Chapter 249 You'll Understand Savannah It was about five minutes later when Reese finally stepped out of Roman’s room. He had a handkerchief clenched in one fist. I didn’t ask where it came from. I didn’t ask if he was okay. I didn’t ask anything at all. Some grief didn’t need commentary, and Reese’s was the kind that demanded silence. We walked side by side down the hallway, the space between us filled with unspoken words and a tension so thick it pressed against my chest. The manor felt different now. It was even colder and heavier. Every step echoed too loudly against the marble floors. “You know,” Reese said suddenly, breaking the silence, “I want to be mad at you.” My stomach dropped. “I want to cuss you out. I want to hurt you for being anywhere near that gun that left Roman in that state.” I swallowed hard, my throat burning. “But I can’t,” he continued, jaw locked. “My brother would hate me forever if I ever laid a hand on you. He’d never forgive me. He’d never speak to me again.” He scoffed under his breath, disbelief threading through his voice. “Hell, he might even physically attack me.” He shook his head slightly, as if the thought stunned him. “I don’t know what you did to him,” he went on. “I don’t know how you suddenly became the center of his entire existence. But one thing I do know, Savannah—” He finally looked at me. “If anything goes wrong, you’re the one I’m coming for. I will hunt you down like an animal. And that's a promise.” I froze. There was no rage in his eyes. Just truth. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I would never consciously hurt him. I love him.” “I know,” Reese replied immediately. Then he picked up his pace. “Come on. We wouldn’t want to arrive after my father.” I hurried to keep up. “What happens if we do?” I asked, partly out of curiosity, partly out of dread. He didn’t even look back.“Fuck around and you’ll find out, Savannah,” he said casually, shoving his hands into his pockets. The journey to the dining room felt endless. Twisting corridors. Staircases layered in red carpet. Hallways lined with portraits of men who all shared Roman’s face in some form—same eyes, same jaw, same aura of cold authority. It was fascinating how Reese navigated the manor without hesitation. He didn’t slow. He didn’t pause. He knew this place the way one knows scars on their own body. Eventually, we descended a grand staircase and stopped before a massive double door flanked by two armed security men. They didn’t glance at us. Didn’t even acknowledge us. They just stood like statues. I knew instantly that this was the dining room. And that everyone was already inside. My stomach twisted violently. My palms were slick with sweat, and I rubbed them down my pants, trying—and failing—to steady myself. My heart thudded so hard I wondered if the others could hear it from inside the room. Then Reese pushed the doors open.This was not a dining room. This was a banquet hall. A long table stretched across the room, gleaming beneath massive chandeliers. Gold dominated everything—gold tablecloths, gold-rimmed chairs, gold cutlery so polished it reflected the light like mirrors. Platters of food covered the table. More food than any family could possibly eat in one sitting. This wasn’t dinner. This was a display. Red and gold decoration. Again. Blackwood Manor might as well have been built on excess. And for a brief moment, I forgot how to breathe. If someone had told me a place like this existed in this country—on this continent—I would have laughed loudly. This felt like I’d stepped into a medieval castle straight out of a Victorian nightmare. Then I heard it. The whispers around me from the people I was yet to pay attention to. “Is that her?” “Oh my goodness… she’s really not blonde.” “She’s clearly a brunette, you idiot.” “And pregnant,” a man’s voice added, followed by laughter.My blood ran cold. How did they know? How long had they known? Did Roman know that his father and siblings were aware of our baby? “And she can hear you, you dumb fucks,” Reese snapped, walking toward the right side of the table where only two people were seated. The whispers stopped—briefly. Then the chatter resumed, louder now. I stood frozen, unsure where to go. Reese had already taken his seat beside a man with chestnut-brown hair and a woman with bright ginger hair. There were two vacant seats beside him. But something inside me screamed no. Every eye in the room was on me. It felt like I was on display like some strange creature they were studying, waiting to see what I’d do next. Reese leaned toward the man beside him and said something quietly. The man pulled his hoodie over his head and muttered loudly, “Fuck off, Reese. I still don’t want to talk to you.” Laughter rippled across the table. Everyone laughed except the woman with ginger hair.She wasn’t watching her siblings. She was watching the door. Her gaze lingered there with something like longing. Like anticipation. Like fear. Then her eyes shifted. And slowly, they landed on me. Recognition flashed across her face. Panic seized me instantly, and I looked away, fiddling with my fingers, suddenly hyper-aware of my breathing, my posture, my existence. “Ma’am!” The voice came from the left. “Hey! Over here!” I turned and relief flooded me so fast it nearly made my knees buckle. Ramsey. He was waving enthusiastically, arm stretched high, face lit up like he’d just spotted an old friend. “Ma’am! Over here! It’s me—Ramsey!” The girl beside him rolled her eyes dramatically and pressed her fingers to her ears. “Will you shut up?” she hissed. “You’re yelling in my ear.” “I’m sorry, Rosie,” Ramsey said instantly, remorseful. “I didn’t mean to hurt your ears. I just wanted ma’am to come sit with us.” I glanced at Reese. He nodded. Grateful beyond words, I made my way toward Ramsey. As I approached, he grabbed an extra napkin and thoroughly wiped the already neat seat beside him before gesturing to it proudly. “Please sit, ma’am,” he said, beaming. “You remember me, don’t you?” “Of course I do,” I smiled, lowering myself into the chair beside him. The effect was immediate. His smile widened impossibly. “I hope you’re very comfortable.” “Thank you, Ramsey. I am.” “Great!” He jumped up suddenly. “Excuse me, ma’am. I need to wash my hands.” I nodded as he hurried off. The girl beside his seat had headphones on, music faintly audible. She looked young—definitely younger than Ramsey. A teenager, maybe. She must have felt my gaze because she turned and slipped the headphones off. Embarrassed to have been caught staring, I cleared my throat and extended my hand. “I’m Savannah.”She smiled warmly and took it. “I’m Riley.” Relief rushed through me. Thank God she's nice. “Sorry,” she laughed. “I was trying to zone out. It gets… really loud here sometimes.” “I’m already feeling it,” I admitted. She grinned. Then gestured subtly toward Reese. “I thought you’d be sitting over there.” I glanced in his direction. “It didn’t feel right.” Riley nodded knowingly. “I do understand. Especially with Roman… and everything.” The woman with ginger hair caught my eye again—this time smiling and waving. I smiled back. “That’s River,” Riley whispered. “In case you didn’t know.” “You’re a lifesaver,” I murmured. She laughed. “Figured you didn’t know anyone.” “You guessed right.” “She’s sweet,” Riley said softly. “The sweetest of them all, in my opinion.”I noticed River’s attention drift back to the door. I hesitated. “Not to be nosy, but… why does she keep staring over there?” Riley leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “When Sir walks in, you’ll understand.” And suddenly, the banquet hall felt very, very small.