Chapter 393

Chapter 393:
The older woman didn’t respond. And before Stella could try again, someone stormed out from inside the house and shoved her hard.
“Why are you pretending this doesn’t affect us?” the younger woman shouted. “Do you know my grandmother nearly died because of this? Nixon is rich and powerful—we’re just poor villagers. We can’t fight someone like him. If we stir up trouble again, he’ll destroy all of us!”
The sudden shove made Stella stumble back, but she caught herself just in time to hear the woman’s angry outburst.
A bitter feeling welled up inside her, but she still spoke calmly, “I’m not giving up. I want to help you.”
“Enough already!” the woman snapped. “Everyone who’s promised to help us only wanted money. What do you want? Just say it—we’re not giving you a single cent. Stop using my father’s death to upset my grandma!”
That’s when Stella realized—this must be Finley’s daughter. She immediately replied, “I don’t know what others did to trick you before. But you’re right—Nixon is powerful. That’s why we need to rely on the law. I’ve collected enough evidence to finally make a case. Please, just take a look.”
As she spoke, she reached into her bag, pulled out a folder, and handed it to her with quiet determination.
But the woman smacked it straight to the ground. “Are you deaf or just bold? I told you to get out! You have some nerve showing up here to swindle us out of money!”
Shouting angrily, the woman snatched up a thick, worn-out broom that had been propped against the wall. Without a second thought, she raised it over her shoulder and swung it hard at Stella.
The heavy thud rang out, and both the elderly woman and Finley’s daughter stood frozen.
Stella took the full hit to her back, stumbling forward with a sharp gasp as pain shot through her. It took her a while to steady herself and breathe again. She understood they didn’t trust her, but after coming all this way, she wasn’t going to walk away with nothing.
Bending down, Stella picked up the folder that had fallen to the floor. Her voice was soft but honest. “This is real evidence. Please, at least take a look.”
Finley’s daughter was caught off guard. Normally, con artists ran the moment she even looked like she’d swing the broom. But this woman? She didn’t even flinch. She stood there like a fool—or maybe like someone who actually meant what she said.
𝖀𝗉𝖉𝖆𝗍𝖊𝗌 𝗈𝗇ɩү 𝓰⍺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀ꞏⅽ𝗈𝗆
Her gaze dropped to the folder Stella held, catching the carefully marked photos and the long list of footnotes. Her brows furrowed in surprise. “You actually looked into this?” she asked, her voice lined with disbelief. She’d assumed, like all the others, that this was just another trick—a sham to squeeze money from her late father’s name. Over the years, countless strangers had taken advantage of their grief. That was why she’d given up on ever digging up the past again.
The living came first—her grandmother, their quiet life. She wasn’t willing to risk that again. But now, in front of her stood a woman not asking for money, not making excuses. Just offering a thick stack of truth and a desperate kind of hope.
The old woman, who hadn’t said a word through the commotion, turned at last. Her gaze landed on Stella, who was still slightly hunched from the hit but holding her ground.
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