Chapter 229



Months had passed since Kallie appeared in the studio, yet the video remained. Not only that, it was prominently displayed at the top of Hayden’s page.

Tears welled up in Kallie’s eyes. She tapped the phone screen to explain. “I used to learn from Hayden. Some of my work is probably still there. You can check it out if you want. My skills speak for themselves, and you’re welcome to judge for yourself.”

Bria stared at Kallie, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. “Hayden?” She scoffed, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Well, this is unexpected.”

Bria’s gaze lingered on Kallie, a meaningful smirk playing on her lips. She remembered Tyrone mentioning Hayden, how he’d always meant to pay Hayden a proper visit. Tyrone rarely spoke highly of anyone, so Bria remembered Hayden’s name clearly.

Kallie looked down with a sad smile. “I only learned from him for a while. Hayden probably forgot me. I don’t have any family or friends, anyway.”

Bria’s eyes softened a little after hearing that. “Is that so?”

It wasn’t hard for Bria to improve Kallie’s meals a bit. Besides, Bria’s focus was now on Jake. She wasn’t actually in love with him yet. It was just her competitive streak kicking in. The less Jake liked her, the more she wanted to win him over. It was like a hunter finding a new toy to play with.

Now that someone else could handle the gift for Tyrone, Bria happily agreed. She smiled faintly. “Alright, you handle this. Do a good job, and you’ll be rewarded. Be good, and I’ll treat you well. Understand?”

Kallie forced a smile, pretending to be grateful for Bria’s presumed kindness. Bria liked seeing Kallie try to please her.

“Remember our deal. I’m warning you, do a bad job, and there will be trouble. I don’t have much patience.” Bria made sure Kallie understood.

Kallie nodded in agreement.

Tools and supplies arrived for Kallie that night. She wanted to take some time to carefully plan the design. But Bria demanded to see it immediately.

Kallie sighed, knowing she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. She worked on the design all night and sent it to Bria by midnight.

Bria actually got up to take a look. She just gave it a quick glance before sending it back. “Not impressive enough. Make it more luxurious,” Bria demanded.

Bria pointed out that the gift had to be classy, not something flashy and fancy. Out of all the things Bria had brought over, only the jade seemed to fit the criteria she needed. Wood wouldn’t be fancy enough, and jewels would be too extravagant. But jade was tough as nails and could easily leave a nasty bruise when crafting it.

Kallie sighed, the sound heavy with frustration. If she’d had this kind of nightmare client before, she’d have told them to find someone else for the job. But things were different now.

Kallie glanced down at her stomach, a tiny bump already rounding out beneath her thin clothes. Four months in, and even though she was still slim, the baby bump was starting to peek through. With each passing day, the little one inside her grew stronger. When Kallie placed her hand on her stomach, it felt warm, a silent connection with the tiny being inside her.

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