The man let out a low chuckle. "Hmm, interesting. But why don''t you tell me who you think I am? And do you have any idea why I''m here to see you?"


    Calliope didn''t hesitate. "You''re my husband''s father. Oliver Myers, right?"


    He arched an eyebrow, saying nothing.


    She went on, her tone unbothered, "So, let me guess. You''re the guy who walked out on his wife and kid years ago. Now, all of a sudden, you show up at my door. I bet you want me to talk Ss intoing back to you, to take over your little empire. Or maybe, you''d rather I divorce him, so you can set him up with a daughter-inw you can actually control. Someone who fits into your ns for a perfect merger, right?"


    Oliver''s smile faded.


    Calliope nced at the fruit bowl in the center of the dining table, grabbed an orange, and started peeling it, her nails digging into the skin. She spoke slowly, as if she had all the time in the world.


    "I heard things haven''t exactly been peachy for youtely. That younger son you pinned yourst hopes on? Turns out he''s seriously ill. Not much use to you now, huh? And since there aren''t any more kids in the picture, you start thinking, maybe Ss isn''t such a bad candidate after all. He ticks all the right boxes, doesn''t he?"


    Oliver didn''t know much about Calliope, aside from the fact she came from the Jewell family, the once-prominent, now practically bankrupt Jewell family.


    He''d always thought she was supposed to marry Gideon, but somehow, she''d ended up with his son Ss instead. In Oliver''s eyes, Calliope was a nobody-no connections, no ambitions, nothing worth mentioning-definitely not fit to be his daughter-inw.


    He could find someone better for Ss. In fact, the woman he''d lined up for his younger son had backed out once she found out about the illness, but if Ss took her ce, it would be ideal.


    He hadn''t expected Calliope to nail his motives so precisely.


    "Well, it''s no surprise you know all this," Oliver said, trying to sound casual. "Ss


    is my son, after all. It''s only natural he''d keep tabs on his old man."


    Calliope shook her head, popping a slice of orange into her mouth. "That''s where you''re wrong. Ss


    doesn''t care about you. You coul drop off the face of the earth


    tomorrow, and he wouldn''t blink. I just happened to hear a few things, that''s all."


    She smirked. "You really think, after walking out on your wife and kid, Ss would


    ever want to call you ''Dad'' again? Trust me, that ship has sailed."


    Oliver''s expression darkened. "You''re not exactly a charmer, are you?"


    She shrugged, licking a bit of juice


    Ret


    off her thumb. "Maybe not to you. I don''t care if you like me or not. In fact, let me give you some advice: why don''t you turn around and go back to wherever you came from? You''re not going to find what you''re looking for here."


    "You''ve got some nerve, talking to me like that," Oliver growled. "Is it just because


    you''re Ss''s wife that you think you can get away with this?"


    Calliope met his re, unflinching. "Partly, yeah. But mostly, I''m saying this


    because I don''t want my husband to deal with your mess."


    Oliver scoffed. "Don''t tter yourself.


    I know all about you. You don''t have any real connections. The Jewell family barely acknowledges you, bunch of losers, really."


    Calliope''s lips curled into a smile, her green eyes glinting with mischief. "Good


    thing I''ve never relied on the Jewell family''s reputation."


    Oliver looked her up and down, a curious glimmer in his eyes. "Oh? So you''re hiding something else, then?"


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


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!