Chapter 68
As Monty took in the room around him, it struck him that Callie’s world was lacking in so many ways. Compared to Lisette’s princess-themed bedroom, Callie’s room was downright tiny, furnished with cast-offs and outdated pieces. It was as if everything had been cobbled together as an afterthought, some of it even items Lisette no longer wanted.
Monty stood there, lost in thought. He realized he had somehow overlooked this disparity. Everyone always said Lisette was their little lucky charm, and everything revolved around her. Monty fell silent for a moment.
But Zelda came and grumbled beside him, a mix of anger and frustration in her voice. “Honey, have you sorted out Lisette’s issue yet? What are you doing standing in front of that room? You know, Calliope is just bad luck wrapped in human form. She nearly drove me mad today. We should never have taken her in!”
Monty glanced at Zelda. “Darling, have you ever thought that maybe we’ve been a bit neglectful toward Callie over the years? Could that be why she’s the way she is?”
“Neglectful? In what way?” Zelda snapped, as if he had hit a nerve. “We’ve given her food, clothes. It’s not our fault she hasn’t made anything of herself. She’s always causing trouble at school and later in the workplace. She’s a constant disaster!”
“Haven’t we treated her well?” Zelda continued, her voice rising. “She had the same chances. But no, she never appreciated it, never tried hard enough. If she wasn’t as good as Lisette, that’s one thing. Mediocrity can still be kind and respectful, but has she ever been? She hasn’t. She’s always stirring up trouble, picking on Lisette. She nearly ran our company into the ground, or have you forgotten?”
Zelda was worked up, her frustration boiling over. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her own daughter, but she felt exhausted, like Calliope had pushed her to the brink! Monty tried to interject, but Zelda wouldn’t let him. She shot him a fierce look, insisting that Calliope was nothing but a jinx.
Monty suggested to Zelda, “Still, I noticed Mr. Myers seems to have a soft spot for Callie. We should treat Callie a bit better. If we can work with the Baker Group, we could really hit it big. By the way, Lisette’s birthday is coming up soon, and Callie’s must be around the same time too. Let’s plan a birthday party and invite Mr. Myers and Callie. In the past, we’ve always celebrated their birthdays together, so let’s do that again. Plus, I’ve got some business to discuss with Mr. Myers. There’s a project I’m interested in, and getting a piece of that action could be quite lucrative.”
Zelda raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “You really think Mr. Myers is interested in Callie?”
“You know how it is with love,” Monty replied with a shrug. “Everyone’s got their own tastes, and love’s unpredictable.”
“And what about Gideon?”
“Mr. Myers is his uncle. If Gideon has any issues, he can take it up with him. If the Baker family asks, just say we can’t afford to cross Silas.”
Calliope crossed paths with Gideon two days later at a nightclub called Starry Waves. Mavis had just finished a mission and invited her, Archie, and Portia for a drink.