Chapter 7

In the living room. Eleanor held Calliope in her arms, tears streaming down her face in silence. "Callie, it's all my fault. I should've known better. I brought all this pain upon you... I'm sorry, sweetheart..." Calliope gently patted her mother's back, motion calm yet comforting. Compared to Lucien's betrayal, what really crushed her mother's heart this time... was probably Angelina's. After all, she had truly cared for Angelina over these past months. "Mom, don't blame yourself. This isn't on you. Some people are just born heartless. No matter how well you treat them, it's never enough." Just then, Jonathan walked in with a grim face. He didn't so much as glance at the mother-daughter pair and snorted before heading straight into the study. "Mom, did you notice something off about Dad today?" Calliope suddenly asked. "He's probably just trying not to offend Lucien," Eleanor replied, trying to excuse him, though her words lacked conviction. Calliope let out a dry laugh. Her father came from modest roots-everything they had today, they owed to her mother's family. Even after all those years in business, his small-minded ways never changed. But Calliope always felt like there was more to him than met the eye. "Mom," she said quietly, "even if Dad wanted to stay on Lucien's good side, would he really turn a blind eye to his own daughter and take some outsider's side?" Eleanor stared at her daughter, stunned. Calliope took her mother's slightly cold hand, her voice low and serious. "Just... keep an eye on him, okay? Especially when it comes to money. House expenses, company finances-look into them more. No matter what, make sure you have a little saved up for yourself. Just in case." Eleanor wasn't naïve. Calliope's words weren't subtle anymore. Thinking back to her husband's odd behavior lately, combined with how he usually acted... Eleanor suddenly felt short of breath, like her chest was tightening. "Callie, I hear you," she said hoarsely. Back in her room, Calliope locked the door. The will her grandfather had left her stated that she owned part of Stellar Group's shares. But it came with strings attached-until she turned twenty-five, if unmarried, her parents would manage it jointly; if married, she'd get direct control over forty percent. In her past life, she'd married Lucien tomorrow-and with that, gained control over the company. But now? The wedding was off. Lucien-obviously no longer qualified. So, if she wanted to keep her inheritance safe from Jonathan and Lucien, she had to find a solid marriage candidate. Fast. With that in mind, she pulled out her phone and opened her chat with Olivia Fletcher. [Hey Liv, you there?] As soon as she sent the message, Olivia called. "Callie!" Olivia's voice was practically boiling with gossip energy. "Someone in the group chat said Lucien showed up at your place to call off the wedding and now he wants to marry that chick Angelina who's staying with you?? Is that true?!" "Yeah," Calliope sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's true." "No freaking way!" Olivia exploded, "Did he lose his damn mind? He dumped you - smart, gorgeous, the real deal - for that manipulative little angel act? Seriously, is he blind?" "I told you right from the beginning, didn't I? That guy may look all put together, but he's just smooth on the surface-totally shady underneath. You didn't believe me!" Olivia was clearly furious, rattling off curses like a machine gun. Calliope listened, eyes growing misty. Yeah... if she'd just listened to Olivia back then-just once-would things have turned out so differently? Well, thank god fate gave her a second shot. This time, she wasn't going to waste it.