Chapter 467



Kallie was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the girl to have a disability.

The girl, sensing Kallie’s stare, lifted her head. Confusion flickered across her face, quickly replaced by a mix of anger and fear. She hurried the elderly woman inside and slammed the door shut.

Kallie rushed forward, her voice laced with urgency. “Excuse me, are you Ruth Potter?” she asked. “I am Kallie Nixon, the current president of the Turner Group. Can I please talk to you?”

Silence met her plea.

Kallie knocked again, her knuckles rapping against the weathered wood. “I’m not here to cause any trouble,” she assured the girl. “I just need to ask you a few questions.”

A voice finally answered, cold and guarded.

“What’s wrong? Did Jenny make trouble for you again? And you want me to apologize to her again? I’ve repeatedly told everyone that I didn’t steal anyone’s designs. Yet, I was forced to take the blame and pressured into groveling and apologizing to Jenny just to appease her so-called anger. Plus, I’ve returned the money given to me. What more do you want from me? All I want is to live in peace. Just let me go for God’s sake!”

Kallie’s jaw dropped. She had no clue about any of this. No wonder the director refused to join her in seeing the designer. If the designer was speaking the truth, then those at the Turner Group had really crossed a line.

Before coming here, Kallie had done her homework. The designer, Ruth Potter, was undoubtedly talented, evident in her past work, including the pieces she’d made back in school.

Kallie might not have been a jewelry designer, but she’d fixed up a ton of ancient jewelry. She knew her way around a necklace or a brooch. She could tell Ruth’s work had a signature style, a thread that ran through all her pieces.

Kallie couldn’t shake the feeling that Ruth hadn’t plagiarized. There had to be more to the story—something hidden, something no one else had seen.

“Miss Potter, please,” Kallie’s voice softened as she spoke through the door, “I don’t want to put you in a tough spot. If you let me in, I’ll do everything I can to understand what really happened that year. I know things aren’t always as they seem. Let me help you.”

But the silence on the other side of the door remained unbroken. Ruth wasn’t budging.

Kallie sighed, racking her brain for another approach until an idea struck her. “I just saw your grandmother,” she said, her tone more urgent now.

“She doesn’t seem well, Ruth. I can’t imagine how hard these years must have been for you. If you let me in and tell me the truth, I’ll make sure she gets the medical care she needs. I don’t mind drawing up a contract to prove I am serious about helping your grandmother voluntarily. You don’t have to worry about the money.”

The seconds ticked by in agonizing silence. Then, finally, the door creaked open.

Tears streaked Ruth’s face as she glared at Kallie, her voice trembling with distrust. “If you lie to me, I’ll make sure you regret it!” she blurted out, even though she knew how empty her threat sounded. Ruth had never been one to cower, but life had backed her into a corner. Her grandmother’s health was deteriorating, and with no way to earn money, she felt trapped.

The disgrace of the plagiarism incident had driven a wedge between Ruth and her family, turning her into a pariah among her relatives. If not for her grandmother’s kindness, she would have been entirely alone. Her grandmother had told her to stay in the village, promising that time would ease the pain and shame. But the years had only deepened the wounds.

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