Savannah grabbed the dress and went downstairs straight to her father’s room. She opened the door and threw the torn dress at his feet.
"Look at it," Savannah said.
Richard looked at the dress, then at her. He didn’t look surprised or bothered. Instead, he looked annoyed.
"Your precious daughter tore my dress," Savannah said. "She did this so that I couldn’t attend the banquet tomorrow. Her perfume is still on the fabric. Are you going to do something about it?"
"It doesn’t matter, Savannah," Richard said indifferently. "You don’t need a dress."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are not going to the banquet tomorrow."
"What?" Savannah asked in disbelief. "You were the one who ordered me to go! Just days ago, you were yelling at me to apologize to Ansel to save the family’s reputation! You said we needed to show a united front!"
"Things have changed now," Richard answered calmly. "Celeste is scared. She is completely on edge."
"Because of a dress?"
"Because she is afraid you’ll cause another scene at the banquet," Richard snapped. "After your recent scandal of sneaking around to meet Ansel in an abandoned building and getting yourself thrown out into the street at midnight...we cannot risk it."
Savannah got even more furious.
"Dad, I have to be there. I have to apologize."
"No, you don’t have to anymore," Richard said firmly. "We will tell Madame Eleanor that you fell ill and couldn’t attend. I’m sure she’ll understand."
"Dad, you can’t..."
"Listen, Savannah...I care about Celeste’s future," Richard said. "The banquet is her engagement night. I won’t let you ruin it just because you are angry."
"Angry?" Savannah laughed bitterly. "She tore my dress!"
"Because she is nervous! And frankly, Savannah, you can’t be trusted to behave. I have already removed your name from the guest list," Richard then pointed at the door. "Go back to your room. Do not make this more difficult."
Savannah stood there in silence. Every day her family gave her new reasons to hate them. She didn’t want to waste another second on them. She turned and walked out.
The second she reached her door she called Ansel from the burner phone. Although, Ansel had forbidden her from calling first. But it was an emergency.
"Is the apology ready?"
"My father just uninvited me," Savannah said. "Celeste ruined my dress, and my father told me that I’m no longer invited. He has removed my name from the guest list. The security at the Corinthia Hotel is extremely tight. They won’t let me anywhere near the ballroom without my name on the guest list. I need you to get me past the guards."
"No," Ansel said, after pausing for a while.
"Ansel, listen to me. If I don’t get in there, Victor will empty the accounts. You..."
"If you can’t get into the ballroom, Savannah, you can’t keep the deal," Ansel cut her off.
"I am your partner! Just tell security to let me through!"
"Did you think this was going to be easy?" Ansel asked. "I am going to war tonight. I need a partner who can find her way on her own, not a liability who needs me to hold her hand the second a problem comes up."
"Ansel..."
"Figure it out, Miss Quinn. Or don’t bother showing up."
He hung up.
Savannah stared at the phone in disbelief. Desperation overwhelmed her. But now wasn’t the time. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself.
When she thought about it again, she realized he might be right. Victor Locke worked from the shadows. He controlled billions and killed without leaving a trace. If she couldn’t even get past a guest list, how could she possibly survive in future battles?
She couldn’t depend on Ansel for everything.
I have to find a way myself.
The next day, the Quinn mansion was buzzing with a different kind of excitement. Around noon,
Diane came to see Savannah and sat beside her on the bed.
"Don’t be angry, Savannah," Diane consoled her, "It’s probably for the best. You don’t need to apologize to anyone anymore. Just rest. Watch a movie. Have some me time."
Savannah didn’t answer. When Diane saw her mood wasn’t getting better, she didn’t push further. She patted her shoulder softly and left.
Then Diane went to Celeste and they both went to the salon to get ready. Cooper and Richard too were locked in their rooms getting ready. The mansion was kind of empty with no one to keep an eye on Savannah.
Savannah was staring at her phone when it rang. She answered it on the first ring.
"Okay, I have a solution," Mia said. "But you’re probably not going to like it."
"I don’t care what it is," Savannah said, standing up. "Just tell me."
"My cousin, Luis, works for the catering company handling the banquet tonight. I sent him three hundred bucks and one of the servers suddenly called in sick."
Savannah’s eyes widened as she understood the plan.
"I bought her uniform and her badge."
Savannah finally breathed in relief.
"Mia, I could kiss you."
"Save it. Get to my apartment right now. You have to be in the kitchen by six thirty."
By seven that evening, the grand ballroom was glittering with diamonds, designer dresses and powerful people.
Savannah entered through the service entrance. The kitchen was chaotic. Chefs were shouting while waiters walked around carrying trays of food and drinks.
Savannah was wearing an oversized black uniform jacket with her hair pulled back into a tight bun.
She took a tray of champagne flutes and entered the ballroom, keeping her head low. No one noticed her. To those wealthy guests, she was a worthless server.
As she walked through the ballroom, she spotted her family sitting on a front table. Her father was laughing loudly with a city councilman. Her mother was enjoying her wine while Cooper as usual was busy on his phone.
Celeste sat beside them in a beautiful red gown, showing off her nail art to Sienna Locke.
Savannah ignored them and looked at Victor Locke. He was also sitting in the front, looking smug.
Madame Eleanor sat on a velvet chair on a raised platform. Her sharp eyes were scanning the room. Ansel was sitting beside her. He was dressed in a black tuxedo looking absolutely calm. His eyes moved across the room, looking for Savannah.
Finally, it was 7:50.
Victor took out his phone from his pocket and put it on the table. He was waiting for the transfer prompt.
7:52 PM.
Savannah walked to a small table at a corner and put the tray down. Then she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and removed the server’s jacket.
Underneath, she was wearing a simple black dress. Then she pulled the pins from her hair, letting her dark hair fall over her shoulders like waves.
Then she confidently walked straight towards the center aisle leading to the stage. One of the guests noticed her. Then another. People started whispering.
Richard was in the middle of a conversation when he glanced over to see what the commotion was. His face turned pale and eyes widened in horror at the sight of Savannah.
Celeste’s sweet smile also instantly vanished from her face, replaced by panic.
Ansel watched Savannah and smirked. She had passed the test.
At the bottom of the stage, the emcee was adjusting his tie. He was about to call Madame Eleanor for her birthday address. But before he could speak a word, Ansel stood up from his chair and walked to the podium.
He took the microphone from the emcee’s hand.
The ballroom immediately fell in complete silence.
Victor looked at the scene with irritation. He had no idea what was happening.
Ansel looked at Savannah as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin tonight’s celebration...Miss Quinn has something to say to everyone!"