Chapter 10

"Scum."

Calliope grabbed a napkin and wiped off the salad that had splattered on her, grumbling under her breath about her "temporary husband." He was worse than the scum people talked about, worse than trash.

"Calliope, you should know, in this house, no one messes with Sylvester. Drop your pride, or you'll be the one suffering."

Linda Moore, the eldest sister, reminded her flatly. Though she meant well, it came off as cold.

Now she got it. Sylvester's arrogance was all thanks to this family. They practically worshipped him, making him insufferably arrogant and conceited.

At that moment, John stood up from his seat and walked over to Calliope. He scrutinized her for a moment, then surprisingly smiled. He picked up a napkin and wiped the salad off her chin, causing Calliope to flinch slightly.

"Good, by a twist of fate, we finally found you. Remember, from now on, you are Sylvester's wife, and you always will be."

Witnessing the earlier scene, John suddenly thought Calliope wasn't so bad. At least, so far, she was the only one who dared to talk back to Sylvester. Maybe she could tame him in the future?

Marriage wasn't a bitter struggle between two weaklings but a mutual restraint between two strong individuals. Love was only interesting when matched with a worthy opponent.

Forever?

Calliope scoffed at the word in her heart. 'Be Sylvester's wife forever? I'd rather die!'

She couldn't stay even for a day!

Besides, how long could she and Sylvester coexist peacefully? Probably not even a second. At worst, she would reveal the truth. How could the Moore family let the daughter of a prostitute be Sylvester's wife?

Calliope replied, "Mr. Moore, I will!"

Calliope ignored the salad stains on her body and smiled faintly without any emotion. Little did she know, her smile was almost identical to Sylvester's earlier.

Her first day at the Moore Mansion was already this dramatic. Calliope felt she would never forget it. She would remember everything Sylvester did to her and find a chance to pay him back double!

Jenny took her to the outdoor hot spring at the Moore Mansion for a bath. The steam swirled around, and flower petals floated on the water, looking beautiful.

Calliope leaned against the stone wall of the hot spring, her sexy collarbone and rounded shoulders exposed to the air. Her delicate neck lines were graceful, and her smooth long hair was casually pinned up. She looked like a noble swan.

The serene comfort made her almost forget her earlier embarrassment. She gently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes drooping obediently. In the ambiguous light, she rested her head against the stone wall, her chin lifted, and her slightly parted lips seemed to be waiting for someone's favor.

One had to admit, Calliope's body proportions and appearance were perfect. If she wanted, any man could fall at her feet, but her heart belonged to only one man.

Thinking of her brother, she couldn't help but smile gently. This gentle smile was a deadly poison, even knowing it could kill, she was still willing to take the risk.

Immersed in the comfortable hot spring, she had no idea that a jerk was standing nearby, watching her with a playful gaze for a long time.

The place was dead quiet, not a peep, then suddenly—splash!

What the heck just fell into the hot spring?

Calliope's eyes snapped open, and she saw two small green snakes swimming on the water's surface!

Startled but not screaming like some damsel in distress, Calliope turned to see Sylvester, standing there like a ghost in a black bathrobe, arms crossed, waiting to see her freak out.

So it was this jerk playing a prank. Any other woman would’ve been scared out of her mind. Sylvester was truly a devil!

"Don't you think you're boring? What's the point of playing these childish tricks?"

Calliope stood up from the water, quickly grabbed a towel to wrap her body, moving so fast that Sylvester didn’t get a glimpse of the goods.

Her face was flushed from the steam, looking like a fresh apple. She was only wrapped in a white towel, showcasing her curvaceous figure, making anyone who saw her want to nosebleed.

Sylvester squinted his eyes, looking at her through the misty steam, his tone full of disdain, "Are you even a woman?"

So what if she was a woman? Scream? Cry? Was that his goal?

Calliope looked at the two small green snakes still "swimming" in the water, one even swimming towards her. She coldly smiled, then exaggeratedly covered her ears and screamed, "Help!"

She pretended to be terrified but swiftly grabbed the two snakes.

"Help! Help! I'm so scared! Someone! Someone! I'm going to die! I'm going to be bitten by a snake!"

She threw one of the small green snakes at Sylvester, who caught it accurately, looking at her acting crazy with a helpless expression.

Calliope's expression stopped as abruptly as a water valve, and the next second, she regained her haughty demeanor, sneering and asking, "How about it? Satisfied now? Is this how a woman should act? Is this the expression you wanted to see on my face?"

Sylvester looked at her like she was a freak, threw the snake to the ground, glanced at her in disappointment, and turned to leave.

Calliope was indeed a monster. It was the first time he had seen a woman not afraid of snakes. Was she even a woman?

Calliope wasn't as fragile as he imagined, which made him feel bored. It was also the first time his prank didn't get the result he wanted, making Sylvester very upset.

Calliope looked at his back with disdain, but when she turned back and saw the other small green snake still swimming on the water's surface, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She trembled, her face turned pale, and she screamed internally, 'It's a snake! What if it bites me?'

She immediately rushed ashore, not caring that she was only wrapped in a white towel, and fled desperately.

In fact, she had been afraid of snakes since she was a child! Seeing the snake's smooth body made her feel disgusted and scared. Calliope rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed her body vigorously.

Thinking about soaking in the hot spring with the snakes, Calliope wished she could peel off her skin!

Sylvester! That bastard!

No matter how afraid she was of snakes, she couldn't let Sylvester win. She would never submit to Sylvester!

(I am the author of this book. Thank you all for your love and support! There will be an advertisement coming up next. I hope you can patiently watch the ad, or consider subscribing to remove the ads, because the upcoming chapters are truly exciting. Trust me, you definitely need to keep reading!)