"Callie, what are you doing here? Why are you even auditioning? Do you have any connection to this production?"


    As soon as Ulysses spotted her, he straightened up, staring at her, his voice tinged with urgency.


    "Does it really matter?" Calliope met his gaze coolly.


    "I''m just... surprised, that''s all." Ulysses pressed his lips together, clearly picking up on Calliope''s frosty tone. He looked uneasy, frowning a little.


    "You don''t want to talk to me, do you?"<fna4ae> Content originallyes from findnovel</fna4ae>


    "I-I know... I know how the family treats you, but I couldn''t get through to them." "I''m sorry, Callie."


    Calliope shot him a look, surprised. She''d thought Ulysses was thick as thieves with Lisette and the others, but from the way he was acting now, maybe he wasn''t? Was he here just for the role?


    Could be.


    She nced at him, her voice t. "If you''re trying to cozy up to me just for a part, don''t bother. I''m not the only one making casting decisions."


    "I''m not!" Ulysses blinked in shock, suddenly flustered by her usation.


    "Callie, you''ve got it all wrong! I''m not doing this for the audition... I know I''m not getting the part. I just wanted you to know, I''m on your side. Really."


    "I''ve thought things through. I know we treated you badly before. And... no matter what, you''re still our sister Maybe not by blood, but you moved in when you were just a kid. That means something. I really do see you as my sister."  s


    Ulysses looked up at her, his eyes full of emotion. He couldn''t quite exin it, buttely, he''d realized just how wrong the whole family had been.


    She had helped the Jewell family so many times-Horatio''s legs, Valerian''s ident. And Ulysses had only recently learned she''d even stepped in when thepany was in trouble.


    And there was more...


    He''d found out something else, too.


    Back in the day, when hended that


    big role, it hadn''t actually been


    Lisette pulling strings. It was


    Calliope. He''d run


    nto the old


    director and producer from that film,


    and only then did the truthe


    out.


    s


    Thinking about it now, he felt nothing but regret for how he''d treated Calliope before. She''d always been there for them, always working behind the scenes. None of them ever realized it and when they did, they didn''t even care.  s


    They never showed any gratitude. If anything, they repaid kindness with cruelty.


    He thought to himself, God, we''re all just awful people.


    "I''m sorry," he muttered as he followed her down the hallway. "I ran into that director from back then... I know now. It was you who helped me."


    "Did you ever think I''ve hoarded Grandpa''s wealth?" Calliope suddenly turned to face him, her eyes steady.


    Ulysses shook his head. "I guess Grandpa just loved you a lot. That''s why he left everything to you."