A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

Chapter 69

When Calliope finally arrived, Archie and Portia were already there, waiting for her in their private booth. As soon as she walked in, smiles spread across all their faces.

"About time you showed up! What took you so long?" Portia teased, looking up. "Latecomers buy the first round!"

"Alright, alright!" Calliope chuckled, waving her hand in mock defeat. "Just had a few things to wrap up. I'll make it up with a drink.

True to her word, Calliope poured herself a glass of wine and toasted to her friends before taking a generous sip.

The three of them settled into their seats, catching up on each other's lives.

Archie was a bit quiet, but Portia eagerly shared about her latest romantic interest, a guy she'd been seeing but hadn't quite locked down yet.

Then Mavis recounted her recent daring mission. It was a nail-biter, the kind of story that made you clutch your heart a little tighter. Luckily, her top-skilled mentor had swooped in at the last moment to save the day.

with Uriah?" Calliope asked, glancing at

a thing for her mentor Uriah Stewart, but it was also clear that Uriah didn't seem to reciprocate those feelings in the same way. Their relationship was complicated, to put it mildly. Calliope remembered how, in another life, Mavis and Uriah had a massive falling out, almost tearing their mentor-mentee bond apart.

old," Mavis shrugged. "My status and work are

took a sip of her drink, her eyes downcast, and it was clear she

set your sights on someone else. Uriah's as approachable as a porcupine, I

it were that easy to

- the man she loved with all her heart. He had saved her from countless tight spots, and she couldn't just walk away from that. Even if Uriah didn't feel

aren't something you can force," Archie said, pouring Mavis another drink. "If you can't give up, find a way

the thought of trying to win him over seemed daunting. She admired him,

turned

"You seem

up with interest

level..." Calliope confessed, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "He was amazing, and I'm