"Really?" Calliope pursed her lips. He hadn''t said he loved her, only that she was his wife.


    Was it only a sense of duty?


    Calliope nced at Ss and took a bite of the pasta. It tasted delicious, just the way she liked it.


    "How is it?" Ss asked eagerly, looking like a puppy wagging its tail, waiting to get praised.


    Calliope couldn''t help being amused by this rare disy.


    At home, Ss was apart from the domineering figure he cut outside. Outside, he was assertive andmanding, but at home, he was like an eager and gentle golden retriever.


    And yet, that was part of his unique charm.


    The more time she spent with him, the more she had fallen for him, unable to pull away.


    She''d once thought she''d leave him quickly and had been afraid of him, but now she wasn''t terrified. Instead, she feared he''d suddenly decide he didn''t want her anymore.


    "Aren''t you worried I''ll cling to you forever because you''re so good to me?" Calliope asked, taking another bite of pasta and looking up.


    "Isn''t that what you want?" Ss frowned slightly. "Am I good enough to you? I feel like I''m not."


    "If this isn''t good, then what is?" Calliope couldn''t think of any way he could be better. Ss was willing to give her everything he owned and look after her in every way. He granted her freedom in whatever she wanted to pursue. A guy like him was indeed one in a million.


    "But you haven''t spent any of my money," Ss suddenly looked a bit crestfallen. Calliope paused.


    "I gave you a card, and you haven''t used it." A hint of disappointment crossed Ss''s handsome face.


    It was as if she was intentionally keeping her distance, drawing a line between them. Calliope hadn''t touched the money he offered, even though he said she could spend as she pleased-even if she spent it all.


    Calliope was speechless. Most men dreaded their wives spending too much, but there was Ss, upset she was spending too little.


    She didn''tck money herself. She had more than she could spend and never thought to use Ss''. But seeing Ss''s dejected expression tugged at her heartstrings.


    "Well, I''ll try to spend some then?"


    "The faster you spend, the more I''ll earn," Ss said with a hint of a smile.


    ...


    The Jewell family returned home in a state of disarray.


    Zelda was watching TV. She turned her head at themotion, only to find her


    family stumbling in, looking worse for wear.


    "What happened to you all?"


    She gaped at Horatio, soaked to the skin.


    A nce at Valerian showed he was a dirty mess, and her husband''s clothes were torn.


    Ulysses hopped in on one leg, his face swollen like a balloon, resembling a pig''s head.


    Lisette seemed unharmed. But she was wearing a skirt, and his face was an unusual shade of red, not in a normal state.


    "I''m heading upstairs!" Lisette dered, rushing up without another word.


    Valerian opened his mouth to speak but didn''t follow, merely sighing deeply.


    "I''ll help Horatio get cleaned up," he said.


    Ulysses hopped over to Zelda.


    "Mom, check out my foot. It''s killing


    me! Damn it. I have a shoot


    tomorrow. The director will kill me


    looking like this!"


    "What happened to you all?" Zelda looked at them incredulously, turning her head this way and that, unable to grasp the situation only seeing their utter chaos.