In the days that followed, Calliope found herself juggling work at the office and running around town for meetings. Every evening, she still made time to check in on Horatio, administering his daily injections.


    Thankfully, Horatio seemed to be recovering well. Maybe it was because Damien had people keeping an eye on the Jewell family, but after that, the rest of the Jewells stopped causing trouble.


    Calliope also squeezed in visits to see Lance and Hudson.


    Hudson''s condition, though, wasn''t looking great. Despite Calliope''s best efforts- diet changes, supplements, whatever she could manage he was still getting worse, day by day.


    Lance, for his part, had made his peace with it. He spent his days trying to keep Hudson''s spirits up, filling every moment withughter and memories. He took tons of pictures, wrote little notes, even baked Hudson''s favorite chocte chip cookies just to see him smile.


    Hudson genuinely seemed happy. He knew what Lance was doing-preparing for the inevitable. And that was okay. Thest thing Hudson wanted was for Lance to fall apart when he was gone, or worse, give up on life altogether.


    All he hoped was that when it was time, Lance would live on and cherish the good days they''d had together.


    Calliope felt for them. Her heart ached watching it all unfold. But there was nothing she could do except help Hudson hold on a little longer.


    There was no miracle cure for his illness, and she was out of options.


    Sometimes, all you could do was hope for the best and keep your head up.


    At least Hudson''s attitude was good. That made a difference.


    Time flew by, and soon, Christmas Eve was right around the corner.


    After thatst incident, Oliver Myers hadn''t shown up again. Calliope heard through the grapevine that Oliver had flown back overseas, which let her breathe a little easier.


    The day before Christmas Eve, all three of her "brothers" returned from their respective corners of the world-by sheer coincidence, all on the same day.


    Calliope volunteered to pick them up at the airport. The first tond was Julius Quillen, who, as always, looked like he''d just stepped out of a magazine— dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, hair perfectly styled.


    Julius was a big name in the entertainment world, so naturally, a swarm of fans had gathered at arrivals.


    Calliope was too nervous to get close; those "girlfriend fans" could be downright terrifying, and she''d seen enough stories to know better than to tangle with them.


    Julius spotted her right away, slid on


    his sunsses, and waved.


    Panicking, Calliope pped a hand over her face and spun around, her


    making a beeline in the opposite direction.


    "Julius! Who''re you waving at?"


    "Julius, over here! Look at me!"


    "Oh my god, Julius, I love you so much! I came all the way here just to see you!"


    "Is Julius home for Christmas?"


    "Julius, we love you! Do you have any ns for the holidays?"


    The fans'' shrieks echoed through the terminal, excitement bubbling over.


    Julius smiled, greeting everyone warmly. He nodded, posed for a few selfies, and then said, "Thanks so much foring out to meet me, guys, but my family''s here. Mind if I go find them?


    I think you scared her off!"


    "Hey, it''s nothing personal, I promise! We''ll have plenty of chances to see each other again. I actually need to go grab my brothers, too. Time''s tight!"


    "Thank you all for your support. After the holidays, I''ll work even harder for you!


    I wouldn''t be where I am today without you truly."


    Julius''s words were genuine, his smile infectious.


    The crowd melted a little, nodding in understanding.


    "Alright, let''s give Julius some space!"


    "Yeah, his family''s here. We shouldn''t get in their way."


    "Exactly."


    One by one, the fans stepped back, clearing a path for him, their excitement reced by respect.