"Savannah," he says finally, and his voice is softer now, more measured. "Come home. Right now. Get on a plane and comehome, and we'll sort this out. We'll figure out what happened, we'll get you away from this man, and we'll?—"
"No." Savannah's voice is quiet but firm, and I feel something in my chest expand at the sound of it, at her refusing him even though I can see how much it costs her. "I'm not coming home."
"You don't have a choice."
"I do have a choice. And I'm choosing to stay here."
"With him?" Edgar's voice is incredulous now, disbelieving. "With some mobster who just put your fiancé in the hospital? Savannah, do you have any idea what you're saying? What you're doing?"
"I know exactly what I'm doing." But her voice wavers slightly, and I can see the doubt creeping in. She’s starting to question whether she really does know what she's doing or if she's just reacting, making decisions based on fear and shock and the lingering adrenaline from watching me beat Whitmore bloody.
"Then let me make this very clear," Edgar says, and his voice is cold again, businesslike, the voice of a man who's about to deliver an ultimatum. "If you don't come home immediately, if you don't end whatever this is with Ciresa, I will cut you off. Completely. No more tuition. No more living expenses. No more stipend. You'll be on your own. Just like I warned you before."
Savannah's face goes pale, and I can see her processing this threat. I want to tell her again that she doesn't need her father's money because she has me—but I know that's not what she wants to hear. Telling her she can be dependent on me instead of dependent on her father isn't actually offering her freedom, no matter how much I want that to be the answer.
"You can't do that," she says, but her voice is weak, uncertain.
"I can do whatever I want. You're my daughter, and I've been supporting you financially since you were born. That support is conditional on you making good decisions, on you respecting thefamily, and honoring your commitments. And right now, you're doing none of those things."
"Honoring my commitments?" Savannah's voice is getting stronger now, and I can hear the anger starting to creep in, can hear her starting to fight back. "You mean marrying Thad? Marrying a man who grabbed me hard enough to leave bruises? Who called me a whore? Who threatened me?"
"Thaddeus was upset. He was emotional. He made a mistake?—"
"He made a mistake?" She's standing now, pulling away from me, and the ice pack falls to the couch as she starts pacing, her voice rising with each word. "He put his hands on me, Daddy. He hurt me. And you're defending him?"
"I'm not defending him. I'm trying to protect you from making a decision that will ruin your life. This man—this criminal—he's dangerous, Savannah. He's violent. He just proved that by putting Thaddeus in the hospital. And you want to throw away everything—your education, your future, your family—for him?"
I should let her handle this. I should let her fight her own battles and stand up to her father without my interference. But I can't. I can't sit here and listen to Edgar Beauregard talk about me like I'm some kind of monster while he defends the man who hurt his daughter. I can't let him twist this into something it's not, can't let him make Savannah doubt herself or doubt me… doubt what we have together.
"Mr. Beauregard.” My voice is still calm and controlled, still that same almost-amused tone that I know will infuriate him. "Let me explain something to you. You have power in the boardroom. You have connections, you have money, you have influence in certain circles. But my power is different. My power is the kind that doesn't show up in quarterly reports or board meetings. My power is the kind that makes people disappear.That ruins lives. That destroys families. And if you threaten my family—if you threaten Savannah—you'll find out exactly what that power looks like."
"Are you threatening me?" Edgar's voice is tight with barely controlled rage.
"I'm explaining the situation to you, so you understand what you're dealing with." I can feel Savannah watching me, trying to decide if she should be frightened by what I'm saying or reassured by it. "You want to cut off your daughter's funding? Go ahead. I'll pay for her education. You want to ruin my family? You can try. But I promise you, Mr. Beauregard, you will not succeed. And in the process of trying, you'll lose everything you've built. Everything you care about. Everything that matters to you."
"You arrogant?—"
"I'm not arrogant. I'm realistic. You're a businessman. You understand leverage. You understand risk assessment. So let me lay out the risks for you: If you come after me, I will destroy you. If you come after my family, I will destroy you. If you try to force Savannah to come home, to marry Whitmore, to give up what she wants for what you want—I will destroy you. Do you understand?"
There's a long silence, and I can hear Edgar Beauregard breathing on the other end of the line, trying to figure out if I'm bluffing or if I mean every word. And I do mean every word. I would burn down everything Edgar Beauregard has built if it meant protecting Savannah, if it meant keeping her safe, if it meant making sure he never has the power to hurt her again.
"You're making a mistake," Edgar says finally, and his voice is cold, flat, completely devoid of emotion. "Both of you. You're making a mistake that you'll regret for the rest of your lives. Come home, Savannah. Before you go too far."
I watch her face as she listens to her father's voice, processes everything that's been said, and tries to figure out what she wants to say in response. "I can't come home, Daddy," she says finally, and her voice is sad and resigned. "Not right now. Not like this."
"Then you leave me no choice." Edgar's voice is hard again, businesslike. "I'm cutting you off. Effective immediately. No more tuition payments. No more living expenses. No more support of any kind. And if you're pregnant—if there's any chance you're carrying this man's child—you'll terminate it. Immediately. Do you understand me? You will come home and marry Thaddeus within the month. This little college experiment is over. Come home, Savannah. This is not a game."
I watch Savannah's face go white. "And if I don't?" Savannah's voice is barely a whisper.
"Then I'll make sure Romeo Ciresa and his entire family are destroyed. I'll use every connection I have, every favor I'm owed, every bit of influence I've built over thirty years in business. I'll make sure they're investigated, audited, and prosecuted. I'll make sure they lose everything. And it will be your fault, Savannah. Your choice. Your responsibility." His voice is hard as stone. “I’ll put an end to the feud between our families by putting an end to the Ciresas for good.”
20
SAVANNAH
The pregnancy test sits in the bathroom where I left it last night, still in its box, even though I know I can't avoid it forever.
Romeo left early this morning—I heard him moving around the apartment and the click of the door as he left—and I've been sitting on his couch ever since, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows and trying to figure out how my life spiraled so completely out of control in the span of a few months.
