Chapter 362

“Is there really anything left for us to discuss? Calliope raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. Fine, go ahead, I’m all ears.”

“Callie, our company is in deep trouble, and you know it. Ever since the whole Mr. Lopez debacle, things have been going downhill. Now, with all that stuff about your childhood coming out, the board is in an uproar. I really need you to come to the office and clear things up. It won’t take much of your time, I promise. We just need to put on a show, pretend like we’re one big happy family, and let bygones be bygones, okay?”

“We’ve had dinner, and it’s time to let the past be the past, right?” Monty looked at Calliope, hope shining in his eyes. “Trust me, from now on, we’re going to treat you right. You want the big room? We’ll have it ready for you right away! A swing set, whatever you missed out on as a kid, Dad’s got it covered now! Everything you didn’t have growing up, I’ll make it up to you, how does that sound?”

Calliope crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. “That little girl from the past? She doesn’t exist anymore.”

Monty was taken aback for a moment. “Callie, I know you’ve grown up, and maybe you don’t care about those things anymore. Just tell me what you want now, and I’ll make it happen!”

“Now, huh?” Calliope smirked. “What I want, you can’t afford.”

“How do you know I can’t give it to you if you don’t say it?” Monty pressed earnestly.

“I want the Jewell Group,” Calliope stated, her eyes steady.

Monty stammered, “That’s not funny, Callie.”

She smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Oh, I’m not joking. I want the Jewell Group.”

Monty shook his head. “Callie, that’s impossible. I have other children too, your brothers, and it wouldn’t be fair to give everything to you.”

Calliope’s eyes narrowed. “Fair? When was fairness ever a thing when I was growing up?”

Monty furrowed his brow. “Callie, if you save the company, I will be grateful!”

Calliope gave him a cool glance. “I’m asking for the company because that’s the only way to truly save it. In your hands, it’s doomed.”

“Callie, do you even know how to run a company?” Horatio chimed in, unable to stay quiet any longer. “Look, we know you’re upset. I, Valerian, Ulysses, even Lisette, we don’t care about taking over. But do you have any experience in this? Running a company isn’t as easy as just wanting it. Handing it back to you doesn’t guarantee its survival either. We just need you to help restore our family’s reputation. Let Dad handle the business.”

Calliope fixed Monty with a piercing stare. “Is that so? If Mr. Jewell could manage the company, it wouldn’t have ended up here in the first place!”

“And Mr. Horatio, how do you know I can’t run a company? Do you have any idea what I’ve done? Maybe, just maybe, I’m more capable than you think. I might even have a bigger empire under my belt than the Jewell Group.”

Horatio shook his head. “I’m not joking, Callie.”

“Neither am I,” she replied, her voice steady as a rock.

Just then, the door swung open. A man strode in, raising a glass with a charming grin plastered across his face.