A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

Lisette stared at Horatio and Valerian in disbelief. They were actually siding with Calliope on this? She couldn't believe it. They really thought Calliope was in the right?noveldrama

Calliope, for her part, just shrugged, her tone chilly. "That's settled, then.”

With that, she turned away and got back to whatever she was doing, not sparing the others another glance.

Lisette blinked rapidly, staring at the two men, her face full of hurt and

disappointment. "Did you hear what she said? She just told you she doesn't care if you're around or not."

Her voice wavered. "But I...I really need you. You have no idea how much you mean to me, how much I love you!"

She looked at Horatio and Valerian, hoping for a flicker of sympathy.

For a moment, Horatio's gaze softened. After all, they'd spoiled her since she was little. Seeing her so lost and desperate tugged at his heart, especially since Calliope had been working her pretty hard lately. He hadn't asked questions, but he could guess. Lisette had never been through anything like this.

But the truth was, Calliope wasn't wrong. Lisette had messed up. She needed to face the consequences.

Horatio's tone turned serious. "Lisette, whether Calliope cares about us or not isn't really the point. What matters is how we feel about you, and we do care. We love you."

He paused, making sure she heard every word. "But you made mistakes. You need to own up to them."

He squared his shoulders, taking on the big brother role. "It's my job to make sure you grow up right. Maybe I let things slide before, but now Callie's stepping in to teach you some life lessons. You need to learn from this."

"I know the workload's heavy, and I get that you're exhausted, but Callie isn't wrong to push you. Learning new things never hurt anybody."

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He met her eyes, unblinking. "Honestly, we always thought you were the capable one, even more than her. But it turns out, there's still a lot for you to work on. So take this as a chance. Learn from Callie. It'll do you good."

"Oh, and drop the act, okay? We're not going to fall for your puppy dog eyes this time. We mean it."

He was brutally honest, giving her no room to argue.

Lisette's face fell. She'd expected at least a little sympathy. But Horatio stood firm, and when she turned to Valerian, her last hope, the one she was closest to, he barely glanced at her.

Valerian spoke quietly, "Horatio's right. You should listen to him."

Lisette's heart plummeted. It felt like the world was crumbling around her.

Horatio put an end to it. "Alright, Lisette. You've got work to do. Better get on with

it."

"Fine.” She bit her lip and trudged off to her office.

...

That afternoon, Calliope made a trip to the hospital. She was on good terms with the hospital director, so she wanted to borrow an operating room and a few doctors and nurses for a special procedure.

She'd finally secured the medical supplies needed for Horatio's leg

surgery. The treatment plan was almost finalized. It would definitely require surgery, followed by some specialized therapy.

The operation itself was tricky, too difficult for just anyone to handle. Calliope

knew she'd have to do it herself.