Every now and then, someone would walk up to Calliope, strike up a


    conversation, and she''d respond with effortless charm every single time. Herposure was honestly surprising-shocking, even.


    Monty had never really understood how impressive Calliope was until she started working at thepany. Now, watching her from across the ballroom, he was even more convinced of her abilities. Especially considering the people who were approaching her weren''t just random guests. They were some of the most renowned figures in the States and abroad.


    Monty swallowed hard, ncing over at Lisette.


    He used to think Lisette was impressive, but right now, she looked like a wallflower. She was tucked into a corner of thevish hall, clearly overwhelmed, too nervous to even strike up a simple conversation. Nothing like Calliope, who seemed born for this kind of crowd.


    Monty couldn''t help but grumble to himself. Some birds just aren''t meant to fly, no matter how long you try to teach them. After all the time and effort put into grooming Lisette, this was all she could manage?


    He couldn''t help butpare the two women, and the gap between them felt like a chasm. Regret crept up on him. Why had he ever treated Calliope so poorly?


    Of course, Zelda seemed oblivious to all this. She sidled up to Monty and muttered irritably, "Would you look at her? She''s flirting with everyone. And Ss just lets her do whatever she wants."


    Monty shot Zelda a cold look. "Don''t be so naive."


    "What did you say?" Zelda stared at him, incredulous.


    "I said you don''t have a clue. Do you even realize who she''s talking to? These people are huge internationally, and they''reing up to her, showing real respect!"


    "If she wanted to, just tossing us a few breadcrumbs from herwork, our family wouldn''t ever have to worry about money again," Monty said, almost in awe. "Too bad she''s got issues with us now. There''s no way she''d help.”


    "She''s that influential?" Zelda blinked, clearly stunned.


    "Very," Monty replied. "Every single person she''s spoken to tonight is a major yer."


    Zelda''s eyes lit up. "Well then, maybe we should have Lisette mingle a bit. We spent all these years preparing her for society. Shouldn''t it finally pay off?"


    She leaned in, voice low and conspiratorial. “Honestly, I''ve been thinking about picking a son-inw. Why not have Lisette make the first move? If she can''t win Calliope over, maybe she can at least snag someone useful for the family."


    Zelda''s eyes sparkled with the idea, like she''d just solved a riddle.


    Monty thought it sounded a bit far-fetched, but then again, maybe it was worth a shot.


    "Why not try?" he said with a shrug. "There''s nothing to lose."


    If Lisette actually managed to catch someone important, the Jewell family wouldn''t need Calliope''s help after all.


    "Exactly," Zelda agreed. "Pick someone. Who''s the most promising?"


    Monty nodded toward a man across the room, just finishing a conversation with Calliope. "That guy over there. He''s a big deal overseas. Now he''s back, expanding on both sides of the ocean, and doing incredibly well. His name''s Tanner Hawthorne. Not even thirty yet, and honestly, not bad-looking either, right?"<fn03a4> The rightful source is f?ndnovel</fn03a4>


    Zelda followed Monty''s gaze and took in Tanner for herself. He wasn''t as striking as Ss, but he was young, decent-looking, maybe not tall, but not short either.


    Most importantly, Monty said he could help the Jewell family business. That was all that really mattered.