CHAPTER 004
1064 Words
CHAPTER 004
EMMA'S POINT OF VIEW
I stepped out of my room and the cold air in the hallway bit at my skin. It was quiet again, too quiet, but not the kind of quiet that allowed you to relax. No, this was the kind of silence that made you think something, or someone, was watching.
I couldn’t be locked in that room anymore. My thoughts weren’t helping me, and the walls were closing in. I had to move, to breathe, to figure out what I had gotten myself into.
I walked through the estate, keeping my hands close to my sides, brushing them against the smooth walls for some kind of anchor. I went deeper into the house’s maze with every turn. This wasn’t a home, it was a fortress, meant to keep people out and keep others in.
I paused when I got to the library. Soft voices drifted out from the double doors, which were slightly ajar.
My hand hovered over the doorframe, I hesitated.
A woman spoke, her voice sharp and dripping with venom, “She’s nothing, Logan.” “You’re wasting your time.”
I froze.
Logan’s voice came low and steady, but firm. “That’s not your concern, Isabelle,” he said.
Isabelle.
I opened the door a c***k, just enough to see them. Her long red dress clung to her like it had been painted on, her hands on her hips, she stood in the middle of the room. Her hair was dark and glossy, perfectly waving down her shoulders. She looked like she should be in a magazine, not standing here arguing with Logan.
His back to her, his posture tense, he stood near the window. I could tell from this angle that he was trying to keep his cool, but Isabelle… she wasn’t letting up.
Her voice was softer now, but no less cutting. “You’re making a mistake.” “She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t belong with you.”
His eyes were hard and unyielding, he turned then. “That’s enough.”
Isabelle smirked, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “If you think she’s going to make it in this world, you’re dumber than I thought.”
My heart was racing, so I stepped back. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be listening to this.
I was about to leave, but the door creaked under my weight.
Both of them turned.
When Logan saw me his eyes narrowed, but Isabelle... her lips curled up at the edges and into a smile and twisted my stomach.
She said, well speak of the devil and she sounded sweet but if there was sugar there, there was lemon as well. “Emma, isn’t it?”
I nodded, my throat dry.
Her heels in a click click on the marble flooring as she sauntered towards me. She was even more intimidating up close—taller, sharper, more beautiful than anyone had a right to be.
She tilted her head, looking me over, and said, “You must be feeling so out of place here.” “Poor thing.”
I didn’t know what to say. Her eyes stabbed into me like she was peeling me up, taking each flaw apart.
Logan cut softly through the tension. “That’s enough, Isabelle.”
But Isabelle didn’t stop. She came closer, so close I could see the faint scar on her jawline, barely hidden under her makeup.
She spoke low and private, just for me, “Do you even know what you’ve signed up for?” “Do you know what Logan really is?” What does this family really do?”
My chest tightened.
Logan warned again, this time his tone sharper. “Isabelle.”
Her eyes were locked on mine, she ignored him. “You think you’re special? ‘That he chose you for some grand reason?’” A soft, cruel sound of laugh emerged then. “He’s just using you as another move on his chessboard.”
Logan snapped, his voice loud enough to make me flinch. “Stop.”
But Isabelle’s smile faltered, only for a second. She straightened, brushing a hand through her hair as if none of this had touched her.
She said, her tone light but her eyes still icy, “I was just trying to help.” Logan faced her, and she smirked, glancing at him. “But fine. Have it your way.”
Her perfume lingered in the air after she was gone, and she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.
I stood there, frozen, until Logan’s voice broke the silence.
He said, his tone softer now, “Don’t listen to her.”
I clenched my fists at my sides and turned to him. “Is she right?”
His jaw tightened. “What do you mean?”
“Am I just… a pawn to you?” I asked, my voice catching. “Am I just here because you need me for something?”
Logan moved slowly, deliberately closer. He looked at me, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.
He spoke low and firm, “You’re here because I chose you.” “Not because I need you. Because I want you.”
My heart stuttered.
His scent was woodsy, smoky, intoxicating, and he was so close now. I hated how he made me feel, how it made me feel.
He continued, his eyes never leaving mine, “Don’t let Isabelle get in your head.” “She’s jealous. That’s all this is.”
My pulse raced, I swallowed hard. “Jealous of what?”
Logan faintly smiled, though there was not a hint of humor in it. “You.”
I wanted to laugh, to argue, to tell him he was wrong. The way he was looking at me, like I was the only thing that mattered in that moment, stole the words from my mouth.
He stepped back, putting distance between us before I could say anything.
He said, his tone returning to its usual coolness, “Go get some rest.” “You’ll need it.”
He was gone, and with that he was gone, alone in the library an ocean of questions and zero answers.
What had Isabelle meant? What was Logan hiding from me?
Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him, no matter how hard I tried?
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