Calliope raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you''re hurting for money, Mr. Larson. nning to shake me down now?"


    "If you were hard up, I''d just hand it over," she continued. “But asking me to lose on purpose? That''s where I draw the line."


    "You''ve still got thatpetitive streak, I see." Mr. Larson grinned, then put on a mock-woeful face. "Come on, admit it—why don''t you like me? I''m a catch, you know."


    "Oh, but I do like you," Calliope answered sweetly. "I like you so much I could almost adopt you as my son."


    That drew a groan from Mr. Larson and set the whole roomughing.


    Once theughter died down, the atmosphere shifted—business returned to the forefront as they dug into a few new projects.


    "As always, you know what needs to be done," Calliope said finally. "If you hit any snags or need funding, just reach out I''ll make sure the money gets to you. I''m leaving the details in your hands. We''ve worked together for so many years—I trust you, and you trust me. Isn''t that right?"


    "You know we do. If it weren''t for you pulling us together all those years ago, we''d probably still be a bunch of aimless punks, squandering whatever we had left," one of the men said.


    "Absolutely. Callie, you''re the reason we made it out," someone else added.


    "Everything we have now, it''s because of you. Don''t worry about anything-we''ll take care of it. Even if you call us partners, we''ve always seen you as the real boss. The final call''s always yours!"


    "We''ve always believed in you."


    "It''s only because of you that our partnership runs so smoothly."


    Their words were genuine, full of gratitude.


    Years ago, most of them had been headed down the wrong path until Calliope came along and dragged them back.


    Now, they worked together on various ventures, evenunching a secretpany- famous in its own right, but with their involvement kept tightly under wraps.


    They might only meet a handful of times each year, but the trust and cooperation were solid as ever.


    The meeting wrapped, and the group made their way out of the private room.


    Meanwhile, Portia had worked her magic outside, quickly blending in with the others. She''d even managed to hammer out an endorsement deal with a household- name celebrity for her family brand.


    As Calliope came out, Portia nearly bounded over, her face alight with excitement. "Callie! It''s done-1


    sealed the deal with Nancy!" sh


    blurted out. "My family''spany has been dying to work with her for ages, but she''s always so busy we could never make it happen. Thanks to you, it finally worked! My brother''s on his way here right now!"


    "This is literally the first time I''ve helped out in the family business" she eximed, pride shining in her eyes, know it was all thanks to your connections, but did a good job didn''t?


    "You did fantastic." Calliope ruffled Portia''s hair fondly, then turned her gaze to Nancy.


    Before Calliope could say a word, Nancy spoke up first. "Callie, I trust your friend. And I''ve heard of the Sutton_family-their products really are great. This was all my choice so you don''t need to worry about a thing."


    "Thank you," Calliope replied with a nod.


    A short whileter, Crispin showed up. The moment he stepped into the lounge, the


    shock was written all over his face: was he even allowed in a ce like this?


    Everyone here was clearly in a league far above the Suttons.


    He hesitated, tense and ready to duck back out—until he caught sight of Calliope


    and Portia waving him over with warm, easy smiles.