From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 469

Chapter 265: The Next Level

Savannah

Sleep never came.

I lay in the room with Roman all night, twisting beneath the sheets,

my body restless even when exhaustion pressed heavy behind my

eyes.

Every time I closed them, I felt it-that crawling sensation along my

spine, the certainty that someone was watching. Even without the

camera, even after Reese and Ramsey had removed it, the feeling

refused to leave. As though the walls remembered.

As though eyes still lingered where lenses once were.

River had whispered before midnight that she could find out the

guard’s name through Calder. She said it with the same confidence

she used when talking about her routines or the little things she’d

observed over time. Still, the idea unsettled me.

Calder Hudson was clearly loyal-maybe fanatically so-to Reginald.

T

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Loyalty like that wasn’t something you cracked open easily.

But we didn’t have options.

Reese had insisted we wait until morning. Calder manned the

cameras overnight while Randall had dinner, and showing up

would have been stupid. So I lay awake, listening to Roman’s

breathing and memorizing it.

then

When morning finally crept in-soft blue light stretching across the

windows-I felt hollowed out.

Reese came early and stayed behind to watch over his brother while

River and I slipped away before breakfast. The manor was still half-

asleep, its halls quiet except for distant footsteps and the soft

whispers of the servants.

We stood in front of Calder Hudson’s door, my heart lodged so high in

my throat it was painful. “Should we knock?” I whispered.

River didn’t answer. Instead, she reached out and twisted the handle.

It was locked.

Only then did she knock-two sharp raps-followed immediately by a

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Chapter 469

cheerful call. “Mr. Hudson?”

She turned to me casually. “He usually only locks it when he’s

showering.”

I stared at her. “You’ve… been here before?” I asked slowly.

She nodded. “Lots of times.”

I bit back the response clawing at my tongue. My God. This wasn’t a

crush. This was something else entirely.

Before I could process that thought, River knocked again. “If he doesn’t answer, I’ll just check by the plant for his spare key—”

The door opened. And my jaw very nearly hit the floor.

Calder Hudson stood before us in nothing but a towel-one that was barely doing its job. It hung low on his hips, unsecured, clutched tightly in one hand as though he’d grabbed it in a rush. Water clung

to his skin, tracing down a broad chest, over defined muscle, disappearing beneath the fabric. His hair was damp, darker than it

usually is, droplets sliding down his temples.

He had clearly been in the shower.

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Chapter 469

The realization made something uncomfortable coil in my stomach.

How closely had River been watching him? Has she been watching

him shower?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

“Miss River?” he said, confusion flickering across his face. Then his

gaze shifted to me. “Madam.”

I had to take a second to gather myself when he spoke. His voice was

deep. Steady. The kind that carried authority even when he was

standing half-naked in a doorway at dawn.

“Hello,” I managed.

He nodded politely, then looked back at River. “Does the General

require me, miss?”

“No,” River answered far too quickly.

His brows drew together. “Do you need fresh roses, Miss River?” he

asked, professional to a fault despite his state of undress.

River didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes were glued to his chest.

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Chapter 469

“Yes-um. But later. I mean-” she started, already spiraling.

I stepped forward, cutting in before she could dissolve completely.

“Mr. Hudson, could we have a word with you?”

He frowned slightly.

Wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong ideas.”

like that. So basically, Calder’s here to repay a debt.”

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