A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

After just a couple of words, Calliope hung up the phone.

Monty frowned, looking a bit surprised.

What the heck did she mean by that? Was she planning to quit the company?

Sure, the business had started to bounce back under her leadership, but if she bailed now, things could go south real fast.

"How'd it go, Dad?" Horatio and the others turned to Monty.

"She said something I didn't quite get. Sounds like she's thinking of leaving the company," Monty replied, rubbing his forehead. "She said she doesn't want anything to do with it."

"You need to set her straight," Zelda snapped. "Why does she spend money like there's no tomorrow? That money should be ours, not hers! Why do you talk to her like she's the boss? She's your daughter, she owes us everything. Is it so wrong for us to expect something in return?"

Horatio and the others exchanged glances but kept quiet, their eyes still fixed on Monty.

Monty shook his head. "She's not the kind to just listen and do what she's told. If I pushed her like that, she'd cut us off in a heartbeat."

"Let her! See if I care!" Zelda muttered, rolling her eyes.

"So, is she really leaving the company?" Ulysses Jewell asked, his brow furrowed. "If she does, are we in trouble?"

He'd already heard stories about how sharp Calliope was. The company only survived because she was at the wheel. If she walked away, they could be headed straight for disaster.

"It's possible," Monty admitted. "A lot of our deals only happened because people wanted to do her a favor. If she leaves, we could end up right back where we started, on the edge of bankruptcy."

"Honestly, it's just a matter of time,"

he added with a sigh. "I've tried getting a loan to save the company but with how things are now, the

banks won't touch us. And then

none of us have Calliope's guts or

know-how. If she goes, we're basically doomed."

"Come on is she really that special?" Zelda scoffed, folding her arms.

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"Let's not put her on a pedestal She inks she's so great, do you really buy that?"

Horatio and the others hesitated, then nodded, almost despite themselves.

Could the lot of them really not

handle what Calliope could? Surely, if they put their heads together, they could keep things afloat. The company was already doing much better. If they managed things

carefully, what could go wrong?

Besides, it's not like she said she was quitting right this second. That was just their dad's guess.

"All right, enough about her," Zelda grumbled. “Let's not let her ruin our dinner."noveldrama

She nudged Monty back toward the table, where a golden roast turkey and mashed potatoes were getting cold.

Monty sat back down, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him. Lisette, sitting nearby, was lost in her own thoughts.

Calliope needed to leave Jewell Group. Otherwise, Lisette'd have no standing in the family. And without that, she wouldn't get what she wanted. Time was running out.

Lisette wondered if she could dig up something on Calliope. She'd always suspected Calliope wasn't really a Jewell, and she was pretty sure Calliope knew it, too.

But she needed proof. Concrete evidence that Calliope wasn't one of them.

If she could get it, Calliope would be out for good, and with her, any claim to the family's wealth and power.