It was Ulysses'' idea to go see a movie. He''d thought Calliope and her group had


    already left town, so running into them at the theater was thest thing he


    expected.


    Even from across the theater, with just their silhouettes against the flickering


    screen, Calliope''s group had that unmistakable air about them, you couldn''t help


    but notice.


    And the moment Ulysses heard someone mutter "the outlet store version" as he


    walked in, he started to regret this whole movie n.


    They really, really shouldn''t havee tonight. And of all the movies ying, did


    it have to be this one?


    As luck would have it, their seats were right behind Calliope''s group. Just great.


    Now they were even closer than he''d like, so close Ulysses was tempted to just


    turn around and leave.


    "Hey, we''re already here. Let''s just stay," Horatio whispered, nudging him forward.


    With a sinking feeling, Ulysses followed, bracing himself as they walked past.


    Oddly enough, Calliope and her group didn''t seem to notice them at all. They


    were deep in conversation,ughing and chatting like they owned the ce.


    Not wanting to attract attention, Ulysses and his group slid quietly into their seats,


    barely daring to breathe. They couldn''t help but eavesdrop as Calliope''s group


    talked about their ns for a post-holiday road trip. The conversation drifted from


    travel ns to random stories and inside jokes.


    At some point, Quentin brought up a tricky problem he''d been struggling with.


    Calliope listened, thought for a moment, and thenid out a solution so clear and


    simple that Quentin justughed.


    "Callie, you''re a genius," Quentin said, shaking his head. "I''ve been stuck on this


    for weeks, and you solve it in five minutes."


    "You''re just overthinking it. Happens to the best of us," Calliope replied with a grin.


    Then she turned to Julius. "By the


    way, Julius, I honestly think it''s time


    for you to switch things up a bit.


    Yourst couple of roles? Really


    impressive. I''ll keep an eye out for


    some good scripts for you. You


    should go for more challenging


    stuff. You''re ready for it."


    "Whatever you say, Callie. Your advice is always spot on," Julius replied with a


    grateful smile.


    Then, out of nowhere, Norton asked, "So, Callie, when are you finally cutting ties


    with the Jewell family?"


    At that, Ulysses and Horatio tensed up, eyes wide. They hadn''t expected that.


    Was Calliope really nning to walk away from the Jewells''pany?


    Calliope''s voice was calm but resolute. "It''s only a matter of time. I''m already not


    involved with them anymore. Once the Christmas is over, I''m gone for good."


    Valerian suddenly snapped, his voice


    echoing off the theater walls.


    "What''s that supposed to mean,


    Calliope? You''re just gonna quit?


    Take thepany for yourself? Cut


    us offpletely? So why bother


    with the family portrait and the


    spare room. What was that all


    about?"


    He was furious, and the rest of the


    group was just as shocked. Ulysses


    and Horatio exchanged uneasy


    nces. They were starting to


    realize this time, Calliope really


    might be leaving the Jewells behind


    for good.


    That thought left everyone more than a little anxious. The Jewell family had been


    on shaky groundtely, and the only reason things hadn''t gotten worse was


    because of Calliope''s steadying hand.


    If she truly walked away, thepany, and the family, might not survive the


    fallout.


    Valerian''s voice was desperate now. "Callie, you''re one of us. No matter what


    happens, you''re a Jewell. You can''t change that. Nothing will ever change that."