Chapter 281 She Is Savannah
Chapter 281 She Is Savannah
"I know Charles won't let this go easily," Seraphine said. "But I'm not afraid."
She dropped her gaze, and when she raised it again, there was something cold and sharp in her eyes.
"I'm not the same person I used to be. If Charles wants to come at me, I don't mind giving him another reason to spend a night in a police cell."
"Staying locked in this standoff with him isn't good for you, though."
Madison pressed her lips together. She hesitated for a long moment before she finally said it, quietly.
"Seraphine — have you ever thought about going abroad?"
"Going abroad?"
Seraphine hadn't expected that. Her brow lifted almost on its own.
"That's not something I've been thinking about. My career is here. My boyfriend is here."
"I understand your concerns. But those obstacles are manageable."
Madison seemed to have anticipated exactly that response. The moment Seraphine finished speaking, she touched the tip of her nose and cleared her throat lightly.
"Your mentor is Raven. If Raven is willing to open a few doors for you, it wouldn't take long before you'd have a real foothold overseas. As for your boyfriend —"
"Seraphine, you must have noticed by now. Over the past few years, the Hearst Family has been steadily shifting its business focus internationally. If you were to set up your own jewelry design studio abroad, Jason wouldn't just stand aside — he'd back you with everything he has."
It was true. She'd picked up on it a while ago. Jason traveled internationally more and more these days, and by now Ascend Global Group's presence overseas had grown larger than its domestic footprint.
But that wasn't reason enough for her to uproot herself ahead of schedule.
If she had to choose between stepping into unfamiliar territory now and building something solid on home ground first, she'd choose the latter every time.
Seraphine studied Madison's face for a moment. Then a thought surfaced, quiet and unbidden.
"Ms. Bourbon — is the only reason you're pushing me to leave really because Charles will keep harassing me if I stay?"
---
Madison ran her tongue over her lips. She wrestled with herself for a beat, then gave in with a short, resigned tug at her own hair.
"Alright. I'll be straight with you. I've been pushing you to go abroad, and yes — part of that is personal."
"Nicole's probably already told you. I've had my suspicions that you might be Savannah. A while back, I also had Nicole help me get a blood sample from you."
The memory surfaced. A few weeks ago, she and Nicole had gone to the clinic together. She'd thought nothing of it at the time.
Seraphine's eyes narrowed. Her expression shifted, growing still and serious.
"Ms. Bourbon — have the results come back? Am I Savannah?"
"Whether you're Savannah or not..." Madison held her gaze, her voice dropping low, almost rough. "I think you already know the answer to that. Don't you?"
"Seraphine, I've already been in contact with your father. He wants you to come abroad to meet him — and to stay."
"After your mother passed, the guilt has never left him. If you were willing to reach out, to give him the chance — he would give you everything. All of it."
The thing she'd least wanted to face had found her anyway.
Seraphine pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. A quiet exhaustion settled over her.
"Ms. Bourbon — can I ask you a few questions?"
"What questions?"
Madison tilted her head, a small furrow between her brows.
"Did my father have a hand in my mother's death?"
Seraphine lifted her gaze slowly. When her eyes met Madison's, they didn't waver.
"And — my accident. The one that took my memory. Did he have anything to do with that? After I disappeared, did he send anyone to look for me? Did he ever hold anyone accountable for what was done to me and my mother?"
---
Madison's breath caught. She turned her head away, visibly uncomfortable, unable to hold Seraphine's gaze.
"Seraphine, I know you have every reason to resent him. And I know — the way he responded after you disappeared probably didn't come close to what you deserved. But the man has money. He has influence."
"He's getting older. He never stopped grieving your mother, and his health has been declining these past few years because of it."
"Just hear me out. If you can hold back that anger — just long enough to play the dutiful daughter for a few years — you'd walk away with a significant inheritance and connections that could open doors you can't even imagine right now."
---
She wasn't the one who had done anything wrong. So why should she be the one to swallow her pride?
"Ms. Bourbon, I love money." Seraphine leaned back against the sofa, her voice calm and absolute. "But there are things in my life that matter more than money. My dignity is one of them. My memories are another."
"I'm not going to seek him out. And I'm not going to perform sweetness I don't feel. If he is genuinely sorry, then he needs to show up with something real — something that actually means something."
"Oh — and do me a favor. Tell him that even if he does come to me first, even if he gets down on his knees, I'm not making any promises."
"Because what he owes me isn't just twenty-some years of a life I should have had. He owes me my mother."
---
The color drained slightly from Madison's face. She struggled visibly for a long moment before pressing a hand over her eyes and laughing — a short, tired sound.
"Alright. I hear you. I'll pass your feelings along to Mr. Romanov." She paused. "But until he responds — watch your back."
"My source inside the Romanov Family estate tells me your half-brother Bruce has already taken notice of you. He's worried you'll come back and stake a claim on the inheritance. In the coming weeks, he may start looking for ways to move against you."
With that, Madison stood and walked toward the office door.
"Oh — one more thing."
She was nearly at the door when she stopped short, as if something had just come back to her, and glanced back over her shoulder at Seraphine.
"Nicole told you, didn't she? That you and your mother — you were a light in my life. Both of you." Her voice was quiet. "So I mean it when I say I'll do anything for you. That includes pulling every resource I have to help you go up against the Romanov Family, if it ever comes to that."
"Thank you."
Something warm moved through Seraphine's chest. Without quite meaning to, she let a soft smile reach her face.
"I know what you mean. Don't worry — if I decide to go after the Romanov Family, you'll be the first call I make."
"Then I'll be waiting for that call."
Madison's eyes curved into a smile. She reached up, pulled the office door open, and walked out with long, easy strides.
Seraphine watched her go, expression still and composed, until the sound of her footsteps faded completely. Only then did she let herself sink deeper into the sofa, her body finally going loose.
Her thoughts drifted without direction. At some point — she wasn't sure when — the exhaustion caught up with her, and she slipped into sleep.
In the dream, she was small again.
Her mother was holding her. They were standing together in the rain.
"Honey, please —" Her mother's voice broke around the edges. "Come home. Come back to us. We need you — both of us need you. I swear, if you come back, I'll forget everything. Every single thing. Just please come home."
She could hear her mother crying. Even in the haze of the dream, the sound of it was unbearable.
And then there was a man. Tall, broad-shouldered, standing just ahead of them with an umbrella in his hand. Dry, while they stood soaked in the rain.
He listened to her mother beg.
When he finally spoke, his voice was colder than the rain.
"Go home," he said. "Claire is pregnant. She and her child need me. I can't leave them."