In the end, Ulysses still gave the painting to Calliope.


    When Calliope walked away carrying the painting, Ulysses let out a big sigh of relief. He was honestly happy, at least she''d epted his gift.


    He knew he owed her so much from the past. If she was willing to ept what he gave, he''d do his best to make things right.


    Horatio nced at Ulysses and asked, "You got enough cash for that? Did you have to borrow money? How much are you short? I can spot you."


    Horatio hadn''t bid on anything himself, but he also felt like he owed Calliope something.


    The difference was, he was a lot more level-headed than Ulysses. He knew he didn''t have enough to cover the painting anyway. It probably cost more than everything he owned.


    Ulysses just looked at him and shook his head.


    "It''s a gift from me to Callie. I''ll pay for it myself."


    He wanted to make amends on his own; he didn''t want help from anyone else.


    Seeing Ulysses so determined, Horatio let it drop.


    Meanwhile, Zelda was fuming. She knew how much that painting was worth. She''d been at the auction herself.


    She and Monty had been sitting toward the back, so when Ulysses started bidding, there was nothing they could do to stop him.


    Monty honestly couldn''t believe it. He hadn''t nned on buying anything at the auction, let alone something so expensive.


    And the kicker? Ulysses hadn''t bought it for himself. He''d bought it for Calliope.


    From the way the two of them had talked, it was clear: Ulysses didn''t expect anything from her, not even help for the Jewell family He''d just given it to her. No strings attached.  s


    Monty felt like he was about to lose his mind.


    The family was in a tough spot financially, and this sort of extravagance was the


    "Uly, don''t you think that''s a bit


    much?" Monty said, exasperated.


    "You''re emptying your wallet for her, giving her that painting with no. expectations, and she might not even give you a second thought! She might not help our family at all!"  s


    "I''m not giving it to her to ask for anything," Ulysses replied coolly. "I just feel like I owe her. That''s all."


    He shot a look at Monty and Zelda, but couldn''t be bothered to argue. They didn''t get it. He just walked away.


    Horatio let out a sigh and said to Monty and Zelda, "Uly didn''t do anything wrong. Maybe you two could try being a little nicer to Callie."


    Monty and Zelda both frowned, confused. What was with their sons? Had Calliope put some kind of spell on them?


    At the back of the room, Valerian muttered darkly, "Are those two out of their minds? After what Calliope did to Lisette, and they''re taking her side?"


    "Right, what about Lisette?" Zelda said, suddenly anxious.<fn95b2> Original content can be found at find{n}ovel</fn95b2>


    Lisette was her daughter, after all. She couldn''t help but worry.


    "Let''s go check on her," Monty said, rubbing his brow.


    He sighed again. The whole night had been a disaster. Ulysses had spent a fortune, Lisette had managed to offend Sharon and Tanner and ended up getting into a fight. If werd got out, the Jewell


    family would be aughingstock.


    Cóntent belongs to s


    And crossing the Lynn family heiress, Sharon? That was a bad idea. If she decided to hold a grudge, things could get ugly for all of them.