Chapter 21: The Pressing Point

The emergency meeting room at Sterling Tower was a fortress of glass and steel, perched high above the city like a war chamber built for battles no one ever admitted to fighting. Rain lashed the windows, streaking down in silver rivulets as thunder growled far in the distance. It was an appropriate backdrop for the storm unraveling inside.

Savannah stood near the far wall, arms wrapped around herself, pulse fluttering like a trapped bird. She’d been pulled from Jackson’s office barely ten minutes ago, Grayson’s urgent whisper still echoing in her ears:

“They leaked everything. Not just the trust documents , your marriage contract too.”

Her hands still shook.

Across the room, Jackson paced like a caged predator, his every step sharp, controlled, calculated. Beau sat at the table, tapping the end of a pen against a file filled with printed headlines. Headlines that sickened Savannah.

“Fake Marriage Scandal Rocks Sterling Empire.”

“CEO Accused of Contractual Deception.”

“Anonymous Source Claims Sterlings Forge Documents.”

Jackson’s jaw clenched so hard Savannah thought something might crack.

“Who did this?” he demanded, voice a low growl. “We need the source. Now.”

Grayson pinched the bridge of his nose. “The leak came from outside. Anonymous uploads routed through international servers. We’re still tracing.”

“Delilah,” Savannah whispered before she could stop herself.

The room went silent.

Jackson froze mid-pace and turned slowly to face her. For a long, breathless moment, he simply looked at her , not with anger, not with blame, but with a stillness so intense it frightened her. As if something inside him had snapped, or maybe solidified.

“She warned us,” Savannah said quietly. “But she also threatened us.”

Beau exhaled sharply. “If Delilah Monroe is involved, good luck dragging the truth out of her. That woman covers her tracks like a politician.”

Jackson’s fingers curled against the tabletop until the tendons jumped. “She wouldn’t work alone.”

Grayson nodded. “No. Someone gave her the documents.”

Savannah’s stomach twisted. “Harrison.”

The name felt like a curse in the air.

Beau leaned back in his chair. “It fits. He wants the company back. Public exposure of tampered documents? That’s enough to trigger a board recall.”

“And enough to destroy Savannah,” Grayson added grimly.

Savannah’s breath hitched, her nails digging into her palms. “Me?”

Grayson pushed a tablet toward her. “You’re being painted as the co-conspirator. The woman Jackson ‘bought’ to secure a power play. The board already has questions.”

Savannah’s vision blurred for a moment. She grabbed the back of a chair to stabilize herself.

“Of course,” Jackson muttered. “Of course they’d turn her into the scapegoat.”

He strode to her, gently but firmly taking her hands in his. The warmth of his touch shocked her , grounding her even as fear coiled tight in her spine.

“Listen to me,” he said, voice low. “You are not responsible. You did nothing wrong. And I will not let them use you for this.”

“Jackson,” she whispered, “they already are.”

He inhaled sharply, jaw locking. “Then I’ll handle it.”

“How?” Savannah asked, her voice barely steady. “The press is already tearing me apart. What can you do?”

Jackson released her hands slowly , only to lift one and brush his thumb along her jaw, a gesture so unexpected, so un-Jackson, that Savannah went still.

“I protect what’s mine,” he said softly.

Savannah’s breath faltered.

Beau cleared his throat loudly, pulling the room back to reality. “Well, protecting won’t matter if the board calls an emergency vote. They have enough ammunition to challenge his authority.”

“And if they succeed,” Grayson added quietly, “Jackson loses the company. Savannah loses her protection. And Harrison gains full control.”

Savannah swallowed hard. She wasn’t naïve , not anymore. She’d seen Harrison’s eyes. Heard the condescension. Felt the threat. If he got his hands on Sterling Enterprises… she and Jackson wouldn’t just lose their contract.

They would lose everything.

“Then we fight,” Savannah said.

The room turned to look at her.

She stepped forward, willing her shaking legs to hold steady. “I’m not hiding. I’m not letting them paint me as some gold-digger who manipulated you into marriage. If they want a story, I’ll give them the truth.”

Jackson’s eyes widened slightly , and there it was, that flicker she’d seen before. Respect. Maybe even something like pride.

But he shook his head. “No. They’ll tear you apart.”

“They already did,” Savannah whispered. “What else is left?”

Jackson’s expression hardened. “No.”

Savannah’s heart jolted. “No?”

“You’re not speaking to the press. You’re not going to be dragged in front of cameras like some spectacle. I won’t allow it.”

Savannah’s frustration flared. “You don’t get to make all the decisions. Not anymore.”

Beau raised a brow. Grayson blinked.

Jackson stepped closer again, voice low, intense. “I am trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection,” she said , even though she did.

His eyes softened, just barely. “Savannah… you don’t understand how vicious this world is.”

“I’m learning,” she said.

And she was. Faster than she’d ever wanted.

Jackson’s shoulders rose and fell in a long, controlled breath. “We need to be strategic.”

Beau looked between them. “I agree with Savannah. If she stays silent, the press will fill in the blanks. They’ll villainize her.”

“And if she speaks,” Grayson countered, “they’ll twist every syllable.”

Savannah looked to Jackson. “What do we do?”

He stared at the rain-streaked window, jaw set, mind clearly racing. “We wait until the board makes the first move.”

“And then?” Beau asked.

“Then,” Jackson said, “we counter with something bigger.”

“Like what?” Grayson asked warily.

“Proof,” Jackson answered. “Proof of who really tampered with the documents.”

Savannah stepped closer. “Do you have any?”

Jackson held her gaze. “I will.”

Savannah swallowed. “How?”

His expression turned dark. Strategic. Dangerous in a way that made her chest tighten.

“I’m going after him,” Jackson said quietly. “My father.”

Silence crashed through the room.

Beau’s pen stilled. Grayson paled. Savannah’s breath caught.

“Jackson…” Grayson began, alarmed. “You know what he’s capable of.”

Savannah felt her pulse drum in her ears. “Are you sure?”

“No.” Jackson’s voice was barely above a whisper. “But I’m done letting him corner us.”

Savannah stared at him , the man who’d dragged her into this marriage like a business transaction, who had put her in a world she didn’t belong in, who had unknowingly pulled her into a war older than she ever imagined. And yet… she saw something in him now she hadn’t before.

Not the CEO. Not the strategist. Not the damaged heir.

A man fighting for something , someone , he refused to lose.

Savannah’s voice trembled. “You’re risking everything.”

Jackson turned fully toward her. “You’re worth everything.”

Her breath caught. For a moment the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them, the sound of rain and thunder fading into a distant hum.

But Beau shattered the moment.

“We need to move,” he said. “If Harrison has the board under his thumb, we’re running out of time.”

Grayson nodded. “The vote could happen within hours.”

Savannah steadied herself. “What do you need me to do?”

Jackson stepped closer , not touching her, but standing near enough that she could feel the heat of him, the tension vibrating off him.

“Stay close,” he said quietly. “Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t trust anyone outside this room.”

His voice lowered further.

“Especially not my family.”

Savannah’s skin prickled. “Your sister?”

Jackson hesitated. “All of them.”

Savannah’s chest tightened. “Even Eleanor?”

Jackson’s gaze hardened. “Especially Eleanor.”

Savannah felt her stomach drop. Eleanor had already made her hostility clear. If she was involved…

The door burst open.

Savannah jumped.

A security guard stepped forward, breathless. “Sir , the board is convening now. Harrison is already on the floor. He’s calling an emergency vote to remove you.”

Jackson went still. Very still.

Savannah’s heart hammered.

No one spoke.

Then Jackson straightened, his entire posture shifting into something lethal.

“Fine,” he said.

“Let’s go.”

Savannah took a shaky breath and followed him.

And as they stepped out into the hall, she realized something:

This wasn’t just a board meeting.

This was war.