Chapter 25
JULIAN
Looking at Savannah’s desk peculiarly, I study the contents as she sets up her desk as if it were a typical day. A circular tin with flowers on it, a bottle that appears to be medicine, and some bizarre pair of knitted socks.
“What the hell is all of this?”
She grabs the tin and presents it to me with her usual cheery morning smile, and I reluctantly accept it.
“Elodie went to Everhope over the weekend, and she was sent back with the cookies you like from my aunt, and also, my aunt wanted to ensure you keep your cold away, so there is a natural remedy with rosemary, and the knitted socks…” She brings her finger to her chin.
“Well, she thought they would be good to keep your feet warm, but I realize you will look ridiculous in them, so I’m saving you, and they are now mine.
” She snatches them up and tosses them aside.
I open the tin and grab a cookie. “That was thoughtful of her. Why would she do that?”
Savannah sputters a laugh. “You know the answer. Practice saying it with me. Because that’s what people do for family,” she articulates, and with her hands, encourages me to say it in sync, which isn’t happening. “Since you are attached to me, it means that you’re family.”
I’m completely out of my realm because this is a benign concept to me, and the only thing I see. Now I’m enriched by the act, and it feels… good. “I’ll be sure to send her a message.”
“You have her number?”
“Of course, Aunt Bea and I need to conspire to ensure you are happy as a clam,” I say so easily.
She laughs in response. “I’m not surprised. Now go, you have a call with the legal department in exactly…” She glances at her watch. “Three minutes.”
“Fine. Keeping a tight ship. I’ll see you later.”
We’re doing our best to keep our hands off one another in the office, and for the most part, we succeed. We make up for it in the evenings, and tonight, we’re heading to a little Italian place for dinner.
The call drags on, and I've only learned two new facts about a major contract I’ll be signing.
Hanging up, I blow out an annoyed breath and sink back into my chair, my gaze drifting up to the ceiling.
The door to my office opens a second later, and I straighten slightly—surprised to see my sister standing there.
“Caroline?” I sit up. I guess it’s a pleasant surprise.
She pauses in the middle of my office, her demeanor cause for concern. “Sorry to stop by unplanned. I needed to speak with you in person.”
Slowing, I indicate with my extended arm for us to head to my sofa area. The moment I sit down across from her, I notice that she isn’t as composed as usual.
“Your assistant isn’t out there, so I let myself in.”
My eyes squint at her. “And?”
“You’re sleeping with her.” There is a tad of judgment in her tone.
My eyes blaze open, as it feels like cold water being thrown at me. “That’s not exactly your business.”
She groans and pinches the bridge of her nose. “It’s why I’m here.”
“Enlighten me, because I don’t appreciate you coming to my office only to pass judgment.”
“Is it serious? Or a fling?”
“Why does this feel like a line of questioning?”
She inhales a deep breath through her nostrils, and her fingers claw the side of the couch. “Because it really does matter.”
The way I see her in front of me causes me to believe she isn’t judging me at all. There is another angle that I’m struggling to see.
“Julian, someone from the board saw you and her when they were in Everhope a few weeks back.”
My face squeezes. “Why would someone be there? I don’t see any of those old people on the board thinking Everhope is a weekend getaway over their house in St. Barts.”
She sighs and appears to prepare herself. “Julian, Savannah is your assistant, and that’s a problem.”
Now, I’m beginning to fume. “It’s none of your business.” I raise my voice.
“Her family is the owner of the Riverbell.”
Strange that she knows these details. “Again. None of your business.” My tone is sharp and my face indifferent.
“The Riverbell that is about to become history.”
Abruptly, I stand, impatient at the lack of clarity in this conversation. I walk straight to my window to see the calming view of the skyline. “What the hell is this interrogation?”
“The board member was in Everhope because of Davenport’s interest in the river.”
My father’s company. The one he stole.
I completely pause mid-pace and spin to look at her at record speed. “Davenport is the silent party?”
She nods her head with effort.
I rub my face and begin to feel sick in my stomach. “Fuck.”
“It’s worse, Julian.”
“Tell me how that can fucking be?” I point to the door. “There is someone on the other side of the door who loves her family and worries day and night over their business.”
Caroline stalls for a few seconds before her voice cracks. “You care for her?”
“Yeah… I do.”
“More than someone would a friend or colleague?”
My head tilts to the side to grasp that she means another level. “That’s what people tend to feel when they’re in a relationship.” I drag my finger to the corner of my mouth for a beat. “I’m no exception.” It’s an overwhelming brick inside me that would need to be hammered down.
She shifts, weighing her words. “You know how you let me vote on your behalf at the last meeting?”
Oh no.
I’m already anticipating her following sentence, and my body feels the weight stuck at the bottom of the sea.
She squeezes her eyes shut with remorse. “I voted with your shares to go forward with the plan.”
My body completely turns ice-cold, and I begin to feel the cracks in my world. “Are you telling me that I unknowingly voted to ensure that my girlfriend’s family business closes?” I grit out.
She stands and seems to panic. “I’m so sorry. It seemed like the right vote, a financial gain for everyone. If I had known, I wouldn’t have. I… thought you should know.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“I’ll do anything to help. I don’t know if it can be fixed, but I’ll help,” she promises.
Raking my hands through my hair, I’m about to combust. That’s probably why I go to my desk and swipe everything off in rage, items landing on the floor. “Fuck.” I rub the back of my neck.
“Julian…”
“Get out.” I’m not angry at her, because she didn’t know, but I’m furious with myself for not paying attention and letting my disdain for my father prevent me from reading the fine details. “Leave me alone.”
Caroline doesn’t argue and nods numbly before following my request.
Maybe it was the sound of the contents of my desk turning into pieces or Caroline’s sympathetic look toward Savannah as she leaves the room, but Savannah enters, worried.
My lips roll in because I’m not sure what to say. I can’t hide this from Savannah. But I’m already breaking down because this won’t end well, I feel it inside.
“What’s going on?” A mix of her confusion and her eyes noticing the floor cause her to race forward to me to inspect me with deep concern.
With my head bowed low, I stand stably in place. “Savannah.” It comes out delicate.
She senses that everything is not alright, and she strokes the back of her knuckles along my cheek, and I trap them to ensure we don’t lose the touch. I kiss her wrist faintly and keep her hand to the side, our hands interlaced.
“We need to talk.”
“You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
I do everything but look at her. “Promise me that you trust me when I say I didn’t know.”
She steps back and snatches her hand away. “What’s happening?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, debating my words, but I can’t hide behind anything but the facts. “It’s my grandmother’s—my father’s,” I correct myself, “company. It’s Davenport. They are the silent party trying to buy the permits.”
Her eyes grow wide as her face falls into disbelief. “What?”
I swallow because this will be the most painful moment of them all. “I didn’t know, but Caroline…”
“That’s your sister, right?” she double-checks.
“Yes. She voted with my shares…” Savannah tries to follow my story. “To ensure that Davenport proceeds with their plan.”
She steps further back, covers her mouth, and I see the wave of mistrust taking over her body. “Are you telling me that you are partly responsible for this?”
I’m quick to follow my urge to be closer to her, to comfort her, but it’s one step forward and two steps back from her. “Please, understand that I didn’t realize.”
“They’re your shares!” she barks out. “Surely, you know what the hell you’re voting for. Was this before or after we started to… you know.” She’s breaking.
“No,” I say, adamant. “Believe me, I didn’t look at the meeting agenda because I never go, simply to avoid my father.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Oh my God…” Her face goes pale. “I shared so much with you. Were you using me to get intel for your horrible profit?”
The moment I’m close, she attempts to pound my chest, but I’m quick to grab her wrists and hold them up to ensure she concentrates when I explain. “No. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t do that.”
“You also say you only succeed,” she cries.
My hands crawl up to hold her face. “Baby, no. This isn’t something I would want. Listen to me, if I had been aware, I would have tried to put a stop to it.”
She continues to shake her head profusely, her eyes swelling with tears. “This isn’t happening,” she whispers to herself.
“I’ll make this right,” I promise, and my entire body is now flooded with adrenaline.
“You can’t!” She shakes me away and zips straight to the open door of my office.
“Savannah, please.” She’s so enraged that it’s pointless to have a conversation with her right now.
She points at me, and she’s shaking. “Leave me alone. You can’t fix this…” She wipes a tear away. “And even if you could, you will always be the man who had a part in ruining my family.”
Our eyes meet, and it’s cold, tense, no sign of hope.
“Don’t follow me,” she bites out and walks away.
“But I’ll still find you,” I call out, completely insistent.
I never understood how a heart could beat entirely for someone else. Most would say, including myself, that I don’t even have a heart.
But today simply proved how I have one, because it just completely broke, and I feel every single shard.