Her face was pale as a sheet.


    "Let go of me!" she snapped.


    "Calliope, what are your troublemaking friends trying to do here, break my hand?" Zelda shouted, ring.


    Calliope shot a look at Mavis. Mavis instantly released Zelda''s arm.


    Zelda, who had been yanking back with all her might, waspletely caught off guard. She tumbled backward andnded t on her butt.


    "Ow! You did that on purpose!" Zelda sat on the floor, rubbing her behind, her face twisted in pain.


    She turned her anger on Calliope, yelling, "You think this is funny?"


    “Oh, give it a rest. Haven''t you embarrassed yourself enough already?" Calliope said coolly.


    Monty looked like he''d aged twenty years overnight. The stress from thepany tanking, the family drama at home-he was at his breaking point.


    Not only was the family business on the verge of bankruptcy, but they were drowning in debt. The constant calls from creditors demanding payment, especially those after Lisette, had the whole Jewell family in a panic.


    The house was like a tornado had struck. They''d tried to kick Lisette out, only for


    her to announce she was pregnant with Valerian''s child.


    The entire Jewell family was one big, messy disaster.


    And now, Ulysses was in the hospital, injured.


    As soon as Monty heard the news-and saw online that Ulysses had gotten hurt protecting Calliope-he rushed straight over. He wasn''t here to make trouble for her. In fact, he was hoping she''d help them out.


    After all, after so many years of calling each other family, surely there was some bond left, right?


    He knew if Calliope helped them out, even just a little, it could turn their lives around.


    He''d tried asking the Bakers for help, but Eamon had tly refused and even scolded him. The Baker family wanted nothing to do with the Jewells.


    "You go check on Uly, Zelda. I need to talk to Callie," Monty said impatiently.


    "This isn''t Callie''s fault," he added as Zelda huffed, got up, and stomped toward the hospital room.


    Monty turned to Calliope with a sheepish smile. "Callie, I know we messed up before. I really do miss though


    when you were home. Eere just


    our real Callie is gone, you were just like our own daughter, you fitted that space, didn''t you?"  s


    "You didn''t have parents, and we... well, we became your family."<fn699e> Get full chapters from find[?]ovel</fn699e>


    "So, Callie, why note home? Your old room is just as you left it. I still have


    that family photo-kept it all these years."


    Monty gazed at her, earnest and desperate.


    Calliope''s face was cold, her eyes hard as stone as she stared back.


    Monty fidgeted, stepping forward, his voice pleading, "Callie, it''s been so long? Surely you''ve cooled off by now, haven''t you? All you ever wanted was for us to love you. And we did really, we did!"  s


    Portia, arms crossed, shot Monty a mocking look. "Mr. Jewell, do you even have a home anymore? From what hear, your family is so deep debt the bank''s about to take the house. Is that why you''re here?"  s


    "Oh, I get it. You see Callie doing well for herself, so you show up with your sob


    story, hoping she''ll feel sorry for you and bail you out?"


    "Funny how you need her now, but did you ever think about how you treated her before?"


    "People should have some self-respect, you know!"


    "You think Callie''s just going to forgive and forget because you''re in trouble?


    She''s not that easy to manipte."


    Busted, Monty''s face turned an ugly shade of green.


    Mavis gave him a cold once-over. "Cut the act. We all see right through you, and


    you know Callie does, too. She''s smarter than that."