Burden the weight of selfish desires of others

Matteo Romani grinned and high fived with Calliope like old times. They used to gang up to annoy Laxamus. Looking at the then awkward young girl transformed into a beautiful woman, he said,  "And I completed Medical school. If you want I can show you my certificate. As for my father, he retired a long time ago."

Calliope was staring at him in a manner that said that she couldn't believe that this blockhead who used to help her escape from the estate to feed stray cats could complete medical school. Didn't he use to tell her that he would rather chew on shit than entering college? 

He bandaged her ankle after applying medicine on her foot and advised,  "Try not to jump around. Give your footrest and it will be good as new in a few days."

"Thank you, Dr Romani," Calliope teased him. As he was standing up to leave, she grabbed his hand. He raised his brow in question but she surprised him by hugging him.  

"Missed you, buddy," Calliope whispered. 

The badass doctor teared up. "Damn girl. Thank you for at least telling this weak soul that you are at least alive." He looked at the source of sudden coldness and muttered," I'm sure you are not back for good. Sir Dyke must have called you for troubling you with problems. His obsession with bombarding you with problems hasn't gone yet." He glared back at Laxamus and then said to her, "I should go. Please give me a chance to say goodbye this time."

Calliope smiled weakly and waved him goodbye. 

When Matteo Romani left the room, Calliope teased the block of ice by saying, "Sir Dyke, I won't mind if you say, you missed me too."

The unfazed bastard merely said, "Your grace, would you like me to start addressing the problems one by one?"

One day, she was going to make this unfeeling man feel some human emotions. 

…

Laxamus spoke for the next whole hour, listing out all the problems she needed to work on. She sighed as he finished listing out the problems. "You worked under Emiliano and my father for so many years. And then you have been supervising Clicknext as my representative. Who can be the better candidate for the next CEO other than you?"

Calliope's question was logical. Laxamus had been directly involved with ClickNext for more than ten years. Even she believed that Laxamus was capable enough to lead the company. 

"Your Grace, I'm not the option. I don't wish to be a businessman. I am employed to serve the Wilding family, not a company set up by someone else," Laxamus said with a straight face. From his respectful tone, one wouldn't be able to recognise his mocking tone directed at Emiliano.  

'Typical Dyke. Disliking Emiliano as always.'' Calliope muttered in her heart. 

Emiliano was her late husband. Laxamus had worked with him and Orlando Wilding when they were alive. 

"He is dead," Calliope said for the nth time. "You can stop wasting your energy hating on someone who left this world a long time ago."

"He destroyed your life for his selfish needs, "Laxamus replied with a straight face. 

Calliope scoffed at his logic. "And so you will keep on hating him but won't say a word about the one who initiated everything?"

Dyke pursed his lips, refraining from making any comments. 

Calliope could never understand how the world of a privileged man worked. From her father to her late husband to the steel of the man standing before her, all of them thought that just because God filled testosterone in them, they were entitled to hate any person. 

Wasn't she entitled to hate those two men more than anyone who destroyed her life? 

The world believed that Orlando Wilding fixed Calliope's wedding to a man (older than her by ten years) for money and power when it wasn't the complete truth. The Wilding household was empty at that time, they only had titles, not wealth to support their title and expensive lifestyle associated with that title. 

Orlando has always known that he needed a male heir to continue the legacy of his so-called noble family. Her mother Rosemary was the only child of her parents. Her clan had not given birth to a single male child. And it was run by a matriarch. He had believed all along that Calliope, like her mother, would never give birth to a male. Like other Duchies, he didn't want the same outcome. 

Once Orlando had visited Italy and he had fallen head over heels for a young woman who happened to be a drug addict. Their intimateness had resulted in the woman being pregnant. Calliope was eighteen that year. Orlando at first, wanted the woman to get rid of the child but when he came to know that it was a boy in her womb, he started planning something else. Something like legitimating the boy's birth. 

On checking her background, he found that she was the sister of a tech giant. Later, he married his daughter to the same Tech giant because the man could never birth a child due to his drug habits. It was a win-win for both parties. 

That man was no one else but Emiliano. 

By marrying his young daughter to the grown-up man, he legitimized the birth of his son and also flourished his dying Duchy. 

Emiliano was more interested in cocaine, technology and the title of duke than his young and inexperienced wife. His nephew became his son. His legacy was safe. What else did he even want? 

Thus, Young Calliope was made to shoulder the burden of two men's selfish desires at such a young age.