A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

The man let out a low chuckle. "Hmm, interesting. But why don't you tell me who you think I am? And do you have any idea why I'm here to see you?"

Calliope didn't hesitate. "You're my husband's father. Oliver Myers, right?"

He arched an eyebrow, saying nothing.

She went on, her tone unbothered, "So, let me guess. You're the guy who walked out on his wife and kid years ago. Now, all of a sudden, you show up at my door. I bet you want me to talk Silas into coming back to you, to take over your little empire. Or maybe, you'd rather I divorce him, so you can set him up with a daughter-in-law you can actually control. Someone who fits into your plans for a perfect merger, right?"

Oliver's smile faded.

Calliope glanced at the fruit bowl in the center of the dining table, grabbed an orange, and started peeling it, her nails digging into the skin. She spoke slowly, as if she had all the time in the world.

"I heard things haven't exactly been peachy for you lately. That younger son you pinned your last hopes on? Turns out he's seriously ill. Not much use to you now, huh? And since there aren't any more kids in the picture, you start thinking, maybe Silas isn't such a bad candidate after all. He ticks all the right boxes, doesn't he?"

Oliver didn't know much about Calliope, aside from the fact she came from the Jewell family, the once-prominent, now practically bankrupt Jewell family.

He'd always thought she was supposed to marry Gideon, but somehow, she'd ended up with his son Silas instead. In Oliver's eyes, Calliope was a nobody-no connections, no ambitions, nothing worth mentioning-definitely not fit to be his daughter-in-law.

He could find someone better for Silas. In fact, the woman he'd lined up for his younger son had backed out once she found out about the illness, but if Silas took her place, it would be ideal.

He hadn't expected Calliope to nail his motives so precisely.

"Well, it's no surprise you know all this," Oliver said, trying to sound casual. "Silas

is my son, after all. It's only natural he'd keep tabs on his old man."

Calliope shook her head, popping a slice of orange into her mouth. "That's where you're wrong. Silas

doesn't care about you. You coul drop off the face of the earth

tomorrow, and he wouldn't blink. I just happened to hear a few things, that's all."

She smirked. "You really think, after walking out on your wife and kid, Silas would

ever want to call you 'Dad' again? Trust me, that ship has sailed."

Oliver's expression darkened. "You're not exactly a charmer, are you?"

She shrugged, licking a bit of juice

Ret

off her thumb. "Maybe not to you. I don't care if you like me or not. In fact, let me give you some advice: why don't you turn around and go back to wherever you came from? You're not going to find what you're looking for here."

"You've got some nerve, talking to me like that," Oliver growled. "Is it just because

you're Silas's wife that you think you can get away with this?"noveldrama

Calliope met his glare, unflinching. "Partly, yeah. But mostly, I'm saying this

because I don't want my husband to deal with your mess."

Oliver scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself.

I know all about you. You don't have any real connections. The Jewell family barely acknowledges you, bunch of losers, really."

Calliope's lips curled into a smile, her green eyes glinting with mischief. "Good

thing I've never relied on the Jewell family's reputation."

Oliver looked her up and down, a curious glimmer in his eyes. "Oh? So you're hiding something else, then?"