn’t expected to see that product here. Years ago, she had named it “Velabloom,” meaning “Scars fade and skin blooms anew like flowers reborn.” She had created this ointment while locked up, hoping it would erase the marks on her arm.
Sadly, “Velabloom” worked best on scars less than a year old. It could wipe those away completely. Older scars like hers, though, no cream could fully erase.
When she found that out, Maia used her mentor Zoey’s connections to donate the formula to the Skin Research Institute, hoping they could mass-produce it and help others fighting scars too.
Once released, the ointment flew off the shelves. Its ingredients were rare, making it nearly impossible to keep in stock.
Maia was genuinely surprised that Jarrod had managed to find a jar of it. While it could erase the scars on the skin, it could never erase the damage he had done.
The scars stayed, along with the pain.
They reminded her every day of the injustice she had faced — how the Morgans had thrown her in prison, framed her, and betrayed her again and again.
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Still, this situation gave Richard and Sandra a chance to patch things up with Maia.
They didn’t waste time questioning Rosanna about the misunderstanding. They just wanted to convince Maia to accept the gift and pretend to reconcile in front of the guests.
That way, the Morgans would keep the spotlight, even if it was through Maia. They had to admit that Jarrod giving a gift to Maia in front of so many guests turned out to be a clever move.
Richard quickly forced a smile, stepped closer, and urged, “Maia, Jarrod really went out of his way to get this for you. Let’s move past everything. Please forgive him and take the gift p>
Sandra stepped forward and said, “What happened back then was just an accident. No one planned for you to hurt your arm and get that scar. Look… Jarrod has carried this in his heart all these years — that shows how much he still cares. Don’t be shy; just take it p>
Maia paused, her hesitation clear, but their true intentions were evident.
Still, she had come today to break ties with the Morgan family and avoid any more trouble.
She smiled faintly. “There’s no need. The scar on my arm won’t fade, just like some harms can’t be forgiven p>
Jarrod’s chest tightened suddenly, pain twisting inside him.
Could things between them really never go back?
Did seventeen years as siblings mean so little to her?
What mistake had he made? He hadn’t expected that a gentle push would cause her to fall and injure her arm.
Why couldn’t she forgive him?
Jarrod couldn’t understand, clutching the scar-softening ointment tightly. Suddenly, a thought struck him — did Maia think that one gift wasn’t valuable enough? Maybe it didn’t show enough sincerity.