SAVANNAH“A toast. For all of us!” Rafe lifted his champagne glass as we gathered after the program. The Estrellas and some familiar faces in the company had also joined us at our table. With that, everyone raised their glasses and then drank their champagne.“Thank you, darling.” Rachel put her glass down and clasped her hands. “You see, everyone. I’ve always asked myself whether this time will come, and I’ll be present to witness it.”Everyone turned silent.“But here I am, seeing all of you, celebrating our success. I can’t ask for anything more.” Her gaze stopped at Michael, and she smiled. “I’ve never felt so happy again until this moment. And to my husband and children. Thank you for making this possible, and congratulations to us all.”Everyone at the round table applauded and sipped on their drinks again.“Congratulations to the additional family member, too,” a sophisticated-looking woman in a blue gown commented. She seemed about Rachel’s age.“Oh, Anya is giving birth six m
SAVANNAH Two years later... I expected to see this day but didn’t expect to feel melancholy. Carter was packing his stuff in a big blue box, like someone who got fired from his job. But his expression was too joyful for someone leaving his post. I was happy for him at the same time. We’d worked together for a couple of years now, and we were so productive. Seeing him step down as CMO would make a drastic change for the office and the entire management. Well, he was following his dreams. He was leaving the entertainment world for a new career journey. He had finally built the perfumery company that he had wanted all along. As for me, I would be the new CMO and Rafe’s partner in life. Yep, that was the proper name for it. “Take care of my office, will you?” Carter said as he transferred his pile of old binders to a box. “You know what to do with these?” “Yes, when I needed ideas from our previous work. Visit us, okay?” He chuckled. “Come on, Savi. We’ve been practically a family e
SAVANNAH My husband didn’t love me anymore. His love burned out for some time now, leaving me with a void in my heart and an ache in my body that I believed would be filled with new flames when the old spark returned. But the coldness remained. Our usual bond had faded, and the lovemaking didn’t feel as good as it used to. It was hurried and robotic. I tried several times to figure out what had gone wrong. I married Edward after we graduated from NYU. We’d been together since we were eighteen, so we decided it was time to settle down. I was crazy in love and nothing else mattered but him. For starters, Edward stopped telling me he loved me. Second, he didn’t want a child. I understood we were busy, but we had been married for five years. Finally, where did he go on Saturday nights, and why did he often change his phone password? Edward stepped out of bed after our loveless sex, letting the blanket fall to the floor. “Would you like to join me in the shower?” “No, I’m still not fe
SAVANNAH Eleven years ago... “Excuse me, Ms. Morris,” Mr. Ward interrupted our literature class. “I need Ms. Gibson at the main entrance.” I checked the clock. There were only thirty minutes left before the period ended. Did I do something wrong? Or did Michael come home? But my brother said he wouldn’t be home until Thanksgiving. I excused myself to my literature teacher and followed Mr. Ward to the main entrance. No one was there. “Mr. Ward?” “These kids.” He shook his head. “Well, look at that.” I wasn’t sure what he was referring to while looking at the wall until I pictured a drawing of a huge pink heart. It had my name scribbled unsightly in the center. I love you, Savannah Gibson. My mouth dropped. What the hell? “Who do you think did this?” my teacher asked. I shook my head. “I have nothing to do with this.” “Yes, but this is your name. If you can’t point out anyone, you might as well take responsibility.” “But, sir—” “No buts, Ms. Gibson.” Mr. Ward scowled at th
SAVANNAH“Edward did what?” Wesley’s voice thundered in the coffee shop at Midtown we always went to.“Hey!” I hissed.“Sorry.” He gritted his teeth. “I’m going to fucking kill him, Savannah. I don’t care if he has a rich aunt.”Riley patted her older brother’s arm. “Relax, dude. That’s not helping.”The three of us had been best friends since our early teens. We were supposed to be four, but Sofia returned to Mexico for college, and we hadn’t seen her since.“So, what are you going to do?” Wes asked.I rested my chin on my palm. “He can go to hell. I’ll resign from my position at New Star Media.” I looked at Wes. “You said you have a vacancy in your department. Is it still open?”“So, you’ve finally considered that now, huh?”Wesley Allen was associate marketing director at Sebastian Entertainment Group. The company was founded as a record label, but after acquiring subsidiaries, it expanded into a global mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate with a net worth of eighty-fiv
SAVANNAH After my two-hour update about the business trip, I submitted my resignation on Monday morning. Amara picked up the envelope and stared at it, but she wasn’t surprised. “Effective next week. You know I like you, right?” she said. “I’m so sorry, Amara.” “Savi, you are smart, obedient, and enthusiastic. You met deadlines and submitted outstanding ideas that helped me numerous times. Can we talk about this first?” “Believe me, I’m grateful to be here and I will be thankful forever, but—” “But my nephew is an asshole. Yes, he is.” Amara might be Edward’s aunt, but she was fair. I had a colleague who was cheating on his wife with another colleague. Amara fired them the next day she found out. She was strict with work, but the employees loved her. She was still single at age forty-four, so relationships and men were never an issue. I now understood why she was that way. She always said men were always the problem. “Edward told you.” She stood up and turned around her desk.
SAVANNAH “What? ‘You looked exhausted? That’s the difference between us?’” Riley quoted Sofia’s words in rage. We were now at the bar, drinking our favorite cocktails. “I will cut her tongue when I see her.” Wesley laughed that he almost teared up. “Are you sure that’s Sofia?” “Why would she lie about it?” I said. Riley hugged me. “That’s okay. Let’s just forget about her.” “Yes, so let’s change the subject. Hey, I sent my resume,” I told Wes. “Did you get it?” “Yes, but I couldn’t show it to my boss,” Wes replied. “He’s busy with something the CEO asked him to do.” “That’s fine. I can wait.” Wesley clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Great. You know I really need your marketing knowledge and organizational skills. You’ve helped Amara with your ideas. I’m surprised she let you go.” Edward was still her nephew. Of course, she’d choose him. “Nah. I’m glad she let me go.” “Listening to you sounds exhausting,” Riley suddenly commented. “I still think owning a restaurant
SAVANNAH Riley squealed in my ear when the call ended. “Sexy voice,” she remarked. “He oozes sexiness everywhere.” I couldn’t believe the man would personally meet me. He could’ve sent anyone. Rafael. His name was Rafael. I wondered what his family name was. I wanted to stalk him on social media. “Do you girls know what time it is?” Wesley complained. “Can we go home now?” Riley’s mouth twitched. “You’re just jealous. Nancy broke up with you.” Wes glared at his sister. “Shut up. Are you a child?” “Nancy broke up with you? Why didn’t you tell me?” I questioned. This was news. We always told everyone about everything. Riley was biting her bottom lip, looking down. Wes waved his hand dismissively. “I just didn’t want to worry you.” I pouted. Sure, I’d be worried. Wes met Nancy because of me. “I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault.” He smiled, patting my shoulder. “Hey, it’s getting late. I have an early meeting tomorrow.” “Oh, of course.” I nodded, then looked at Riley. “Are you go
SAVANNAH Two years later... I expected to see this day but didn’t expect to feel melancholy. Carter was packing his stuff in a big blue box, like someone who got fired from his job. But his expression was too joyful for someone leaving his post. I was happy for him at the same time. We’d worked together for a couple of years now, and we were so productive. Seeing him step down as CMO would make a drastic change for the office and the entire management. Well, he was following his dreams. He was leaving the entertainment world for a new career journey. He had finally built the perfumery company that he had wanted all along. As for me, I would be the new CMO and Rafe’s partner in life. Yep, that was the proper name for it. “Take care of my office, will you?” Carter said as he transferred his pile of old binders to a box. “You know what to do with these?” “Yes, when I needed ideas from our previous work. Visit us, okay?” He chuckled. “Come on, Savi. We’ve been practically a family e
SAVANNAH“A toast. For all of us!” Rafe lifted his champagne glass as we gathered after the program. The Estrellas and some familiar faces in the company had also joined us at our table. With that, everyone raised their glasses and then drank their champagne.“Thank you, darling.” Rachel put her glass down and clasped her hands. “You see, everyone. I’ve always asked myself whether this time will come, and I’ll be present to witness it.”Everyone turned silent.“But here I am, seeing all of you, celebrating our success. I can’t ask for anything more.” Her gaze stopped at Michael, and she smiled. “I’ve never felt so happy again until this moment. And to my husband and children. Thank you for making this possible, and congratulations to us all.”Everyone at the round table applauded and sipped on their drinks again.“Congratulations to the additional family member, too,” a sophisticated-looking woman in a blue gown commented. She seemed about Rachel’s age.“Oh, Anya is giving birth six m
SAVANNAHThree weeks later…After convincing Michael to officially meet the Sebastians, he hardly had any sleep. I could tell by the dark shades underneath his eyes and how he always asked me what to say to them. He looked nervous but was still very handsome, just like his brother. They were fraternal twins, but was it ironic that I was seeing a resemblance now?Someone knocked on the door, and then Rafe let himself in. “Is everyone ready?”Last week, I moved into his penthouse, which I basically consider my personal space now. We hadn’t told anyone about our engagement since we wanted his parents to meet Michael first and then our announcement. It should be private. He also insisted I invite Michael here yesterday so they could talk.In addition, Michael didn’t know there was a huge celebration in the company tonight. It was the sixtieth founding anniversary of Sebastian Entertainment Group and Rafe’s appointment as the new chairman. Michael had changed his ties many times now in fr
RAFAEL“A week after Mikhail went missing, and the news spread to the school,” I began the story I never told anyone. It tortured me to share this part of my life with someone, but not this me. Surprisingly, I felt fine. My tranquility was her doing.Savannah was now leaning on my chest with my arm on her shoulders on the bed. I loved smelling her vanilla-scented hair. We fucked and made love in the last three hours, but I still couldn’t get enough. I needed more of her.“The kids watched, the teachers felt sorry, and that was when Brett’s friends came to me. They told me what happened at the amusement park. We came back every day. Dad hired people to find him, but he was gone. He didn’t speak to me for a while.”“So you blame yourself because you thought he blamed you. Your dad mentioned something about it,” she said. That was probably when they spoke at the beach. “Why do you think he blamed you?”“I brought him there after school. Mikhail didn’t speak, but he understood me. I asked
RAFAELI couldn’t imagine their faces when I told them Mikhail was alive. Dad had lost hope. My mother still mourned in her sleep. Julian was young when Mikhail went missing, so he couldn’t remember much. My twin was a lost boy who never found his way back home. It had been three decades.I thought it was impossible. I thought when Brett showed me the papers, he was messing with me again, trying to destroy the sanity left in me. But when I saw Michael Gibson, the man who raised the only woman that brought me back to life, when he told me how he got lost before I could say anything, I knew it was him. It was a small world, but it took us time to find each other.It was her. Savannah brought him back to me.Mikhail wasn’t as he was twenty-nine years ago. I worried because of his speech disability, the world would be cruel to him, but he grew up as a man better than I’d become. He stood on his own and became a self-made man. He loved Savannah and protected her. I should be ashamed.I hur
SAVANNAHMichael and the girls were in the living room when Rafe left a few moments ago. They were staring at me with a googly as if waiting for me to say something. I wondered if my brother had told them anything. In addition, it was still strange to see Sofia sitting in our living room.I sat on the sofa across from them.“What now?” Riley said.I looked at my brother. “Do you mind me telling them?”Michael tensed up, folding his arms across his chest. “I supposed they already know, so there’s no point asking.”“Sorry,” I murmured.I started explaining from the beginning—about how Michael told me he was still looking for his family. My friends knew my brother was adopted, but we didn’t speak about it because it seemed unnatural. Michael was already there when I was growing up. My brother even surprisingly answered Riley’s questions.“Please, don’t tell anyone about this yet. Even with your parents, Sofia,” I pleaded.“Of course. I understand,” she said softly.
SAVANNAHMy whole body shivered. Rafe’s question only meant that they were talking about Michael. Gradually, I understood what was happening.There were things Rafael didn’t tell me. Things about him he couldn’t entrust others yet, especially to someone like me whom he had just met. That was human nature, so I understood and was still waiting. But things between the two of us kept getting deeper.It wasn’t just any person who’d accidentally become a part of his life.Rafe had a sibling (a twin) he’d lost many years ago, and it was my very own brother. The same person who raised me, the same person who carried and fed me as a child. It wasn’t just about his family—it was mine too.Rafe and I’s connection to the Reeds was already problematic. I wasn’t sure what to believe because the coincidence was too bewildering; it almost seemed impossible.Unable to answer or move, Rafe snatched my hand and dragged me to his car with brute force. My wrist was hurting, but the noise in my mind from
SAVANNAHThe past few weeks have been busy in the office. I missed Rafe terribly despite my anger at what happened in Long Island. His absence had me overthinking things about him and Erin—things he refused to tell me.I hadn’t heard from Rafe since his last message and only followed him on the news. He was in many meetings and conferences, but Billy and Carter assured me everything was going fine. They didn’t tell me when they were returning. I’d just take what I could get and let him explain when he returned.But today, I stood before his brother because I needed to leave early. Brett was picking me up to take me to Brooklyn, eagerly looking forward and hoping I’d meet Michael’s family. However, Carter had to bring another piece of news.“Rafe’s returning today.”A pool of emotions lifted up my heart. Excitement? Restlessness? I wasn’t sure. “He is? What time?”“Not sure, but he has probably left the office now.”I heaved an exhale. “Thanks for giving me an update every now and then
SAVANNAHI spent the next hour talking to Michael about Rafe. He’d love a bit of honesty, although I kept some privacy for myself. He listened, but he was frantic. My brother wasn’t the type to show it all throughout.“Savannah, that is not okay to leave a girlfriend alone at god knows where for any reason,” he pressed.“I know, but I don’t want to make an issue about it before hearing his explanation.”He shook his head. “You’re too kind.”“Well, I was raised this way.”He arched his eyebrow. “So it’s my fault.”“No! Because you’re too kind to me.” I held his hand. “Michael, we’re still new. He’s still figuring things out because the last time he had a relationship was over a decade ago.”“And you believed him?”“Yes. Why would a man lie about his relationship? As far as I know, men like to brag about it.”“Well… You’re not wrong, although I’m not the type,” he defended. “But please know that if he ever hurt you, he’ll have to face me.”I gave him a smile. “Thank you, but I’ll figure