Lisette stared at the message on the namete, her eyes practically burning. She looked at Calliope with a mix of annoyance and reluctance, her jaw set, trying to hold back her frustration.


    "If it''s not about work, I really don''t see what we need to talk about," Calliope replied, not even bothering to look up from her paperwork.


    Lisette marched right up to Calliope''s desk and stood in front of her, arms crossed. She locked eyes with her for a long, tense moment before finally speaking.


    "It was me who reached out to Horatio and the others. Don''t me them for anything, and don''t make things hard for them," Lisette said, voice tight but determined. "If you have a problem, take it up with me. They haven''t done anything wrong. It''s all on me."


    Calliope looked up, surprised. This wasn''t like Lisette at all; she was never one to take the me for anyone else, let alone stand up for someone else in front of her.


    Calliope studied her for a second, her curiosity piqued.


    "What''s with the suddenpassion?" Calliope drawled. "Shouldn''t you be bragging about it instead? Standing up for them isn''t really your style."


    Lisette''s face fell into a guilty frown. "I don''t even know why they''re so nice to me. Maybe they just like me better, but it''s not their fault. You shouldn''t take it out on them."


    "Callie, they''re your family, for God''s sake. You should take care of them. Isn''t that what you want, to get them back on your side?"


    "So if you''re angry, just take it out on me. I can handle it. I''m not going to


    Lisette dropped her gaze, looking for all the world like she had no idea how things had ended up this way.


    Calliope suddenly saw right through


    her. This wasn''t guilt. It was a performance. Lisette was here to rub it in. She wanted Calliope to see that she didn''t have to do anything, and the Jewell family would always choose her anyway. No matter how hard Calliope tried, she''d never win. Lisette was here to make sure she knew it.


    Calliope let out a short, amusedugh. "So this is your victoryp, huh? You want me to know that they care about you, not me. No matter what I do, you''ll always have their hearts. Is that it?"


    "You''re trying to get under my skin,"


    ét


    Calliope continued, twirling a pen between her fingers. "You think if go after you, the Jewells will just circle the wagons and protect you even more. So either way, I lose, right?"


    Lisette''s lips curled in a sly, almost wicked smile. "Oh, you''d go after me if you could: But you know as well as I do, you can''t win. If you make me the bad guy, they''ll just pull me closer. If you ignore me, you''t be miserable anyway. Either way, you''re never going to be happy."


    She stood a little taller, her tone triumphant. "Face it, Calliope. They''re back with


    me now."


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!