Chapter 157

Calliope was walking aimlessly on the street when her phone suddenly rang in her pocket. She glanced at it; it was Sylvester calling. Without hesitation, she hung up. At this moment, she just wanted some peace and quiet.

But as soon as she hung up, the phone rang again. It was still Sylvester.

Calliope took a deep breath. Fine, she thought, I'll answer it. Maybe I can handle it. "What is it?" Her voice carried a hint of exhaustion.

"Calliope, are you in pain right now? Do you feel suffocated, like you can't breathe? Do you feel incredibly wronged? Did you really think that bracelet was a gift for you? You're too self-absorbed. Let me tell you, the pain you're feeling now is not even a fraction of what I felt when I was in the hospital! I will make you taste my pain bit by bit!" Sylvester's voice was terrifyingly cold, as if he wanted to tear her apart.

Calliope's heart clenched. Is this what hate feels like?

On the other end, Sylvester sneered, "What? Cat got your tongue? Weren't you very eloquent just now? Can't say a word now? Are you scared? Guilty?"

Her heart ached, but she couldn't say a word. Every word he said felt like a needle piercing her heart.

Calliope suddenly felt so hopeless. She had thought that her remorse could earn Sylvester's forgiveness, but now she realized it was all in vain.

She didn't know when the call ended. Neon lights flickered on the roadside, and the lights in the residential buildings were bright. Calliope wiped away her tears and looked up. Every home must be filled with laughter and joy, right? She had originally wanted a simple life, to marry an ordinary man who loved her, and not worry about making a living. But meeting Sylvester and his father had led her to this point.

If it weren't for David's intervention, maybe she and Sylvester would be living happily together.

Thinking of this, she recalled Sylvester's appearance from six months ago. Back then, he truly loved her. He was happier than anyone when he found out she was pregnant and secretly learned a lot about parenting. But now, he had completely changed. This was the retribution for her own wrongdoings; all the consequences were of her own making.

At the entrance of a nearby restaurant.

David had planned to have dinner with Matthew to discuss company matters. Who knew Matthew would make things difficult for him, saying he wanted to see his true abilities before agreeing to let his daughter Lily marry him.

David, feeling troubled, didn't call for a driver after dinner and walked alone on the street. From a distance, he saw a familiar figure and curiously walked over.

Calliope happened to look up, "David? What are you doing here?"

"I had dinner with someone and drank a bit, so I came out for some fresh air." David didn't mention Lily, fearing she might overthink. Seeing Calliope's red eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Why aren't you home so late? What are you doing out here alone?"

"Nothing, just getting some fresh air." Calliope forced a smile.

David shook his head in disbelief, "There must be something. If there's anything, just tell me. I'm the CFO now; I should be able to help."

Calliope gave a bitter smile. David had indeed achieved success quickly: "I'm really fine. I just had dinner with Sylvester, and he left early. The driver will come to pick me up soon."

"Really?" David still looked at her with concern.

"Really." Calliope forced a smile, hoping he wouldn't ask further.

Seeing this, David didn't press further and only said, "Then let's sit in the nearby café for a while?"

"No need, you should go home soon too. Don't make Lily worry about you." Calliope gently pushed David.

Mentioning Lily, David's face darkened a bit. He guessed Calliope still didn't believe his explanation at the birthday banquet.

David grabbed Calliope's hand and said, "You know what I said that day was true. I really don't love Lily anymore. I'm just using The Smith Family. I want everyone to see my success. I want them to see how I, David, achieved today's accomplishments step by step."

Hearing this, Calliope felt both helpless and amused. "David, do you really think it's worth it? Matthew is so cunning; how could he let you achieve your goal so easily?"

"Worth it! Why wouldn't it be worth it? When I have money and power, who would dare look down on me?" David's eyes sparkled with fervor and ambition.

The David in front of her was so unfamiliar that Calliope felt disappointed. This wasn't the David she used to know. The current David was filled with realism and utilitarianism, with a strong sense of vanity, even resorting to unscrupulous means.

After thinking for a while, Calliope decided to remind David, "Actually, I think you're doing pretty well now. You're the CFO, earning millions of dollars a year, with a car service for commuting, and your heart has been replaced. David, your life is much better than it was six months ago. What more could you want?"

"Content? What is contentment?" David sneered, "I only know that having money and power is the best."

Looking at him, Calliope couldn't help but say, "But The Smith Family and the Moore family are not to be trifled with. We can't possibly fight them." They could easily crush the Andrew family with a little effort.

David was silent for a moment. Calliope continued, "Besides, you know you and Sylvester are half-brothers. Do you really have to fight to the death and make things so irreparable?"

"Fight to the death?" Hearing this, David suddenly looked up, staring at Calliope with red-rimmed eyes. This was his deep-seated pain, related to the Moore family and even more to Sylvester.

"If you knew what happened between Sylvester and me, you would understand why I have to do this." David gave a bitter smile. He couldn't forget the past grudges, and he wanted Sylvester to return everything that was taken from him.

Calliope frowned and asked, "Weren't you two strangers? If it weren't for me, you might still be strangers."

David sneered, "Strangers? How could we be strangers? I've known about Sylvester's existence since I was a child because he took my mother away and everything that should have been mine!"

The atmosphere between them became extremely tense. Calliope felt an unprecedented coldness from David's expression. After a while, David slowly began to speak, "Let me tell you about my parents' story."

"My mother, who is also Sylvester's mother. Since I can remember, my mother has always looked at me with disdain, always treating me coldly. I envied others who could hold their mother's hand, go shopping, and eat together. I told my father that I wanted a mother too. One day, my mother really came home, but I still faced a cold gaze, as if I were a piece of trash."

Taking a deep breath, David looked into the distance, "That day, she told me I wasn't her son, and she would rather die than let anyone know I was her son. When my mother died, I didn't even get to see her one last time."

Looking at him, Calliope felt she had asked something she shouldn't have. But her doubts still lingered. "Then why did your mother marry into the Moore family? How did she know my father?"

"They met in college. My mother's family was well-off, but they didn't know each other's backgrounds. As they spent more time together, they fell in love. When they were about to graduate and get married, they found out about the huge gap between their families. My family was very poor, while the Moore family, though not a top-tier family, was very wealthy. My mother was forced to marry into the Moore family. Having me was an accident, possibly my father's way of forcing my mother's family to compromise by making her pregnant. Unexpectedly, right after giving birth, my mother said she wanted to marry into the Moore family, perhaps for a business alliance or to retaliate against my father for making her pregnant out of wedlock."