Calliope and her friends had gone out for the afternoon,ughing and chatting as they strolled down the busy main street, the early spring sun warming their backs.
Meanwhile, the Jewell family trailed behind at a not-so-subtle distance. They tried be discreet, but their anxious nces and hushed whispers made it clear they were anything but calm.
Watching Calliope surrounded by so many friends only made their nerves worse.
This year had started out well for the Jewell family. After all, Lisette was back, and the family business seemed to have steadied, at least for a while.
But that good fortune didn''tst long.
As soon as Calliope sold off her shares, thepany''s situation took a nosedive. Monty''s phone was ringing off the hook. Executives wanted answers. Was Calliope leaving? Was she abandoning ship?
Worse yet, longtime partners started backing out of deals. Thepany''s reputation was unraveling fast, and Monty felt like he was drowning.
Even though Calliope had recently been in charge, everyone still saw Monty as the boss. He was her father, after all. But now, with the business on the verge of rebranding, Monty was facing the very real possibility of losing everything.
If Calliope were around, at least the higher-ups would listen to her. But if she walked away for good, Monty would be left to deal with the chaos alone.
He knew he was out of his depth. He needed Calliope. The whole family did, none of them had the skills or influence to fix this on their own.
Up ahead, Calliope and her friends didn''t bother looking back. They knew the Jewells were following them, lingering just far enough away to avoid direct confrontation but close enough to be obvious. Their anxious murmurs drifted on the breeze, but Calliope and her group just shrugged it off.
After wandering around for a bit, Calliope and her friends headed into an upscale bistro, one of those exclusive, reservation-only ces that served the best steaks and truffle fries in town. They''d booked a table weeks in advance, so they walked straight in,ughing as the hostess greeted them by name.
Monty and the others caught up just in time to be stopped at the door.
"I''m sorry, folks," the hostess said with a polite but firm smile. "We''re fully booked for the next month. If you''d like to make a reservation, I can put you on the list, but I''m afraid we can''t seat you today."
Monty frowned. "Can''t we just pay a bit extra to get in? Just this once?"
The hostess nced at their mismatched clothes and ufortable shoes, clearly unimpressed. "I''m sorry, but we have to be fair to all our guests. No exceptions."
Frustrated, the Jewell family had no choice but to wait outside, watching through the window as Calliope and her friends enjoyed their meal.
"What now?" Monty muttered, pacing. "She has to help us out. Thepany''s falling apart."
He rubbed his forehead, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on him. The truth was, Calliope
barely seemed to care about hermet
family anymore. She had money, she had people who truly cared about her. The rest of them felt useless byparison.
Still, Monty hoped that blood ties would count for something, that Calliope would eventually find it in her heart to help the Jewells out of this mess. They had no money, no connections, no backup n Only Calliope could save them now.
Maybe she was just upset, he thought. Maybe if they apologized, if they tried to make it up to her, she''de around.
Horatio sat quietly in his wheelchair, his leg still recovering from surgery. He was able to walk short distances now, but he needed rest.
He looked up, his usually bright eyes thoughtful. “Let''s try to make it up to her," he said quietly. "Get something she likes her favorite chocte cake, maybe."
Lisette put on her most noble, self-sacrificing expression.
"Is there anything I can do? Maybe I''ll talk to her myself. If she really wants me gone, maybe it''s best if I move out. I could find my own ce for a while, give her some space."