Chapter 16: The Pressure Point

The lights from Sterling Tower flickered against the rain-streaked windows as if the whole building were bracing for impact. Savannah sat in Jackson’s office, her palms pressed against the cool edge of his desk, trying to steady her breath. Outside the door, she heard rapid footsteps , staff scrambling, security alerting each other, the elevator dinging nonstop. Panic had reached the forty-second floor.

But inside the office, there was only a suffocating stillness.

Jackson stood in the center of the room, jaw tight, every muscle coiled in a way that made him look like a marble sculpture ready to crack. The glow from the city lit the sharp planes of his face, cooling his already cold expression into something far more dangerous.

Grayson stood opposite him, tablet in hand, eyes wary.

Savannah remained in the middle , between the man she’d married and the crisis erupting around him , a crisis she didn’t understand, but one she was now caught inside.

Finally, Jackson spoke. His voice was low, lethal.

“Show me.”

Grayson swallowed hard and turned the tablet around.

A headline blazed across the screen:

STERLING ENTERPRISES UNDER FIRE , TRUST CLAUSE TAMPERING LEAKED TO MEDIA

Below it, in bold, damning text:

Exclusive: Marriage Contract Raises Questions About Legitimacy of Power Transfer

Savannah felt the air leave her lungs.

Her name was in the third paragraph.

Her name , in the global news cycle , tied to fraud, to scandal, to manipulation. Her picture, the one taken at some event she barely remembered attending, was displayed beside the article like she was a willing participant in a grand deception.

“Oh God…” she whispered.

Jackson didn’t look at her. He didn’t dare. His gaze was locked on the screen, fury tightening his features until Savannah couldn’t recognize the man she’d married.

“When did this go live?” Jackson asked.

“Ten minutes ago,” Grayson said quietly. “And… it’s already everywhere.”

Jackson’s eyes darkened. “Delilah.”

Savannah closed her eyes for a moment. Of course. The timing. The precision. The cold theatricality of it.

Delilah had played them all.

But it wasn’t just Delilah. The way the article was written, the tone, the details , this wasn’t something a former lover leaking secrets could accomplish alone.

“Harrison,” Savannah said softly.

Jackson stiffened.

She stepped closer. “He had to be involved. He’s the only one with access to all those internal documents. And if Delilah had the copies, then, ”

“She got them from him,” Jackson finished, voice hollow with betrayal.

Grayson cleared his throat. “There’s more.”

Jackson whipped his head toward him. “More?”

Grayson tapped the screen. “The documents leaked include the lease fraud you already saw… but also a secondary clause Harrison added last month.”

Savannah’s heart dropped. “What clause?”

Grayson exhaled shakily. “If any scandal compromises the legitimacy of the trust transfer, the board is required , by automatic activation , to vote on temporary guardianship of the company.”

Jackson’s face drained of color.

Savannah watched him struggle to process it, to understand the implications.

Temporary guardianship.

A polite corporate term.

For removal.

Harrison wasn’t just trying to sabotage Jackson.

He was trying to take the company back.

Even worse…

Savannah whispered, “Who gets the guardianship?”

Grayson’s voice cracked. “Harrison. Automatically.”

Savannah staggered back, her fingers pressing into her mouth.

Jackson swore under his breath , something raw and unfiltered, something she had never heard from him before. He turned away, hands on the desk, shoulders heaving once with fury he couldn't contain.

“This is a setup,” he said through clenched teeth. “He leaked documents he forged himself… and then built the trap so I fall right into it.”

His hands curled into fists. “He wanted this. He wanted the marriage to fail publicly. He wanted the clause overturned. He’s been planning this for years.”

Savannah took a step toward him. “Jackson, ”

He didn’t turn around.

She tried again, gentler. “Jackson.”

Finally, he lifted his head, eyes burning , but not with anger. With something far worse.

Fear.

For the first time since she’d met him, Savannah saw a man who wasn’t untouchable. A man cornered.

“What do I do?” he whispered, voice hoarse. “How do I stop him now?”

Savannah had no answer.

Grayson cleared his throat. “There’s… one possibility. One option left.”

Jackson straightened. “Say it.”

Grayson hesitated. “You could… go public first. Give an interview. Explain everything. Show that the marriage is real, that the clause wasn’t misused, that, ”

“No.” Jackson cut him off. “We can't parade Savannah’s life in front of them. The board will smell blood.”

“But if you don’t,” Grayson said softly, “the board votes tomorrow morning.”

Savannah felt her stomach twist violently.

Tomorrow.

Less than twenty-four hours.

The walls of the room seemed to close in, pressing against her chest until she could barely breathe. She turned away, stepping toward the window, staring out at the sprawling city below. The cars, the lights, the endless noise , none of it mattered. Not compared to the weight crushing her now.

If Harrison took control…

What would that mean for her contract?

For her father’s care?

For her home?

For her safety?

The thought chilled her.

Jackson approached her slowly, his footsteps soft but heavy with unspoken apologies. He stood beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him.

“Savannah,” he said quietly.

She didn’t turn.

“Savannah,” he repeated, softer this time. “Look at me.”

She forced herself to meet his gaze.

His expression was a storm , anger, guilt, helplessness all churning behind those dark, relentless eyes.

“This is not what I wanted for you,” he said. “I swear it.”

Savannah swallowed. “I know you didn’t want the leak. But everything else?”

A pause.

He didn’t lie. He didn’t deny.

He simply closed his eyes as though the truth hurt too much.

“I didn’t expect my father to escalate,” he murmured. “Not like this. He’s always been cruel, but this…”

He opened his eyes again. “I need your help.”

The words hit her like a punch.

“You… need me?” Her voice trembled.

He nodded. “I can’t fix this alone. Not without risking everything. Not without losing the company. Not without losing you.”

Her breath caught.

He had never said anything close to that before.

But it wasn’t a confession of love.

It was a confession of desperation.

Savannah stared at him for a long, heavy moment.

“I don’t know if I can trust you,” she whispered. “After everything I heard… everything I didn’t hear…”

“I know,” Jackson said, stepping closer, his voice low, reverent, almost broken. “But trust me now. Just this once. Because if Harrison wins, he won’t stop at the company. He’ll come for everything tied to me. Including you.”

Savannah’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might bruise her ribs.

“Tell me what you need,” she said finally, voice shaking.

Jackson hesitated.

His answer came out barely above a whisper.

“A marriage.”

Her brow furrowed. “We already have a marriage.”

“No.” He cupped her chin gently, tilting her face up to his. “We have a contract.”

Savannah’s breath hitched.

“I need a real marriage,” Jackson said softly.

“One the world can see.”

Her eyes widened. “You want me to pretend we’re in love?”

“No,” he said. “I want us to act like we chose this. Like we chose each other. Even if only for the cameras. Even if only for the board.” He inhaled shakily. “Savannah… I need you beside me tomorrow. Publicly. Unshakably.”

She stared at him, heart pounding, torn between anger, fear, and something deeper she refused to name.

“And if I refuse?” she whispered.

Jackson’s voice cracked.

“Then I lose everything. And my father wins.”

Savannah’s breath trembled.

And then , 

“Jackson,” Grayson said abruptly from the doorway, voice tense. “You need to see this.”

Jackson turned sharply. “What now?”

Grayson held out his phone. “There’s another leak.”

Savannah’s blood ran cold.

Another one?

Jackson grabbed the phone.

His face drained.

Savannah stepped closer, dread curling in her gut. “What is it?”

Jackson slowly turned the screen toward her.

Her heart stopped.

It was a picture.

Of her.

Standing outside the hospital.

Holding her father’s frail hand.

Captioned:

“Sources claim Mrs. Sterling’s father’s medical expenses were used as leverage in marriage deal.”

Savannah’s knees nearly buckled.

Jackson swore under his breath.

Grayson whispered, “Harrison wasn’t just planning to remove you. He wants to destroy her.”

Savannah pressed a hand against her mouth, tears burning behind her eyes.

Because now she understood the truth.

This wasn’t just a corporate war.

It was personal.

And she was the target.