Page 16 of Fallen Heir

“Savannah,” she said with a shit-eating grin on her face, “that is brilliant.”

I blinked. “What?”Is she senile?

“That’s the exact approach I would’ve taken. You saw the problem, thought through a clean, controlled solution, and pitched it on the spot. That’s not just amazing PR work—that’s instinct. Good instinct. I knew I hit the lottery when I hired you.” She beamed. “I’m so proud of you.”

My heart dropped to my stomach.

This wasn’t going at all how I planned.

“Did you hear anything I just said other than the solution? I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can, Savannah.”

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped.

My mind flashed back to the other night, when I debated whether I even needed a best friend in my life. Yet there Millie was—standing in front of me, arms crossed, jaw set.

She wasn’t budging.

I could see it all over her face.

She wasn’t letting me out of this one.

And at the end of it all... I needed her.

I plopped down in my chair like a two-year-old who didn’t get her way—no remorse for my childish behavior, either.

“Look, Savannah,” she said gently. “I’ve known Jax for years. We basically grew up together, and everyone around here knows that. Sure, you could get someone else to fill the part, but I really do think he makes a good point. You’d be perfect for therole.” She paused, raising a brow. “Unless there’s some other man in your life I don’t know about who might get jealous?”

Oh, if she only knew.

But I couldn’t tell her.

What would she think of me? Some runaway trying to escape her past, only to get thrown into an even brighter spotlight—in the one city that was supposed to make me feel invisible.

She didn’t know the weight I carried. The constant threat that lived in the shadows of my silence.

If Bruce found me—if even a whisper of my real name hit the wrong set of ears—everything would unravel.

He wasn’t just dangerous. He was obsessive. Vengeful.

Everything in me felt like he knew all along how much money my family had, even when I didn’t. If he ever suspected where I was, he wouldn’t stop until he dragged me back—or worse.

And Millie? God, she had no idea what she was stepping into just by standing so close to me. If Bruce ever came looking, she’d be the first person he’d use to get to me.

I couldn’t live with that kind of guilt.

I had to figure out a way to do this. Quietly. Carefully.

I worked in PR now, for Christ’s sake.

The irony wasn’t lost on me—not anymore. I came to Manhattan to disappear, to blend into the chaos of the city that never looked too closely. But instead, I chose a career built on visibility—on headlines, public appearances, and perfectly polished images.

All because of a woman who reminded me of my mother.Reminded me of home.

I hadn’t thought it all through. Not really.

But maybe… maybe I could use that to my advantage. If I was already tangled in the web, I might as well start weaving it in my favor. One move at a time. One mask at a time. And pray the truth didn’t catch up too soon.