A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust novel Chapter 259

"Are you Silas's wife?" Yara asked with a curious glint in her eyes as she sized Calliope up. "You do look good, but being good-looking doesn't automatically mean you're right for him."

Standing to the side, Yara pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one for herself, and lit it. Then she offered one to Uriah.

He took it, and Yara extended the pack to Calliope.

"Don't bother. Callie doesn't..." Uriah said, but Calliope had already taken a cigarette before he could finish his sentence.

Uriah blinked in surprise and asked quietly, "You smoke?"

Calliope glanced at the cigarette in her hand. "Smoking's bad for your health," she remarked but leaned forward to light it when Yara offered her a light. She took a drag, her movements smooth and practiced, unlike someone unfamiliar with smoking.

Uriah was shocked. Calliope had always looked gentle and innocent, not the type you'd picture with a cigarette. He'd assumed she was the kind of person who'd wrinkle her nose at the smell of smoke.

Yet, there she was, smoking with an ease that suggested experience. It was as if she had transformed from a sweet little rabbit into a cunning, beautiful fox. No wonder Silas was in love with her. There was more to Calliope than met the eye.

Calliope knew how to smoke. She'd mingled with all sorts of people and frequented places where smoking was the least of the vices. It was a useful skill—to blend in, to gather information, to make connections. A cigarette could be a bridge.

Unlike Yara, who openly wore her strength and reputation, Calliope hid hers beneath a veneer of innocence.