Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 271

Garry's gaze swept over Willa's face.

He hadn't cared much whether she joined the family before; he wasn't nearly as demanding or invested in his daughter-in-law as Diana Yates was.

But after what had just happened? He'd have to be insane to let her through the door now.

His head was clearer, and he could think straight. He was fairly certain nothing had actually happened between them. He might have been drunk, but he still knew his own body. The problem was the optics—a man and a woman, alone in a room together. Even if they were innocent, no one would believe it.

He had every reason to suspect this was a trap Willa had laid, a desperate play to marry into the Powers family.

"Willa, let me be frank," Garry said, his voice firm. "Whether Sheridan marries you is his decision. I'm his father, but I can't force his hand in this."

Willa scoffed internally, a flicker of contempt crossing her face as she kept her eyes lowered. She knew the old fox would try to brush her off with excuses. The truth was, Garry was the patriarch of the Powers family and held the controlling stake in Starlight. Sheridan, on the other hand, had neither authority nor power—he was nothing more than a useless puppet. Garry could easily control his son; it was just a matter of whether he wanted to.

"Mr. Powers," she began, her voice calm but weighted, "I'm carrying Sheridan's child, and now this has happened. If I can't marry him, I'll be ruined. I won't be able to show my face in public again."

With those words hanging in the air, she slowly rose to her feet. She numbly gathered her clothes and started for the door.

Garry's brow twitched. He was a smart man and knew exactly what she meant: if her reputation was destroyed, she'd take the Powers family's down with it.

He had navigated the corporate world for decades, always the one setting the traps, never the one caught in them. Now, some young girl had him backed into a corner, and she had leverage.

Watching her retreat, Garry's expression darkened. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

Just as Willa reached the door, he finally broke the silence. "Fine. It's done. I'll make the arrangements. Go home and wait for my call."

Garry was a businessman. The Powers family fortune was part inheritance, but the vast majority of it was an empire he had built himself. He knew better than anyone how to weigh the costs and benefits, and to him, Sheridan's marriage was insignificant compared to the family's legacy. Besides, Willa was carrying his grandchild. Letting Sheridan marry her to quiet the whole thing down was an acceptable loss.

Susan wiped her hands on a towel and went to answer it. The moment she picked up, her sister Zena's frantic voice came through the line. "Susan? Is my Carla at your place?"

Susan's feelings toward Zena had already soured because of what had happened with Seren, and they had only worsened when she heard Zena was planning to marry Carla off to Garfield from Elegance.

Hearing her sister's voice, her expression immediately chilled. "No."

"Her engagement to Garfield is tomorrow, and she's disappeared! Susan, can you please help me find her?" Zena was frantic. Carla had left the house that morning and hadn't come back. She wasn't answering her phone or responding to texts. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

It was obvious she didn't want to marry Garfield. She had run away.

With her husband, Thurman, out of town, Zena was at a complete loss and had instinctively turned to Susan for help. Growing up, the two sisters had always been close. When Zena had married Thurman, he was just a young man with nothing to his name. Their life had been a struggle, and Susan had frequently helped them out. Later, when their father, Old Mr. Rutledge, stepped down from the Rutledge Group due to his health, he had intended to leave the company in Susan's capable hands.