Chapter 12: Mr. Moore's Woman? She Admits It!

As soon as those words left his mouth, Glenn, James, and Matthew's faces told three different stories.

Glenn looked like he was about to have a meltdown, already planning his apology.

James just raised an eyebrow, clearly finding the whole thing hilarious.

And Matthew? He just turned around and walked off! What was that about? Why'd he leave Calliope hanging like that? So, it wasn't a choice earlier, just him pulling the strings?

Calliope was desperate and yelled, "Mr. Moore! Are you ditching me?!"

James clapped right there and said, "What a gutsy lady!"

Matthew turned back, his eyes cutting through the crowd and locking onto Calliope's. For a moment, something weird seemed to pass between them.

"You coming or what?" Matthew finally said, and Calliope felt like she'd just been pardoned.

"Yes!" she blurted out, but inside, she wasn't exactly thrilled.

The real trouble wasn't over. Matthew was gonna take her away and grill her himself.

"Mr. Moore, can I drop my friend off first? She's wasted," Calliope asked.

Matthew glanced at Amelia in her arms, then at James. Years of knowing each other made James get it right away. He snapped his fingers and walked over to Calliope.

"Calliope, hand her over," James said, taking Amelia from her without giving her a chance to refuse and slinging her over his shoulder.

Amelia screamed, "Oh crap, I'm gonna puke! What's going on, Calliope? Your shoulders got all buff!"

Calliope looked like she couldn't deal, while James just laughed.

"You've got good taste. Not everyone gets to lean on these shoulders. Enjoy it," James said.

Matthew led the way to a swanky private room on the third floor, not even glancing back. James tossed Amelia onto the sofa, grabbed a drink, and watched the show.

Matthew sat in the middle, leaning back in a single chair, feet up on the coffee table, hands crossed, staring down at Calliope.

It was a power move, making Calliope's heart race.

But Calliope, being Calliope, didn't think of running. Instead, she bowed to Matthew.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Moore. I shouldn't have used you to get out of trouble. I took advantage of you. I'll work twice as hard to become the best employee at Ascend Global Group to make it up to you!" she said, totally sincere.

Matthew's lips twitched into a tiny smile. James chuckled too.

Then Amelia piped up again! She raised her arm and shouted, "Calliope, don't worry! When I make bank, I'll get you a new job! No, I'll take care of you! No more crappy boss making your life hell!"

Calliope felt like her spine just snapped. Her carefully planned apology was blown to bits by Amelia's outburst.

Matthew's face turned ice-cold. James nearly twisted himself into a pretzel, fight hard down his laughter. He knew if he did, he'd be the next one in hot water.

James coughed and said to Calliope, who still didn't dare to straighten up, "You better think of a way to make Matthew happy, or your chatty friend over there is gonna be in trouble too!"

Calliope glanced up and saw the bottle of wine on the table. She made a snap decision, rushed over, grabbed the bottle, and started chugging it straight from the source!

The wine was smooth and fragrant, not too hard to drink. But Calliope wasn't exactly a heavyweight, and she'd already had some drinks with Amelia earlier. She wasn't sure she could finish the whole thing.

Halfway through, James casually mentioned, "That bottle of wine costs $920,000."

Calliope nearly choked, coughing up a storm! Nine hundred and twenty thousand dollars—that was more than enough to buy her life!

The shock made her hands shake, and she spilled wine all over her white shirt!

Half of her body was soaked. While it made the shirt more sheer, it also highlighted her curves! Matthew's breathing got heavier. He couldn't forget the feeling of holding her breasts, it was simply addictive and unforgettable!

James's eyes almost popped out! He knew Calliope had a great figure, but this was next level! Before he could stare for more than a second, a black pillow smacked him in the face.

Matthew's cold voice cut through the air, "Close your eyes."

James quickly said, "Yeah, sorry, I swear I didn't see anything!"

That seemed to please Matthew a bit.

Seeing his face soften, Calliope thought her apology had worked. She quickly put down the bottle and went to grab Amelia.

"I'm leaving now. I won't get another chance to apologize to you!" Calliope said.

After she left, the room was still filled with an indescribable fragrance. The intoxicating wine mixed with the girl's warm body scent, making it irresistible and mesmerizing.

Calliope was truly something else.

James said, "Matthew, you interested in that girl? Why not keep her around for fun? I find her intimidating act in front of you quite amusing."

Matthew said, "I suggested it, she refused."

The room went dead silent. James thought he misheard, carefully wiped his ears with a napkin, then moved closer to Matthew, cautiously asking, "What did you say?"

Matthew just glanced at him and got up to leave.

It took James a while to recover, covering his mouth in silent shock.

Was this still Matthew?

After sending Amelia home in a cab, Calliope stood at the intersection, feeling a bit lost. She was already drunk and couldn't ride her bike.

The money for the wine and Amelia's cab fare had all come out of Calliope's pocket, making her already tight financial situation even worse.

She still had the bank card Amelia had slipped into her pocket, but it was useless without the password.

It seemed she would have to push her bike home tonight.

Just then, a black Maybach pulled up beside her. The rear window rolled down, and there was Matthew!