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“Nothing,” Mr. Montgomery replied, bringing my attention to him. “She will continue with her normal life.”
“Can I—”
“Absolutely not. You will never see my granddaughter again.”
“So just like that? I can’t even say goodbye to her?”
“You don’t need to make things harder than they already are.”
“Oh, this is hard for you, Grandfather?”
“Of course. Do you think I find satisfaction in what I’ve learned about your life?”
“How long have you known?”
“It’s irrelevant.”
“It isn’t to me.”
“This is a very small town. You’re a Hawkins. You should have known better. We’re simply saving you both from ruining your lives.”
“She’ll hate me if I just leave without saying goodbye to her. Please don’t take that away from me.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided to pursue a Montgomery,” her grandfather asserted.
“It’s not like that.” Hesitating for a moment, I added, “I love her.”
Their stares shifted to one another before Mr. Montgomery spewed, “What could you possibly know about love?”
I stepped forward and stood in front of his desk. “I know what it feels like to lose the two most important people in my life. Please don’t make me lose a third.”
“The decision has already been made, Tristian. One day, you’ll understand why I had to do this.”
“There’s no getting through to you, is there?”
He shook his head.
There was nothing else I could say that would make this right for me.
Nothing else I could do to make this hurt less.
Nothing.
Not. One. Damn. Thing.
Instead, I bargained, “If I agree to go, then you have to give me something, Mr. Montgomery.”
He narrowed his stare at me.
“You need to give Belle a chance at running your company.”
He jerked back. “Belle?” He chuckled. “She has no interest in—”
“How do you know? You ever talk to her about anything other than what’s expected of her? She obeys your rules, follows your every command. You have no idea who Belle is. She’s so much more than just your granddaughter. She’s smart, witty, and she loves with all her heart. Anything she puts her mind to, she’ll accomplish. I know that because I know her. I know her more than I know myself, Mr. Montgomery. With all due respect, you’d be a fool not to let her prove to you that she can excel in running your empire. I’ll leave if you agree to give her that chance.”
He leaned back in his chair, taking me in for a second.
The silence was deafening. The tension so thick that you could choke on it.
