From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 439

Chapter 439

Chapter 247: Miss Valentine

Reese

If there was one thing I knew for certain, it was this.

My father never did anything without a reason.

Not kindness. Not mercy. Not patience.

Reginald Blackwood didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be generous. He didn’t suddenly soften with age, nor did he ever

extend olive branches without a blade hidden in the leaves.

So if Savannah was allowed to stay here-

If she was permitted under this roof, breathing the same air as him-

then something was coming.

I just didn’t know what yet. And that was the worst part. Because

when my father plotted, the danger wasn’t always immediate,

Sometimes it took days. Sometimes weeks. He liked watching people

settle, liked letting them believe they were safe before pulling the

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ground out from under them.

No one ever saw it coming.

Savannah emerged from the bathroom a few moments later, and

despite everything weighing on my mind, I couldn’t help noticing her.

The clothes fit perfectly–River’s, apparently–and that alone

surprised me. A simple shirt and sweatpants outfit, understated,

modest, but it suited her in a way that felt effortless. Like she

belonged anywhere she stood, even here. Especially here.

She adjusted her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear, then folded

her arms loosely over her chest.

“Your father mentioned dinner,” she said. Her voice was calm, but I

could hear the uncertainty beneath it. “I don’t know… what should I

expect? How many people will be there? Is it everyone?”

“Everyone,” I confirmed.

She let out a quiet breath and sat beside me on the bed, shoulders

slumping slightly. “Oh boy. Dinner from hell.”

I huffed a small laugh, though there was no humor in it for me. I’d

survived more of those dinners than I could count, some of them are

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battlefields disguised by fine china and silverware.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Savannah,” I said

seriously. “I hope you know that.”

She nodded. “I know.”

Then she paused, eyes fixed on some invisible point in front of her.

“But I want to be there,” she added. “I’m going to have to face them

sooner or later anyway. Why not now?”

I studied her profile for a moment.

There was resolve there. Not bravado. Not recklessness. Just

acceptance. The kind that came from knowing you couldn’t outrun

something forever.

I shrugged. “Your choice.”

Silence settled between us for a few seconds. Then she spoke again.

“Ramsey mentioned something to me earlier.”

My shoulders stiffened. “About what?”

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She shifted slightly, clearly choosing her words. “Someone’s been

slandering me. Saying horrible, untrue things about me to your

siblings. Things meant to make them hate me without even knowing

me.”

That didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was how calm she

sounded saying it.

“That’s unfair,” she continued, her voice tightening now. “And

honestly… I’m curious. Why would someone do that? Someone I don’t

even know?”

I dragged a hand through my hair and exhaled slowly. “Savanah,” I

said, already tired, “one thing you need to understand about this

family is that people talk. Constantly. Gossip is currency here. If

someone doesn’t have facts, they make them up. You’d need skin

thicker than armor to survive under this roof.”

She turned to look at me, eyes sharp. “So you’re saying I should just

let it go?”

“In my opinion?” I nodded. “Yes. You don’t even know this person.

Giving them power by caring-”

“Exactly,” she cut in. “I don’t know this person. And yet they felt

entitled to tear me apart behind my back.” Her jaw clenched.

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“Whoever this Miss Valentine is-”

The name hit me like a slap.

“What did you say?” I asked sharply.

She blinked. “Miss Valentine. Ramsey said she was the one who

started the rumors. Whoever she is.”

My heartbeat slowed. Then everything clicked.

“When you say Miss Valentine like that,” I said slowly, “it sends a

message that you don’t know that’s Penelope.”

Her brows furrowed. “What?” She stood abruptly. “What do you

mean? What are you saying?”

“Penelope’s last name is Valentine,” I said, watching realization creep

across her face. “So if Ramsey mentioned a Miss Valentine, we’re

definitely talking about the same person.”

Savannah stared at me, stunned.

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” I continued. “You might not have noticed

it, but Penelope is extremely possessive with everything. Especially

when it bears the name Blackwood. You’re her enemy because Roman

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would pick you over her in a heartbeat. And she hates that.”

Her lips parted. “Wait… you mean Penny was the one spreading those

lies about me?”

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