The final item for auction was a diamond cross ne, said to have a unique material and quite a storied background.


    Gideon sat in the corner, unable to resist ncing at Calliope. What on earth did she want with the cross ne? Could she be nning to give it to Ss?


    His eyes narrowed sharply at the thought. It was entirely possible. Ss did have an interest in such things. He would visit a local church to chat with the priest now and then. It seemed like the kind of item Ss would appreciate.


    Gideon watched Calliope, a strange feeling stirring within him. He had seen how kind Calliope could be to someone she cared about.


    When she liked someone, she would be wholeheartedly devoted to them. Once upon a time, she had been that way with him. Whatever he wanted, she would prepare for him. She understood his likes better than he did himself.


    And now, she belonged to Ss. Her devotion was now directed towards him.


    Thinking of the recent, less-than-pleasant interactions with Yvette, he suddenly yearned for Calliope''s kindness.


    Yvette always imed to have his best interests at heart, but her words rarely tranted into actions. The more time he spent with her, the more suffocated he felt.


    Now that she was pregnant, she frequently used the baby to manipte him. And perhaps due to the pregnancy, her paranoia had escted.


    He couldn''t understand her, but every time they argued, she would me it on the pregnancy hormones, iming she couldn''t control herself, leaving their issues unresolved.


    He had truly loved Yvette once and genuinely cared for her. He constantly felt guilty, thinking he was letting her down.


    Buttely, he felt like Yvette was apletely different person. She wasn''t the gentle,pliant Yvette that he remembered; she was constantly causing unnecessary drama.


    He began to miss Calliope. She wasn''t one for many words, but when she cared for you, she acted without a word.


    Comparing the two, he suddenly felt Yvette paled inparison, and Calliope seemed so much better. Moreover, he had just discovered Calliope was far from ordinary.


    The club was hers. What other


    secrets was Calliope hiding? How


    wealthy was she? He hadn''t paid attention before, having a preconceived notion of her, but when thinking back, he found many questionable things.


    There were times when he needed to meet certain influential people for work. Whenever he vented to Calliope about it, he would meet those people in no time.


    Sometimes, when a deal was falling


    through, and he''d drunkenly


    party would agree to the deal.


    en


    Back then, he thought it was just his good luck that things went so smoothly. Thinking carefully, it


    elet


    couldn''t have been that simple. An


    unseen hand must have been,


    guiding things. And that hand must have been Calliope''s.


    Gideon felt a pang of regret. He had handed a treasure trove over to Ss!


    Gideon''s gaze lingered on Calliope, his eyes burning with an indescribable feeling.


    Calliope sat in the corner with her eyes fixed ahead. Franco leaned in to whisper something to her, and she nodded slightly.


    The auctioneer started the bidding for the diamond cross ne.


    Calliope''s attention was fully on it now. She kept raising her bid, determined to win


    it.