novelxo Chapter 202
In the diner, Big Guy and the others were extremely grateful. They started to try on the gifts one by one. There was a shiny watch, a sleek helmet, and a dapper tie, each more expensive than the last. They were worth thousands if not tens of thousands, not the kind of stuff you'd expect to see in a cozy little diner like this.
While trying them on, they were showing them off to Calliope.
Calliope just smiled and told them how great they looked.
"Do you think this suits me, Calliope?" one of them asked, adjusting the watch on his wrist.
"Absolutely," she replied with a grin, her eyes sparkling with genuine delight.
Across the street, Horatio and his brothers stood silently, peering inside. They watched Calliope laugh and
joke, her face relaxed and joyful. It had been so long since they'd seen her smile like that.
Every time they got together, it was always about Lisette, always ending in some heated arguments.
Calliope would refuse to apologize, growing more distant with each confrontation. And now, she rarely smiled around them, her innocence and warmth a distant memory.
Through the glass, they saw a glimpse of the little girl who had first joined the Jewell family, who was shy but endearing. As the youngest and only daughter, her three brothers doted on her. They'd wanted to give her everything and protect her. Yes, they had been good to her once.
But she was always competing with Lisette and causing trouble. Lisette was the picture of perfection- obedient, bright, and successful. On the other hand, Calliope was rebellious, getting expelled, chasing after rich men...
It was her fault. She deserved it!
They'd given her plenty of chances. She didn't want them. Who else could she blame?
With those thoughts, they turned away and got into their car, driving off into the evening.
Back in the diner's courtyard, Calliope leaned against a stone table, deep in thought. She'd noticed Horatio's leg seemed weaker than before. He might soon need a wheelchair again.
Her mind drifted back to the time she'd helped him recover. His spinal
nerve damage required long-term acupuncture treatment. She'd known that. But he had never acknowledged her help, never appreciated it. He only trusted Lisette.
'Let him go to Lisette then.' Calliope thought. If her patient refused treatment, how could she be blamed? With a light chuckle, Calliope shrugged off the thoughts.
She remembered she'd promised to
visit Silas at the Baker Group. Checking the time, she bid farewell to her friends and left for the company's headquarters.
At the Baker Group building, Calliope took a deep breath and walked inside.
The receptionist eyed her warily. "Excuse me, miss, you don't seem to be with our company. Do you have business here?"
"I'm here to see Mr. Myers," Calliope replied confidently.
"You need an appointment to see Mr. Myers. Do you have one?" The receptionist looked her up and
down, eyebrows knitting together in skepticism.