Chapter 523 Octavius Regrets: Calliope, Forgive Me 3
Octavius retreated into silence.
Seraphine, being a woman of sharp intuition, immediately grasped his intentions—he meant to sever their engagement and pursue reconciliation with Calliope.
She laughed bitterly. "You're pining for her while she's living it up with her boy toy. Even if you want her back, Octavius, you need to ask yourself whether she'd want you. Would she abandon her young lover for a middle-aged man like you? What could you possibly offer—your reputation as a philanderer or your modest fortune?"
Her words cut deep. Octavius glared at her with undisguised fury, any pretense of their former affection completely evaporated.
After a long moment, he gazed up at the fluorescent lights and spoke with deliberate calm: "Seraphine, I won't deceive you any longer. We're finished. Even without Calliope in the picture, we were never compatible. I'll compensate you appropriately—a property or cash settlement. Choose one."
A pillow flew at his chest. Seraphine abandoned all pretense of starlet composure, sobbing and raging, "You bastard! When you proposed, you swore you felt nothing for Calliope anymore, that what we had was true love. How can that change in just one year?"
Though she wailed and carried on, Octavius remained unmoved. He allowed her tantrum to run its course—partly from guilt, partly from physical weakness—until she exhausted herself. Then he made the decision for both of them, writing a nine-figure check that would serve as their final settlement.
When he handed her the check, Seraphine's red lips trembled with rage and humiliation, but the astronomical sum spoke louder than wounded pride. Though furious, she accepted it and delivered her parting shot: "Fine, Octavius. We're done. You go your way, I'll go mine."
Despite his illness, Octavius maintained his composure with an elegant gesture. "I won't see you out. You know what to tell the press."
His influence was such that Seraphine could only indulge in petty defiance without real consequence. She took the check and left.
Outside the hospital room, dozens of mainstream reporters thrust microphones toward her. Seraphine's expression remained stone-cold as she announced, "Octavius and I have incompatible personalities. We've separated."
The media erupted in speculation, but Seraphine remained tight-lipped.
A week later, Octavius recovered fully. He resumed work with renewed vigor, and after clearing the mountain of accumulated business, Percival served him tea with an encouraging smile. "You seem in good spirits today, sir."
Octavius stretched and sipped his tea thoughtfully. "I have to be. Half the company is waiting for me to stumble, and I'm still under Mr. Windsor's scrutiny in Evergreen City. I need to prove myself."
"Your relationship with Mr. Windsor has improved considerably," Percival observed.
Octavius smiled briefly, then fell into contemplation. Percival waited in respectful silence, sensing his employer's thoughts had turned to Calliope.
Eventually, Octavius opened a file and spoke casually, "Get me a gym membership near the house. I want to start working out after early days. Make it soon—I'm eager to begin."
Percival, ever solicitous, ventured gently, "Sir, you've just recovered. Perhaps we shouldn't rush into strenuous exercise. Why not take leisurely walks in the park instead? Fresh air might lift your spirits."
Octavius bristled, throwing down his gold pen. "Do you think approaching forty makes me decrepit? I consider this the prime age for ambition and achievement."
The seasoned assistant immediately understood—his boss intended to get in shape to win back Calliope in Evergreen City.
Percival quickly backtracked, "Your condition is already excellent, sir! Maturity has given you an elegant sophistication that no twenty-something boy could match."
Though Octavius appreciated the flattery, he sighed wistfully, "Young men will eventually reach my age and develop that same maturity, Percival. But I can never reclaim my youth."
His melancholy was infectious, but Percival was a man of action. He immediately arranged the gym membership and initially hired a female trainer, though Octavius insisted on a male instructor—he worried that Calliope might disapprove of beautiful women in his vicinity.
Octavius threw himself into rigorous training and lived like a monk, avoiding all female companionship. After two months of dedicated effort, he appeared years younger and radiated vitality.
In October, he traveled to Evergreen City for his performance review. With work completed and three days of leave remaining, he attempted to visit Calliope, but she refused his calls and barred him from her townhouse.
Left with no alternative, he investigated her schedule.
Friday evening found Calliope at a crucial business dinner regarding a major Windsor Group contract worth billions in profit—a deal that could significantly advance her career. Though she brought two assistants, the client insisted on drinking with Calliope personally. Half-intoxicated and nauseated, Calliope faced the client's demand to continue drinking elsewhere.
The atmosphere grew tense as the client expressed displeasure with the Windsor Group's apparent lack of respect. Just then, the private dining room door opened softly. the client's irritation vanished as he beamed and extended his hand. "Mr. Everhart! What brings you to Evergreen City?"
"Performance review," Octavius replied, immaculate in his crisp white shirt. He shook the client's hand with restrained courtesy, feigning ignorance. "You know my wife?"
Wife? The alcohol-addled the client's brain short-circuited. He stared between Octavius and Calliope, stammering: "Ms. Lark is your wife?"
Octavius smiled mildly. "Always has been. She recently wanted to pursue her career, so she took a position with Mr. Windsor's group. You're discussing a project, I assume? I hope I'm not interrupting important business."
The client immediately grasped the implications. He might disregard Oliver's influence, but he couldn't afford to cross Octavius, whose power in Harmony City was absolute. Any minor infraction could spell disaster for his business.
He proved remarkably adaptable. He declared the negotiations complete and ready for contract signing, summoning his secretary to produce the documents. Within minutes, he had signed with flourish and applied his company seal.
Calliope didn't object, securing the major contract effortlessly.
Later, in the restroom's solitude, she splashed cold water on her face to clear her head. The alcohol had taken its toll. She leaned against the pristine white tiles, tilting her head back to exhale slowly. Her black suit dress clung to her curves in a way that would quicken any man's pulse.
Octavius appeared in the doorway, more handsome than ever after his transformation. He gazed at his former wife with tender intensity. "Calliope, why put yourself through such ordeals?"
She remained silent, turning to study him with those striking blue eyes, her hair slightly disheveled in an utterly captivating way.
He stepped closer, gently caressing her delicate cheek with a husky whisper, "I've ended things with Seraphine. There are no other women in my life. Calliope, if you're willing, you can still be my Calliope. We can love as we once did. I promise complete fidelity—no other women, ever. I can even overlook Pembroke, as long as you end it completely."
Calliope smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"You won't?" Octavius asked, his voice breaking. "You can't give him up?"
She continued shaking her head. "Octavius, it's too late. I believe everything you're saying, and I believe you'd be a good husband now. But we ended long ago. I'll repay today's kindness someday, but not with myself."
She straightened and moved toward the door, her unsteady legs requiring the wall's support to carry her away from this man.
Watching her retreating figure, Octavius couldn't surrender. The words burst from him: "What if I add love to the equation? What if I tell you that in our time apart, I've discovered I truly love you? That it was mere habit—habit that blinded me to that love."
"Calliope, come back to me. Let me love you."
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