?<strong>Chapter 531:</strong>


    ine stormed over, yanking the curtain aside and ring at Kallie. “What’s your problem? Did Saniya do something to upset you?”


    Kallie remained calm, pulling her frightened daughter close. Her eyes met ine’s, steady and unwavering. The air between them grew thick with tension, and ine, despite her initial aggression, instinctively took a step back.


    Kallie smiled softly, her voice calm but firm. “I think that’s a question for Miss Mason. How exactly did my daughter and I offend her that she feels the need to make us her target?”


    “You…” ine’s anger red, but before she could get a full sentence out, Kallie cut her off. “Miss Webster, I’ve noticed that you’re someone who values fairness. You wouldn’t be so protective of Saniya if you didn’t believe she needed defending.”


    ine, caught off guard by the sudden praise, hesitated. Kallie’s words were disarming, and despite herself, ine couldn’t muster a reply. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but after a long pause, she simply closed it, unsure how to proceed.


    Kallie continued, her tone measured, “I’m just an ordinary woman. Miss Mason, on the other hand, is a public figure. The curtain? It was to protect her privacy and not to cause trouble. I brought it up in front of the director and the camera, and no one objected, not even Saniya. So why now, after all that, does she suddenly im that I’m using it to embarrass her?”


    Kallie paused for a moment, letting her words sink in, and then added, “I’ve done nothing to provoke her. The only reason I waste today is that I’m not in the group chat. I didn’t bring it up on camera out of respect for both of you, knowing you’re in the public eye. Yet, instead of gratitude, Miss Mason has been using that as an excuse to target my daughter.”


    ine stood speechless, her earlier aggression melting away. She frowned, her frustration visible, and then, without another word, she pulled out her phone. As anticipated, there were still only three people in the group.


    ine recalled how she had set up the group chat earlier and asked Saniya to add anyone who wasn’t present. But now, it was clear. Despite the show having already started, Kallie had never been added.


    ine’s skeptical gaze shifted toward Saniya, who quickly grew anxious under the weight of it. Desperation flickered in Saniya’s eyes as she rolled them, clearly scrambling for an escape. In a trembling, sobbing tone, she blurted out, “Even if that’s true, you can’t just scheme with the crew to put us in the same room. Are you trying to bully me? The door’s closed, and there’s no monitor… I’m just a small star. What could I do?”


    Kallie couldn’t help butugh. Saniya’s attempt to change the subject was transparent, and while clever, it wasn’t clever enough to hold. “You’re smart,” Kallie replied calmly. “But not smart enough. You were the one who insisted on drawing lots to assign rooms, in front of the camera, iming it would be fair. I had no issue sharing a room with Miss Clifford, but you pushed for the lottery.”


    Kallie paused, her gaze steady as she spoke. “So, if I was supposedly plotting with the crew, how would the random draw you suggested fit into that?” Silence settled over the room.


    Sophie, picking up on the tension, mimicked Saniya’s pitiful expression and whispered, “Mommy, thatdy is so mean. Why does she keep trying to bully me? I’m scared.”


    Kallie smiled softly, brushing a hand through Sophie’s hair. “Sweetheart, don’t listen to women like that. They’ve lost their dignity.”


    Thementnded like a direct hit, leaving no room for misinterpretation.


    .


    .


    .