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.

tilting her head as she

Planning to guilt-trip me into helping

hit the nail on

others looked

them of. But they hadn't expected Calliope to be so sharp, to see through it all. Nor did

unreasonable," Valerian

just projecting your own negativity

clapped her

Bravo!

just help

pleaded,

eyes. "You know how bad things are for us. You don't even have to do much just say a

don't feel like

"You" Monty was fuming.

meet my previous conditions. Then, his legs, the Jewell family company, everything will be saved,"