“Savannah, look at me,” he pleads.
Esme picks up her whole pie and aims. “Do I need to throw this at him?” she asks me and is dead serious. “Because Iwilldo it.” Ah, fudge, everyone knows my misery lately is because of Julian.My lack of an answer actually causes her to raise the pie a little higher to prepare.
“Don’t do that. It’s a good pie,” I tell her weakly. My eyes pinch together, as though hiding in darkness could protect me, because I can feel him so near, and everything inside me is sinking to the floor, as I’m heavy.
“Please, hear me out.” There is desperation laced in his tone.
Everything around us goes silent, and I decide that I can’t remain like this forever. Slowly, I open my eyes and turn to see Julian smoldering in dark blue jeans and a light blue shirt, the expensive watch a reminder that money does things to people. A need for power, mostly. Still, his stubble is a few days old, and his eyes show he hasn’t slept, and there is one thing about them that has me feeling that magnet preventing me from running away. They’re flooded with deep anguish because he honestly yearns.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I hiss. Briefly, I see my aunt and Elodie to the side. Both give me a sign to hear him out, purely with a reassuring look.
“No, I should. I’ve been waiting for you, and I willcontinue to do so. Except, you’re too far, and I need you closer. I’m dying here.” He steps forward, but there’s still distance between us, and if I’m honest with myself, I hate the distance. “I’ve been miserable.”
“Yeah, everyone at the office has noticed,” Elodie comments, causing Julian to shoot his gaze at her because we forgot we had an audience.She clears her throat. “I mean, so I’ve heard or something.” She tries to save herself before looking away.
He only gives her a quick blank glance. “Please,” he returns to begging me.“I swear, I will get on my knees and beg every day until you listen.”
That’s bold. And yet…
“Julian, I’ve said it already. I want zero connection to?—”
He cuts me off. “Even if I fixed it? Because I have.”
I shake my head. “You can’t fix this.”
“Yes, I can. And I have.”
I stare at him, unwilling to speak but intrigued to listen. Stepping forward, I yank his arm in passing, towing him behind me and leading us away from the tents in a hurry to a place of quiet near the park’s gazebo. Dropping his arm, I create space again.
“Savannah, I meant it when I said I didn’t know about the Riverbell. You believe me, I see it that you do. If I could go back to not being an idiot and missing the fine details, I would, but I can’t. I’ve given all of my shares up. I want zero connection to Davenport.”
It piques my interest and creases my forehead because his connection to his grandmother matters to him, he has held onto it, always. It’s the closest thing that resembles family to him in his world. “You cherish your grandmother, and holding onto a piece of her empire is important to you.”
“But she wouldn’t want any of this either. My fathertarnished her company too far, and I don’t want to deal with the mess. If she were alive, she would tell me that it’s okay to run away because I have someone to love, and I won’t let anything happen to that person or the people around her.”
A wave of softness goes through my body, of hope. But the waves constantly crash. “It doesn’t change the fact of what is going to happen to the Riverbell.” I somberly drop my view to the ground.
“Listen to me, you’re wrong. The board has already been flipped, and I went even further to find a way to force my father to resign.”
I give all of my attention to him. “What do you mean?”
He steps closer and swoops up my hands. His touch keeps me grounded,and it also sends me a message of optimism. “When I discovered that Davenport was trying to take the Riverbell, I went through a thousand scenarios of how to fix it. The solution was found, but I needed time.”
My face contorts into complete confusion. “You’re not making sense.”
He scans the area around us, and we see everyone’s eyes watching us, including my aunt, who is standing next to Elodie. My aunt gives a gentle nod, indicating that I should listen. Julian moves to ensure there is barely any air between us, and he quickly places a delicate kiss on my forehead before he moves his mouth closer to my ear. His breath along my skin tingles every nerve, awakening the power within me, and I am unable to deny him.
“I managed to flip the board because I had someone following my dad.” His voice is low and quiet so that nobody can hear it outside our little bubble.
“And?”
His deep chuckle under his breath feels steeped with confidence, but it’s sinister.“Let’s just say there’s a videowith a woman in a compromising position that isn’t his current wife.”
I jut my chin up. “So, you blackmailed him?” I’m neither surprised nor impressed. This should be a red flag, but selfishly and oddly, I grasp that it’s how he does protectiveness, and when it comes to his dad, I would never expect the situation to be clean.
Julian bobbles his head side to side, unfazed. “I mean, when you state it like that, I guess that is how you could label it.”
I rub my temples. “I’m trying to follow. You sold your shares and have zero connection to your grandmother’s company anymore, you blackmailed your own father, and flipped the board to kill the deal?”
