Chapter 324

And so, Calliope ended up spending a small fortune on that diamond cross necklace.

She and Franco went through the paperwork, and once the necklace was nicely wrapped, she casually tossed it into her purse.

“Ms. Jewell–” Franco began, causing Calliope to jump back a few steps.

She eyed him warily. “What’s up? You’re not going to dump more work on me, are you? I’ve done plenty today!”

“No, no!” Franco’s eyelid twitched, slightly exasperated at her reaction. “I’ve cut down your workload a lot!”

“You could’ve done it yourself!” Calliope said earnestly, looking Franco in the eye. “I trust you 100%!”

“You’re not worried I might run off with your money?” Franco chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

“There’s something called trust between people, and I trust you!” Calliope declared with utmost seriousness. “Even if you took off with my money, that’s on me for being blind!”

Franco was speechless.

“Okay, I’m done here. I’ve got to go now. Don’t call me if there’s nothing urgent!”

With that, Calliope turned on her heel and dashed off.

Franco watched her leave, shrugging his shoulders with resignation.

Once outside the club, Calliope stretched lazily and breathed a sigh of relief. She had never liked this place because Franco always seemed to find her and load her up with tasks.

Thankfully, things went smoothly today. Calliope had everything sorted out and got what she came for.

Silas is going to love this necklace, she thought. Thinking of Silas’s reaction when he received it made her smile.

Silas often surprised her with gifts, and now it was her turn to surprise him.

As she was about to get into her car, she noticed Gideon approaching from the corner of her eye.

Quickly, she turned her head the other way, pretending not to see him, and prepared to get into her car.

“You saw me,” Gideon’s displeased voice broke through.

Calliope paused with her hand still on the car door and turned with a tilt of her head to look at him. “Listen, Gideon, we don’t have anything to talk about. Isn’t it better to pretend we don’t know each other?”

“But I don’t want to pretend,” Gideon took a few steps closer, leaning an arm against her car window in a flirting move.

Calliope deftly ducked under his arm, escaping his attempt at suave.

Gideon was speechless to see that.

“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t pull these cheesy stunts. Save them for Yvette; they suit her better.” Calliope was all seriousness. “So, what do you want to say?”

“Callie, I still love you.”

Gideon’s words almost made Calliope choke.

“What did you say?”

She wondered if she was hearing things. Was she not only deaf but also hallucinating?

“I said, I still love you.” Gideon looked up, suddenly wearing an expression of deep emotion. “Callie, it’s always been you from beginning to end. I want you back. What do I need to do to make that happen? If you think I was wrong, I’ll get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness.”

He was the picture of sincerity.

Calliope thumped her chest to settle her stomach. “Phew, that almost brought last night’s dinner back up. Gideon, are you trying to make me sick on purpose?”