Chapter 759
After returning to the hotel, Calliope and her group headed straight upstairs.
Monty and the others wanted to follow, but there was nothing they could do. They just stood there, fuming as the elevator doors slid shut.
“She won’t even give me a chance to apologize!” Zelda snapped, arms folded tight. “Did you see that attitude? She’s completely out of line! I tried talking to her! How can she just ignore me like that? What gives her the right to treat me this way p>
Monty glanced at Zelda, trying to keep the peace. “Just hang in there, okay? This isn’t just about her. It’s about all of us. We need her to come around p>
“Come around for what?” Zelda shot back, rolling her eyes. “She doesn’t have a heart. If she did, she’d have helped our company ages ago. Now that she’s got some new powerful friends, she just up and ditches us. Unbelievable p>
“Mom, just try to hold it together,” Ulysses said quietly, avoiding her gaze. “Let’s be real, we weren’t exactly nice to her before p>
He thought about the way Calliope’s eyes had turned so cold, and his stomach twisted with anxiety. He couldn’t explain it. When she used to try so hard to please him, he found her annoying, almost pathetic. But now, he regretted every cold shoulder he ever gave her.
He could tell she truly didn’t care about them anymore. No matter what they did now, it wouldn’t matter to her. And that was bad news for them. Really bad.
If the company went under, the whole Jewell family would go down with it.
Sure, he made decent money as an actor, but he was no Hollywood superstar. There was no way he could support everyone.
And it wasn’t just about the money. Seeing Calliope like this, he felt a pang, like a kid who’d lost his favorite toy. It wasn’t that he needed it all the time, but the second someone else took it away, he wanted it back, desperately.
That was how he felt about Calliope now. She was his little sister. She belonged with them, cared about them. That’s the way it was supposed to be.
Funny how you only realize something’s precious when someone else wants it too.
Zelda glanced at Ulysses, noticing how much his attitude had changed. He suddenly seemed almost obsessed with winning Calliope back.
“Mom, please, Horatio said, after a moment’s hesitation. “Callie really does have the power to save us.
Plus, those guys with her are wamet
out of our league. If she could get them to help us, the Jewell family would be set for life p>
Zelda didn’t like it, but she understood what was at stake. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down. “Fine. I get it. I find a chance to talk to her p>
“Good,” Horatio nodded, and they all drifted off to their rooms.
The next morning, Calliope and her crew grabbed breakfast in the hotel’s dining room. As they were finishing their bacon and eggs, Horatio and the others showed up.
“Morning, Callie!” Horatio greeted her like nothing had ever happened.
Ulysses and the rest followed suit, all smiles, acting like they were the best of friends. Anyone watching would have thought they were one big happy family.
Calliope, however, didn’t even acknowledge them.
Quentin shot Horatio and his crew a frosty glare, one that said, “Say one wrong word and you’ll regret it p>
Monty and his group shrank back, not daring to push their luck.