Chapter 372



Kallie simply smiled and ordered the servant to prepare some snacks.

In the hall, Melinda had been waiting for Kallie for more than an hour with her daughter, Zuri Reeves, in her arms. Kallie only appeared when Melinda’s patience snapped.

This time, Kallie deliberately opted against the assistance of a wheelchair. With Liza’s help, she walked slowly into the living room.

Kallie smiled at Melinda, her smile icy and distant. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I got caught up in my rehabilitation training and completely forgot you were here.”

Melinda forced a smile, her expression as insincere as a politician’s promise. She walked over to Kallie and replaced Liza’s role, holding Kallie’s arm.

“Kallie, I came to check on your leg injuries. I was over the moon to hear you were back from abroad. Ever since I found out about your leg, I’ve been eager to pay you a visit.

Yet, I didn’t summon enough courage until today. After all, we once had some misunderstandings back when we were a family, and I was afraid you would look down on me given your current status as a Nixon.”

Kallie nodded with a knowing smile. “I’m glad you harbor such thoughts. Ever since I returned to the Nixon family, my grandfather has urged me to leave the past behind, pointing out those evildoers weren’t worth me dwelling on.”

The smile on Melinda’s face faltered, her facade draining away like water through a sieve. Rage simmered beneath the surface, but she dared not let it show. She hadn’t anticipated Kallie being so direct, cutting through the pleasantries with a blade of truth.

But then again, Melinda bitterly grasped Kallie had every reason to be straightforward. It didn’t matter whether the Nixon family held Kallie in high regard or not. What mattered was that she now wielded substantial assets, the kind that made people sit up and take notice.

Who would have believed that the once timid Kallie, who had lived under the Reeves family’s roof as an adopted daughter, would rise to own a chain of auction houses with a global reach? In particular, her auction houses in Avalon and Ferelden had become the most influential, drawing the world’s wealthiest collectors like moths to a flame.

In other words, Kallie had tapped into a network of connections that most could only dream of. At this point, anyone choosing to cross her would either be utterly stupid or hopelessly ignorant.

Melinda knew this all too well, and so she swallowed her pride, careful not to provoke Kallie.

After helping Kallie onto the sofa, Melinda knelt before Kallie. She didn’t forget to pull Zuri down to kneel beside her. The mother and daughter wept in unison, their cries merging into a pitiful chorus.

Melinda, especially, looked utterly wretched. Amid her charade, she said, “Kallie, your child has been born now, right? I know there were many times in the past when I wronged you, but I’m just like you, planning for my child’s future. Please let me have the painting, or Zuri and I will be thrown out. I’ll do anything for you just to appease your anger and let me take the painting. Please kindly consider my predicament.”

Kallie looked down at Melinda, smirking. She saw through Melinda’s intention of moral coercion. Sadly for Melinda, this scheme wouldn’t work.

After Melinda had cried for what felt like an eternity, Kallie finally spoke, her voice slow and deliberate. “Guess what? I still remember that because of you, I almost lost my child. What do you plan to do to make up for that?”

Melinda turned off the waterworks abruptly. The atmosphere grew thick with tension, an awkward silence hanging in the air.

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