Chapter 21

“Well, that’s a relief,” Mavis said, looking up with a slight smile. “My mentor once mentioned that Silas has a woman in his heart.”

Calliope raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Portia leaned in, clearly intrigued. “No way! As far as I know, Silas has always kept women at arm’s length. Who could he possibly have feelings for?”

“There really is someone!” A familiar male voice chimed in before Mavis could respond.

The three of them glanced up to see Archie Yoder approaching with a grin.

“Where have you been, you rascal?” Portia gave him a light punch.

“Didn’t I tell you I had some things to take care of?” Archie chuckled, sliding into the empty seat beside Calliope.

His expression turned serious as he continued, “Callie, Mavis is right. I don’t have a problem with you entering a marriage of convenience with Silas, or even using it to get back at Gideon. But you need to be careful. On the surface, Silas seems untouchable–strong, handsome, with no apparent flaws. Yet, there are plenty of rumors about him. Word is, he once risked his life for a woman he deeply loved.”

“And then there’s the Baker family,” Archie continued, his voice lowering. “Have you ever wondered how he rose to power? Why everyone fears him? The Bakers aren’t some small-time clan. For an outsider to take control, they must have gone through hell, and Silas… well, he must be something else entirely.”

Archie’s usually sunny face was shadowed with concern. His voice was quiet, but firm.

“Nobody really knows Silas, but I can tell you, he’s not as effortlessly perfect as he seems. And I know for a fact that he has blood on his hands.”

Calliope remained silent, acknowledging the chilling aura that surrounded Silas. She knew he wasn’t simple, but she was unaware of the full extent of his background.

“Silas is very dangerous,” Archie warned, looking Calliope in the eye. “Callie, being close to him is like living with a tiger, you need to be careful.”

“Yeah, I know,” Calliope replied, forcing a lighthearted smile. “I don’t have anything Silas would want. As long as I don’t cross his boundaries, I should be fine.”

The group fell silent for a moment.

It was Portia who finally broke it. “Whatever kind of dangerous guy Silas is, he’s still not as bad as that jerk Gideon. At least on the surface, Silas seems like a decent man. The fact that he’s willing to help Callie shows he’s not all bad.”

“True,” Mavis agreed. “Callie doesn’t have anything that would interest Silas, so he probably wouldn’t bother with her.”

Calliope turned to Archie. “Archie, what’s been going on with you lately? Is everything okay?”

In the month since she’d started over, Calliope had tried reaching out to Archie several times but never heard back. She understood, though; Archie had been overwhelmed with family issues.

She recalled fragments from her previous life. Archie was the third son of the Yoder family. His grandfather had been a notorious mob boss, and even now, their family still had influence over many shady operations.

Though Archie’s father was trying to legitimize the family business, transforming an empire so vast wasn’t something that happened overnight. And complicating matters even further, Archie’s father had one wife and two mistresses.