"I told you all that the damned king was a liar and a cheat!" Persephone Vitello was enraged as she heard the story her dear big bro was telling to her husband. With burning green eyes, she continued, "Big Bro, why were you putting up with his nonsense? You should have shown him his real place a long time ago."
It was an open secret that Persephone never liked the king. She used to call him a perverted king as he always had those wandering mean eyes. Her hate for him skyrocketed when the king tried to use her baby that was still in her womb a pawn in his power game.
Now that she heard how King Leonardo played with her big brother's future, she was seething. Persephone and Callum were not biological siblings but they were no less than one either. She gave Callum such a high position in her heart after getting to know him.
Santiago grabbed his enraged wife's wrist and pulled her on his thigh. He was sure that she would end up hurting herself if he let her seethe there. He said in a soft voice, "Calm down, you are going to hurt yourself. Also, we don't use these adjectives and the word king in the same sentence."
Persephone sighed as she looked at her husband with a troubled look. "But Santiago, he screwed up my big bro's future. You ask me to calm down? No way in hell!!"
Callum felt sweet in his heart when he saw Persephone's protectiveness over him. When he called Persephone his little sister three years ago, he had never imagined that one day, this sister of his would be ready to go to every extent for him. Gosh, he loved this family of his.
"What are you going to do now?" Santiago asked his quiet best friend.
"I have been searching for a ghost for nearly three years and now I am suddenly told to stop looking for her," Callum replied with a sigh. "As much as I pity her for her tragic life, I can't forget the fact that she has a big hand in screwing my life. For her own happiness, she destroyed mine. To cool my head, I'm going to take a much-needed break."
"How about you start the project you were discussing with Killian?" Santiago asked him after a while. He was understanding Callum's predicament. To some extent, he was responsible for Callum's current situation. If he had not convinced Callum of the king's suggestion all this mess would have never happened in the first place.
Callum looked at his rich best friend in disbelief. "Santiago, I told you that it was a stupid idea. I was just discussing with Killian what if we did something like that."
"But I think your idea is quite unique. No one would have ever done something like that," Santiago said, motivating his somewhat lost best friend. "I know you are not the one to sit free. Go ahead and give your stupidity a face. All of us will be backing you up."
"Big bro, I will be your investor," Persephone grinned. "I'm a big author now."
Eleanora Vitello who appeared in the living room happened to catch the new word that her mommy just said. With her wild red curls and bright blue eyes, she came sprinting towards the three of them while trying to say the word.
"Mommy, inv…" Eleanora failed once again.
Callum laughed at the Little angel's try.
"I-n-v-e-s-t-o-r" Persephone broke the word for her two years old daughter. "Investor, meaning we will share our money with your uncle Cal."
"Money," Eleanora's eyes brightened up as she heard the word. She knew this one. She ran back to her room and came back with a ridiculously cute piggy bank that Callum had gotten her to teach her the practice of saving money. She directly walked to Callum, those beautiful dimples on display.
"Uncle Cal. Nora. Money. Share."
Maybe someone else won't be able to understand her gibberish but all three of them could.
Callum shook his head with mirth and scooped the little angel on his thigh. She dropped a peck on her temple and looked at the couple before saying, "Do you guys have an idea how lucky you are to get this angel?"
Both Persephone and Santiago grinned and nodded their heads.
Callum took out a note from his wallet and put it in Eleanora's piggy bank. He softly informed her, "Uncle Cal has a lot of money. He will buy his sweet Nora a pretty gift the next time he comes to visit. But this money is my Angel's and you are not allowed to share it with anyone, alright?"
Eleanora nodded her head adorably. She placed a wet and sloppy kiss on his cheek, her chubby hands holding his cheeks. In Eleanora's opinion, Callum was the best man. She could say no to anyone but Callum. There was no doubt to anyone that Callum was her favourite uncle.
While holding Eleanora, Callum said to her parents, "So, I'm leaving for Orin soon. Isn't it weird how I'm going to start my new job in the duchy?"
"Who knows if it's where life is guiding you?" Santiago said with a soft smile. "When one door closes, several others open."
"And Big bro, this is real life, not those CEO novels where a man is not allowed to fail. You are good at what you do," Persephone said. " You taught three of them what it is to stand up after falling, I'm sure you will stand up pretty quick too. A new life is waiting for you. Take a break that you deserve."
Callum nodded. But he didn't tell two of them that this small break didn't mean he was giving up. He was just laying low. And when the iron is hot, he will strike. Sure that his hit would be more efficient than the duchess.
As for what she blackmailed the king with, he had too much time to find out.
What Callum didn't know was that the simple and harmless advice that he had given to Cali would change his life forever.
Calliope Wilding had started living for herself and he was already at his wit's end. What else did she have in the store?