Chapter 12
Pula
His eyes narrowed on Delilah. “Can you swear to me you’ll fix it?”
a
Only then did Delilah grasp just how deep the trouble was. Her face drained of color.
over three hundred million.”
She opened her mouth to say something–anything–but Julian had already turned away. Grabbing his
stormed out of the office without another word.
Sur goat off the back of his chair, he
He drove for miles without direction, frustration building like a storm. His phone buzzed stop–calls, emails, crisis after crisis.
Finally, he picked up, snapping, “If it’s legal, talk to Savannah. Don’t call me again unless someone’s bleeding.
But the second he said it, his gut twisted.
Right. He’d pushed Savannah out himself.
He clenched the wheel, jaw tight. “Fine. I’ll handle it. Just leave me the hell alone.”
Then he hung up.
After a beat of hesitation, he opened his messages and started typing.
[Ford Corp’s in a bit of a mess. If you’re willing to come back, we can talk.]
[What happened before–I can let it go. All I need is your sister’s location, and I’ll bring you home tonight.]
[Savannah, can we not make this harder than it is? Delilah’s impulsive. She acts before she thinks–that’s not on you.]
He stared at the screen for a long time before hitting send.
And then he waited.
Every half hour, he checked.
No reply. She wasn’t answering. Not his texts, not his calls.
Julian clenched his jaw. The longer the silence dragged on, the worse the pit in his stomach grew.
This had never happened before.
No matter how bad their fights got, Savannah always cracked. She’d blowup his phone at 3 a.m., send paragraphs she’d never admit to writing, beg him to talk–anything but this silence.
And now? Nothing.
His pride told him to wait. His gut said otherwise.
Finally, he snapped.
“Track Emily’s phone,” he barked into the Bluetooth, dialing one of his cybersecurity guys. “I don’t care how long it’s been. Find the last signal.”
The reply came minutes later, low and cautious: “Boss… her last ping came from a hospital. One of yours.”
Julian’s blood ran cold.
“What hospital?” he barked.
The tech repeated the address.
Julian’s temple twitched. “Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me she was there?”
No one answered. No one could.
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Julian shoved his phone in his pocket and peeled out of the parking lot.
As he sped toward the hospital, his phone kept buzzing again and again–Delilah.
He didn’t answer.
Once, he’d found her honesty charming. Her small–town fire, the way she stood her ground… it reminded him of a younger Savannah.
That resemblance had been intoxicating.
But now? Now that the real thing was gone, Delilah’s “righteousness” just felt grating. Immature. Performative. Empty.
Every call she made, he declined.
Back at the hospital, Delilah was fuming.
After an hour of being ignored, she tossed her phone onto the counter and glared at the doctor across from her.
“So let me get this straight,” she said, voice low and cold. “You’re backing out on me?”
The doctor looked like he wanted to disappear.
“Ms. Monroe, please… you’re already Mr. Ford’s favorite. Why fake a pregnancy? You’ll probably end up with his kid sooner or later anyway.”
“That’s not good enough,” Delilah snapped, her voice rising. “I need it now. Savannah ran–if she finds out what I did, I’m finished.”
The doctor stiffened. “Then maybe don’t push your luck. Or have you forgotten? You’re the one who let a girl die.”
Delilah froze.
“You faked Mr. Ford’s orders,” he said quietly. “You made us prioritize your dog over her sister. You told us not to treat her. She died because of that. You really want him finding out?”
Delilah’s nails dug into her palm.
She didn’t respond.
She didn’t need to.
The look in her eyes said it all.
She snatched her bag and turned to leave–but the second she flung open the door, she slammed to a stop.
Julian stood there. Jaw clenched. Eyes burning. Veins bulging at his temple.
He’d heard everything.
Chapter 12
