Chapter 5
910 Words
Callie, Callie... Calista remembered how Emrys used to love calling her that, his gaze always soft and lingering. But he hadn't called her that in years.
Seeing that name now, Calista's eyes burned with unshed tears.
The suppressed feelings she'd buried for Emrys swelled up instantly, as a sponge dropped in water.
Over the years, Emrys had given her countless gifts: jewelry, designer gowns, and more.
She had always taken those as nothing more than an elder's affection for a junior.
But a ring was the symbol of romantic love.
Calista's breath caught in her throat, a tangled mess of emotions swirling inside her.
She didn't want to keep living in this uncertainty any longer.
She ached to see Emrys right now.
She needed to get to the bottom of this once and for all.
Calista dialed his number immediately, but all she got was the cold, robotic voice on the other end. "Sorry, the number you have called is switched off. Please try again later."
Refusing to give up, she called his secretary next, only to be told, "Mr. Calder is on a business trip in Solvantia. He won't be back for three days."
As the line cut out with a sharp, repetitive beeping sound, anxiety coiled tight in her chest.
But Emrys was thousands of miles away. There was nothing she could do except wait for him to come home.
Just then, her phone pinged. Calista glanced over and saw a message from her lawyer. The contract termination was a done deal.
She breathed a small sigh of relief, but her brows knitted even tighter.
Her family's outstanding debts were coming due again.
The first thing she needed to tackle was making money.
Calista thought it over and finally decided to sign with another entertainment agency. That was the only way she could book a gig fast and bring in cash as soon as possible.
After weighing all her options carefully, she signed a contract with Lodestar Entertainment.
Three days later, Calista had just finished going over details with her new agent and was getting ready to head home when she ran into Elara in the elevator completely out of the blue.
Their eyes met, and Elara spoke first. "I'm marrying Emrys soon. You'd better move out of his house as quickly as you can," she said.
Calista hated that overbearing, arrogant act of hers, like she and Emrys were already husband and wife. Calista was the homewrecker trying to tear their marriage apart.
Calista clenched her fingers tight, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Is that his idea, or yours?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter whose idea it is," Elara replied coolly. "What matters is that people should know their place."
With that, Elara didn't give Calista a single second to respond. She clicked her high heels against the floor, held her chin high, and strode right out of the elevator.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft whoosh, and Elara's figure vanished from sight.
But Calista couldn't steady her pounding heart.
When her family went bankrupt, and she had nowhere else to go, it was Emrys who had personally brought her to the Calder Villa. He'd told her right then that from that day on, this place was her home too.
She refused to believe he'd ever kick her out.
That thought gave her the backbone she needed. She pushed the thoughts aside and headed home.
The moment she unlocked the front door, she saw Emrys was already home.
He stood beside the sofa, the overhead light spilling a halo down that pooled into a dark shadow at his feet.
Calista froze at the sight, her heart sinking like a stone for no obvious reason.
Emrys seemed not to notice her unease. His voice was cool and even as he asked, "Where were you?"
"I terminated my contract with Finlo, and I went to sign with Lodestar Entertainment today," she answered automatically. But Elara's smug act from the elevator kept looping through her head.
She pressed her lips tight for a second, then blurted out abruptly, "I have something I need to ask you."
She held out her hand, the ring resting in the center of her palm.
"I found this. It has my childhood nickname engraved on it. Were you going to give this to me?" she asked.
Emrys said nothing.
The silence stretched on, and Calista felt her heart being squeezed tight.
She rushed to speak, "Rings are something only lovers give each other. If you were going to give me a ring, does that mean you like..."
She didn't even get to finish the question before Emrys cut her off coldly.
He glanced at his phone in a clearly performative gesture, snapped a quick "I need to take a call," and turned to head upstairs.
Staring at his tall, graceful back, Calista could not hold her feelings back a second longer. "Uncle Emrys!" she called out.
Her voice cracked with quiet grief. "Can you just stop running away from this?"
Another long, heavy silence fell.
The huge, empty villa was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
After what felt like an eternity, Emrys finally turned back around.
Calista thought he was finally going to face this head-on and answer her question.
But the words that spilled out of Emrys's mouth struck her heart like a blow.
"Calista, I want you moved out of here by tomorrow," he said flatly.
- Writer
