Chapter 274

“She beat Ronin in chess?” Horatio couldn’t believe his ears.

They would sometimes play with Lisette, but they’d never thought of inviting Calliope to join their games of chess, poker, or bridge. They’d always assumed she wasn’t interested, or worse, that she couldn’t play.

But it turned out Calliope was quite the dark horse, and she knew her way around a deck of cards too. During Thanksgiving or those lazy Sunday afternoons when everyone gathered for games, no one ever thought to invite her. They figured she wasn’t the sociable type.

They were wrong.

“She must have gotten lucky,” Valerian muttered, grasping for a reason.

It was the only explanation he could come up with. How else could she have beaten Yara so easily?

The three brothers clicked into the livestream, unable to resist witnessing this.

The stream was already buzzing with viewers, all talking about how impressive Calliope was and questioning why the Jewell family seemed to overlook such talent.

The brothers felt a sting of embarrassment. It was like the universe was rubbing their noses in it.

“She was never this skilled before, was she?” Ulysses said, his face turning shades of disbelief. “Even if she won those games, she’s biting off more than she can chew with this alligator pit stunt!”

“She’s just asking for trouble,” Valerian grumbled, furrowing his brow. “We won’t rescue her if she gets hurt!”

As the brothers debated, Yara opened the gate to the alligator pit.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Yara asked. “You can still back out.”

“Absolutely,” Calliope replied confidently, stepping onto the stairs leading down.

Yara shut the heavy iron gate behind her.

A crowd gathered around the pit with their eyes glued to Calliope.

“Don’t go down there!” someone shouted.

“Yeah. Just stay on the steps. Yara didn’t say you had to reach the pit edge!”

“Exactly. Those alligators might come out if you get too close. They’re already looking restless.”

“It is nerve–racking just to watch from here!”

“Calliope’s got guts, that’s for sure!”

“Do you think she’ll get hurt?”

“Fifteen minutes, and hold on. It’s not long, but it’ll feel like an eternity.”

The crowd was a mix of concern, fear, and a hint of morbid curiosity.

Standing beside Yara, Uriah couldn’t help but question her, “Isn’t this a bit too much for a young girl? She’s unlike you, tearing alligators apart with your bare hands!”

“She’s not worthy of Silas if she can’t handle this,” Yara said matter–of–factly. “Relax. She won’t die. Worst case, she might leave with a few scratches or a missing limb.”

Uriah winced. “A missing limb?”

“Look out. One of the alligators is coming up!”

“That thing is huge!”

“Yeah, it looks starving. Yara, how many alligators are in there? And when was the last time they were fed?”

“Oh, just fifty or sixty. They haven’t eaten in about two weeks,” Yara replied casually.

The crowd exchanged wide–eyed glances. Yara was a piece of work.

In the livestream, the Jewell brothers watched on, skeptical of Calliope’s chances.

Valerian shook his head. “She’s trying to steal the spotlight, but she’s gonna get herself killed doing it.”

Ulysses nodded in agreement. “She’s nothing like Lisette, who’s always so level–headed and thinks things through.”