Calliope and Ss grabbed dinner together at a cozy downtown diner. Over burgers and fries, their conversation inevitably turned to Yvette and whatever scheme she might be cooking up.


    "So, from the way she''s acting, it looks like she''s dead set on having you, huh?" Calliope teased, a yful glint in her eyes as she took a sip of her milkshake. "You didn''t leave any dirty secrets lying around for her to dig up, did you?"


    Ss chuckled, shaking his head. “Me? Please. Even if she did have something on me, what''s she gonna do? I''m not exactly the type to get pushed around. Trust me, if she tried to ckmail me, she''d be the one regretting it."


    Calliope nodded, realizing Ss wasn''t someone you could intimidate easily. If anyone tried to threaten him, he''d probably turn the tables in a heartbeat.


    Still, Yvette seemed awfully sure of herself, strutting around like she had Ss eating out of her hand. That kind of confidence didn''t juste from nowhere. Did she really have something up her sleeve?


    Calliope couldn''t quite figure it out, but honestly, she couldn''t be bothered to overthink it. They had a n: let Yvette make her move, see what cards she thought she was holding.


    After all, Yvette was just Gideon''s wife, nothing special in looks or smarts. What made her think she could win Ss over?


    The whole idea was almost funny to Calliope. When she first met Ss, she hadn''t even considered flirting with him. She''d just asked for help, that was all. Onlyter did things getplicated, and she still wasn''t sure how much Ss really cared about her.


    But Yvette? She was on a whole other level. She was married to Gideon and still thought she could just toss him aside and end up with Ss. Maybe snagging Gideon away from someone else had given her some kind of weird confidence boost.


    Calliope found it all pretty amusing. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about self-assurance from Yvette.


    After finishing their meal, they headed out to the address Yvette had sent.


    On the way, Calliope nced at Ss. "You sure you''re ready for this?"


    "I''m always ready," Ss replied with that cocky little grin of his.


    Calliope rolled her eyes, but she knew it was true. Ss was always five steps ahead. Whatever Yvette thought she was nning, he''d already figured it out.


    Yvette wanted to meet at a hotel, which honestly surprised Calliope. A hotel was a bold choice. If you weren''t trying to make something happen, you''d never agree to meet there. But Yvette seemed convinced Sitas would show up, like she just expected him to fall in line.


    Calliope had seen the message Yvette sent Ss, something about sharing a big secret involving her and Gideon. It was vague, nothing to really bite on. Most people would see right through it.


    So where did Yvette get this much confidence?


    Calliope was dying to know.


    It didn''t really matter, though. They''d see soon enough.


    When they pulled up to the hotel, Ss made sure Calliope got out first, his hand warm and steady in hers. His eyes softened as he looked at her Callie, you know I wouldn''t


    be here if it wasn''t for you. You believe me, right?”