A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

Monty looked like he had just bitten into a lemon. "Sure, I may not have showered you with allowances, but you turned out just fine, didn't you?"

"And besides, aren't you loaded now? I heard you've got a whole bunch of businesses, that fancy club is yours, isn't it?"

Calliope raised an eyebrow. "And you think I thrived on thin air? My club, my businesses, you think they came from you?"

Monty was at a loss for words.

"They gave you life, and that's the greatest gift of all! Without our parents, you wouldn't exist, nor would anything you have!" Valerian chimed in, clearly frustrated, "Calliope, you need to be grateful. Nothing in life is a given. Even if they didn't raise you, your life is theirs. Are you going to give it back to them?" "Did I ask them to bring me into this world?" Calliope asked with a wry smile. Valerian spluttered, "That's just childish nonsense!"

Calliope glanced into the room and made a quick gesture to Zachary.

Zachary seemed to get the message and nodded.

Once Calliope left the room, Monty and Valerian helped Horatio back into his wheelchair and followed her out.

The corridor was quiet, almost eerily so.

stood to the side, tilting her head as she looked at Monty

bring this whole circus of reporters to put on a show? Planning to guilt-trip me into helping you and use public opinion to back me into

words hit the nail

and the others looked

indeed planned exactly what she accused them of. But they hadn't expected Calliope to be so sharp, to see through

stop being so unreasonable," Valerian protested,

projecting your

just clapped her

Bravo!

help out

pleaded, looking

even have to do much just say a few words, spend some time with us.

like it,"

"You" Monty was fuming.

my help, it's simple: meet my previous conditions. Then, his legs, the Jewell family company, everything