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“I know exactly what I’m talking about. You tricked my son into marrying you and into making that boy his heir.”
“That’s not at all what happened.” Even as she said the words, Savannah knew she was wasting her breath. “And you have no way of proving that it did.”
“But I can prove that Dylan isn’t Rafe’s biological son. The last time he was here, I took a sample of his DNA and had it tested.”
What after all this time could have prompted Siggy to do something like that? Was it because she and Trent had joined forces and were threatening his business? Her relationship with Trent while she lived in New York had never been a secret, but Siggy rarely paid attention to his son’s activities. Would he have been aware that they were romantically linked? Or because he’d never viewed Savannah as being good enough to be Rafe’s wife, had Siggy merely been grasping at straws?
“It doesn’t matter what you can or can’t prove. Rafe wanted a son and he got one.”
As she spoke, Savannah began to calm down. Siggy would have a hard time contesting the will. Rafe never specified that he was leaving the stock to his biological son, and Rafe’s name was on Dylan’s birth certificate as his father.
“But I can drag this issue through the courts for a very long time. And when the DNA tests come back, you’ll get to explain to Trent why you’ve been lying to him all this time.” Siggy looked pleased with himself, leaving Savannah to wonder what he knew or what he thought he knew. “Meanwhile, I’ll be taking back control of my company.”
Now Savannah understood what Siggy was driving at. She’d helped Trent provoke his father and this was the result. And she knew Siggy was right about Trent. He’d be furious that she’d lied about Rafe being Dylan’s father all this time. The only thing Savannah could do to salvage the situation was to figure out how to negotiate so Dylan’s paternity never became public knowledge.
“You want your company back? I want to be out from under the debt your son created.”
Siggy’s eyes narrowed. “What are you offering?”
“I’ll sign the stock back over to you if you’ll give me the million I owe. It’s Rafe’s debt, not mine, and you and I both know the stock is worth way more than that.” At
least until the company went under.
“If we go to court, I’ll get my stock and I won’t have to pay you a cent.”
“Are you sure? Because if you take me to court, I’ll make sure everyone knows how badly the company is doing. Including the royalties not being paid to your artists and how close you are to bankruptcy. In the meantime, I’ve hired Fred Hammer to take over as CEO, and his first act will be to fire Gerry and have him arrested for embezzlement. Think about it.”
Leaving behind an uncharacteristically speechless Siggy, Savannah made her way out of the house. Head held high, but knees wobbling with each step, she made it to the driver’s seat of her car before deflating with an enormous exhale. Determined not to break down while in sight of the house, she started the car and headed down the street. Savannah turned into the first parking lot she reached, found a vacant spot and shut off the engine.
Her forehead was halfway to the steering wheel when her phone rang, startling her. Convinced Siggy was calling to level more threats at her, Savannah was tempted not to answer. But she was a mother before anything and knew she at least had to check to see who was trying to get hold of her.
To her surprise, it was Corrine Scott, the agent she’d signed with late the previous afternoon. Corrine’s offer of representation was the second one she’d received, and after spending half an hour with her, Savannah knew Corrine understood her priorities as a single mom as well as her preferences for roles.
“Hi, Corrine.” With the way her day was going, Savannah braced herself for bad news. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“I didn’t expect to be calling you so soon either, but when we spoke yesterday you said you were interested in looking at some movie projects. I had dinner with a producer last night and pitched you to him. He just sent over a script for a part that sounds perfect for you.”
“Wow,” Savannah said with a startled laugh. “You work fast.” Her head was spinning from the rapid seesawing of her fortune over the last hour.
“Sometimes the perfect match between client and project takes a while—other times the stars align. I know you’re flying back to Vegas, but do you have time to swing by and pick up the script to start reading?”
Savannah hadn’t built in enough time for all the detours she’d encountered this morning. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back.
“I’ll be by in half an hour. Would you possibly have a little time to talk about something of a personal nature? I could use an impartial point of view.”
If Corrine was surprised that her new client was reaching out for some personal help, she didn’t show it. “Sure. I’m happy to help any way I can.”
Next, Savannah called the airline and changed her flight to later in the day, and then contacted Melody to give her the new schedule. As much as Savannah wanted to hug her baby boy, she had a legal issue and needed professional help.
Her phone rang again as she drove to Corrine’s office. This time it was Trent.
“Melody said you were delayed in LA because of a project.”
“I’m heading to my agent’s office right now.”
“Sounds like things are moving for you already.”
“I’m surprised that they are. I never imagined she’d be able to find me something so fast. Of course, it’s only an audition.” Nevertheless, Savannah was consumed by optimism.
