The driver was practically shaking in his seat, especially when he saw all those men piling out of the ck SUVs behind them.


    "Uh, look, this has nothing to do with me, right? Maybe... you should get out? They''re probably here for you!" he stammered, darting nervous nces at Calliope.


    Calliope just stared out the window, silent. Honestly, she didn''t have a clue who these guys were. She didn''t recognize the cars, the men, nothing. She hadn''t pissed anyone offtely, at least not that she knew of. So why on earth would a whole squad of men show up for her in the middle of the night?


    "Maybe," she replied, not entirely convinced herself.


    Before she could even open the door, one of the men was already knocking on her window.


    The driver, clearly terrified, rolled it down for her.


    "Ms. Jewell?" the man asked, peering in.


    "That''s me," Calliope said, giving him a level look. "So, who are you guys, and what do you want?"


    It waste, and the whole thing had "bad news" written all over it. Calliope couldn''t help but frown.


    "Our boss would like to have a word with you. Would you minding with us?" he said, polite enough, but his tone was more "invitation you can''t refuse" than "friendly request."


    "Can I at least know who your boss is?" she asked, genuinely curious. No one she knew would send a whole goon squad to fetch her. If they meant well, they''d have called ahead, right?


    "You''ll see when you get there," the man replied. "Ms. Jewell, please step out of the car. I''m sure you wouldn''t want us to get... forceful."


    The cabbie nced at her helplessly in the rearview mirror, silently begging her to go and take the trouble with her.


    Calliope shot him an apologetic smile. "Sorry for scaring you. Thanks for the ride," she said, and got out.


    There was no point arguing. Whatever these guys wanted, they weren''t giving her a choice.


    She climbed into their SUV. No one spoke to her or bothered to exin where they were going. One of the men just stared at her the whole ride, which was more unnerving than anything else.


    Calliope was curious, though. Whoever this was, they clearly had money and power. She wondered who''d gone to all this trouble just to see her.


    Eventually, the SUV pulled up to the entrance of a five-star hotel downtown. She was ushered straight up to the penthouse suite.


    Inside, a middle-aged man sat on a leather couch, a thick Cuban cigar in one hand, a ss of scotch on thez table in front of him. As the door opened, he looked up and fixed his gaze on Calliope, giving her slow once-over.


    "Ms. Jewell, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the sofa across from him.


    She walked over and sat down, not bothering with pleasantries. She met his gaze, cool and steady.


    As soon as she saw his face-so strikar to Ss''s-she


    knew exactly who he was. This had to beSs''s biological father the one Eamon had mentioned.


    He didn''t say anything at first, just took a drag from his cigar, sizing her up as if deciding if she was worth his time.


    "You probably don''t know me," he said finally, his voice smooth but edged with arrogance.


    Calliope just nced at him, unfazed. After a moment, she replied, "I can make a pretty good guess."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!