A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"Yeah. Calliope's not exactly the forgiving type, is she? Did she leave the Jewell family to guilt-trip Lisette into leaving too?"

"Poor Lisette, she didn't deserve that!"

"Calliope's got a personality problem. The whole Jewell family isn't fond of her. How's that Lisette's fault?"

"Wow, Portia, have you fallen under Calliope's spell too?"

People around Portia were quick to voice their thoughts, rallying behind Lisette. They glanced at Portia with a mix of disdain and disbelief.

"Can't you guys see? Lisette's putting on an act," Portia said, exasperated with her classmates.

"Class president, aren't you supposed to be fair? You really believe Lisette's not acting?" Portia asked, hoping for some backup.

"Come on, Portia. Let's not stir up trouble. We're all classmates here. Let's have a good time today," the class president said hurriedly. "Lisette's always been like this-kind-hearted and honest. She wouldn't lie."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A round of applause echoed through the room.

Calliope walked in from the doorway, her entrance commanding everyone's attention. "Long time no see, everyone."

"Is this reuniona tribunal against me?" she asked, scanning the room with an amused curiosity. "Weren't you just talking about me? Now that I'm here, why so quiet? Speak up. I can't hear what you have to say otherwise."

Silence fell over the crowd. No one spoke up. After all, Calliope had been the campus.queen bee, and their entire year knew her. Despite all the gossip behind her back, confronting her face-to-face was another story. Their smiles turned awkward, tinged With embarrassment.

"Calliope, what's this? You did what you did, and now we can't talk about it?" a heavily made-up girl sneered at her.

It was Eva, who had never seen eye-to-eye with Calliope since high school. A boy she liked had a crush on Calliope, and she had turned Calliope into her arch- nemesis.

"I'm not stopping anyone from talking," Calliope replied earnestly. "Maybe you should get your ears checked. What I said was I'd prefer it if you said it to my face. Gossiping is fine. I can't really stop you, can I?"

Calliope's sincerity was almost disarming. She pulled up a chair and sat before Eva, poised and composed. She was graceful, exuding an air of elegance that matched her wealthy upbringing.

Since entering the real world, everyone had changed, shaped by the pressures of society. But Calliope seemed to havenoveldrama

transformed into something en net

more refined, like a

vn darned

queen. Her presence was

formidable.

Even though Eva stood in front of her, Calliope's aura was overwhelming. Eva could feel the weight of it pressing down on her, making her hesitate.

"Calliope, what's your deal?" Eva finally snapped.

"My deal?" Calliope looked around innocently. "I only want to hear what you all think of me. You've been saying it behind my back, so why not say it to my face?"