"Are you Ss''s wife?" Yara asked with a curious glint in her eyes as she sized Calliope up. "You do look good, but being good-looking doesn''t automatically mean you''re right for him."


    Standing to the side, Yara pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one for herself, and lit it. Then she offered one to Uriah.


    He took it, and Yara extended the pack to Calliope.


    "Don''t bother. Callie doesn''t..." Uriah said, but Calliope had already taken a cigarette before he could finish his sentence.


    Uriah blinked in surprise and asked quietly, "You smoke?"


    Calliope nced at the cigarette in her hand. "Smoking''s bad for your health," she remarked but leaned forward to light it when Yara offered her a light. She took a drag, her movements smooth and practiced, unlike someone unfamiliar with smoking.


    Uriah was shocked. Calliope had always looked gentle and innocent, not the type you''d picture with a cigarette. He''d assumed she was the kind of person who''d wrinkle her nose at the smell of smoke.


    Yet, there she was, smoking with an ease that suggested experience. It was as if she had transformed from a sweet little rabbit into a cunning, beautiful fox. No wonder Ss was in love with her. There was more to Calliope than met the eye.


    Calliope knew how to smoke. She''d mingled with all sorts of people and frequented ces where smoking was the least of the vices. It was a useful skill- to blend in, to gather information, to make connections. A cigarette could be a bridge.


    Unlike Yara, who openly wore her strength and reputation, Calliope hid hers beneath a veneer of innocence.


    Yara watched Calliope with interest, tilting her head slightly. Despite Calliope''s unassuming demeanor, she was the woman Ss chose to protect. It didn''t seem like Ss''s usual way. He wasn''t one to be swayed by mere beauty.


    She had read about Calliope. The rumors painted her as someone overlooked at


    home, not particrly skilled or remarkable.


    "So, where''s my husband?" Calliope


    asked after exhaling a puff of


    smoke "I heard he''s with you and


    that you''d only release him me.


    Is that true?"


    "Yes," Yara nodded.


    "Then can you let him go?" Calliope asked.


    "Nope," Yara shrugged. "If I just let him go that easily, I wouldn''t be me."


    "What do you want, then?" Calliope remained calm.


    "You need to prove you''re worthy of him," Yara said. "Then I''ll consider returning him to you."


    Calliope was silent for a moment.


    Uriah frowned. "Yara, give it a rest. Why are you messing with her? You know she''s not part of our world. She''s not like you, hasn''t gone through what you have. Don''t push it!"


    "What? I haven''t even set any demands yet. How am I pushing it?" Yara smirked.