?strongChapter 75:/strong

After Mateo posed his question, Jakepsed into silence. Would he confront Shirley for an apology if Kallie was telling the truth? And if Kallie was lying, would he insist that she apologize to Shirley? The animosity between Shirley and Kallie was no secret, and Jake had always known about their strained rtionship. He simply chose not to intervene, believing they would resolve their issues on their own.

“Think about it. When you’re ready to know the truth, let me know,” Mateo said earnestly.

True to his word, Jake didn’t touch Kallie. That evening, he chose not to sleep in the master bedroom, leaving it for Kallie, though he stayed in the house, finding rest in another room.

The following morning, Kallie rose early. Without a word to Jake, she had breakfast and left for Hayden’s studio. Hermitments at the Hayes Group were almostplete, allowing her to focus on her restoration work.

Kallie’s days had be full and rewarding—a significant change from her past life. Once feeling trapped in the role of a neglected spouse, she now thrived in her professional endeavors, contributing to projects like the promotional video for Halstead University while bncing her time between the Hayes Group and Hayden’s studio.

At the studio, Kallie retrieved Roderick’s teapot, eager to restore it due to its simplicity. She dedicated the morning to her task, nearingpletion when a loud argument erupted downstairs.

Feeling the tension building in her shoulders, Kallie stood up, ready to investigate themotion.

“We don’t ept work from rivals,” Gregory dered heatedly from below.

“Rivals? We’re simply clients. Are you saying you can’t handle this minor task?” anky young man retorted incredulously, nked by a haughty woman. Both were seated on the sofa, their expressions full of scorn.

Kallie approached, her gaze shifting to the table before them. There sat an open box, seemingly empty at first nce.

Upon closer inspection, however, it revealed countless tiny ss fragments, as if a ss object had shattered and been meticulously ground into dust. Clearly, the duo expected the studio to reassemble it.

“We know your firm epted this projectst month, and now you’re tossing it to us? You dare call yourselves mere clients?” Gregory shot back, rising from his seat.

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He briefly nced at Kallie before addressing the pair again, scowling. “You’re not wee here!”

“What? Is Hayden not around? You’re scared to take on the job? We’re willing to pay. Doesn’t that make us clients?” thenky man sneered.

“We’re prepared to offer a premium. We’re VIP clients,” the woman added, her tone full of mockery. “Or is it that you’re simply incapable? Even Hayden can’t handle this?”

“There’s no job Hayden can’t handle! He’s out of the country on a trip!” Gregory’s frustration was mounting.

It was clear these two were here to stir up trouble rather than seek genuine service. Yet turning them away could harm the studio’s reputation.

Kallie moved closer to examine the broken ss fragments inside the box. By studying therger pieces, she could envision the original structure. The slightly opaque ss, marked by age, provided clues as to how the pieces fit together.

“What are you staring at?” the woman asked, noticing Kallie’s focused gaze.

With a sneer, the woman taunted, “Think you can put it back together?”

Kallie nced at the woman and signed her response: she could indeed fix it.

“You…” Gregory, recognizing Kallie’s signnguage, looked astonished. “Are you sure?”

Kallie nodded firmly, gesturing that she didn’t mind restoring it if it helped uphold the studio’s reputation, but she was also fine turning them away if it better protected the studio’s integrity.

Gregory’s initial shock gave way to pride. If Kallie believed she could handle it, then he trusted herpletely.

“She says she can fix it,” Gregory told the duo. “What’s your move now?”

“She can? Who is she?” thenky man asked, surprised.

“Looks like the mute wife from the Reeves family—just a housewife,” the woman sneered, recognizing Kallie with disdain.

Gregory frowned at the insult, but Kallie remainedposed. She signed to Gregory for him to trante: “They don’t need to pay the VIP rate. The standard fee is fine. But after I restore this, they must promote our services under theirpany’s name.”

Gregory quickly conveyed Kallie’s terms.

The duo, clearly there to provoke, looked utterly shocked.

“If she can’t handle it, we’ll make sure the whole industry and social media knows that Hayden’s Studio is a joke!” thenky man threatened after a brief pause.

Without hesitation, Kallie nodded in agreement. She gingerly picked up the box and headed toward the workbench on the first floor.

Though it was Hayden’s designated space, others were free to use it in his absence. Kallie set out her tools and began sorting through the ss pieces methodically.

“This is an antique, over five hundred years old. You do realize that if you damage it further, you’ll have to pay for it, right?” the woman warned.

Hayden’s Studio had a strict policy: if they epted a restoration but failed to fix the item, they wouldpensate the client ten times the market value. Since Hayden had set this rule, no client had ever received suchpensation—his team had never failed.

“Of course, we’ll stick to our policy,” Gregory replied coldly.

Kallie stood up and made a gesture.

“What did she say?” the duo perked up, thinking Kallie might be intimidated by the threat of paying ten times the item’s value.

Gregory scoffed. “She said you’re mistaken. This piece is at most two hundred years old, not five hundred.”

“No way!”

In their stunned silence, Gregory added, “Kallie also says to please stay back and refrain from trying to pick up her techniques.”

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