Trapped between the wall and Ansel, Savannah could hear her own heartbeat louder than the party music outside.
She pushed him slightly to create some space between them. But his one arm stayed braced over her head.
"Get off me."
"Quiet," he whispered. "He has guards in this hallway."
He slowly stepped back and dropped his arm.
"Explain," he said, "what were you doing standing outside my uncle’s private room?"
This is it!
Savannah took out her phone, played the video she had just recorded and showed it to him. Ansel’s expression changed a little the moment he saw his uncle with Savannah’s father’s secretary.
"Your uncle just received a signed transfer folder from my father’s secretary. Witnessed and countersigned," Savannah explained.
Ansel didn’t say anything but his eyes never left the video either.
"There’s more," Savannah said and opened another file. "It’s from last week."
She pressed play. Victor Locke’s and her father’s voice filled the room. It was the muffled audio recording she had taken in her home.
When the recording ended, she pulled her phone back and put it in her bag.
"Why are you recording evidence against my uncle and showing it to me?" Ansel finally spoke.
Savannah sighed and leaned against the wall.
"Because you’re the only man in this city who can help me," she admitted.
"Help you?" he scoffed. "With what? Money? A position?"
"I have my own reasons..."
Before she could finish, his phone rang. Ansel raised his hand signalling her to stop as he glanced at his phone screen.
"What?" He answered it. "I’ll be there shortly."
He hung up and turned to leave. Then suddenly he stopped.
"We’re not finished yet," he said, over his shoulder and left.
"Finally! All I have to do now is wait!"
Savannah smiled with satisfaction as she felt she had finally taken control of her own fate. She had shown Ansel something he couldn’t ignore, and if he believed her, everything could change. Only if rewriting your fate was this easy.
Mission accomplished!!
She texted Mia and opened the door.
The corridor was empty. She quietly stepped out and headed towards the exit. As she turned a corner, she saw two broad, muscular men in dark suits moving door to door.
Victor Locke’s guards!!
Her heart jumped. She immediately turned around and took the service corridor leading towards the kitchens. She had almost reached the kitchen when someone grabbed her arm again.
"Savannah!" Mia said. "Where have you been? You look pale. What happened?"
"I’ll explain in the taxi," Savannah said, pulling her along. "Let’s leave."
They quietly walked through the busy kitchen, murmuring apologies as they passed through the chefs staring at them.
Outside, a taxi was already waiting. Mia had booked one after reading Savannah’s message. They both got in and let out a breath as the car moved.
They both looked at each other and started laughing. The driver glanced at them through the mirror with a weird expression.
"Your face," Mia wheezed. "When I found you...you looked...What actually happened back there?"
Savannah stopped laughing and told her everything. Mia listened everything carefully without interrupting her in between.
"Are you sure Ansel Locke will contact you?" Mia asked, looking serious now.
"I don’t know," Savannah replied. "All I can do is wait."
At the Locke estate, Leo was standing in front of Ansel holding a thick folder.
"Sir," he said, pushing his glasses up. "Mr. Victor Locke indeed had a huge transfer into one of his foreign bank accounts tonight. The sender is Richard Quinn."
"So...she was trying to help me? But why?" Ansel muttered to himself. "What is she after exactly?"
"Didn’t she say she wanted to marry you?" Leo said suddenly and immediately regretted it.
Ansel scoffed.
"After slapping me first," Ansel replied. "No...it’s not that simple. There is something else going on. Something I can’t figure out."
Meanwhile, in Mia’s apartment Savannah was anxious. She sat on the couch with the lights off, watching the rain falling outside the window.
"He’ll call. Don’t worry," Mia had said before going to bed, almost an hour ago.
Savannah had been waiting for that call for hours now. But she had received nothing yet. She had put her phone on the cushion beside her so she would not miss any call or message. But her attention had drifted to the rain falling outside now.
I don’t help leeches.
Ansel’s voice through intercom echoed in her ears suddenly. She remembered Locke’s estate gates that had stayed close no matter how much she tried to beg him. She remembered driving aimlessly on the highway, her car flipping, and the rain pouring through the broken windows mixing with her blood on the road.
Savannah closed her eyes, shaking her head frantically.
"No...please. Don’t let it happen again..."
To stop herself from remembering that night again, she began to count the raindrops falling on the window. The counting calmed her down.
She looked at her phone for the nth time. It was midnight already and still nothing from him.
"Maybe I wasted my time," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe I misread him. Maybe he is not the man who can save me. I think...I’ve just handed my head to the executioner."
But she still didn’t move and kept sitting there. At exactly 12:30, the doorbell rang.
Savannah jolted.
"Who could it be at this hour?"
She wanted to wake up Mia but she also knew how tired she was. She didn’t want to wake her up. She waited for a few seconds, hoping someone had pressed the doorbell by mistake.
But a minute later, the bell rang again. She slowly got up from the couch and walked towards the door. She stood behind the door and watched outside through the peephole.
Leo Grant stood in the hallway, holding a black umbrella.
"Leo Grant?"
Savannah opened the door immediately.
"Miss Quinn." Leo said politely. "Mr. Locke wants to see you right now."