“Mad isn’t the right word. Maybe wary.”
“That makes me so sad.” She sounded sad, but her expression barely changed. Botox, perhaps?
“At least I said more than one word.”
She broke into a girlish giggle. Was that a new thing? Logan didn’t remember her making that sound before.
“You always could make me laugh.” She patted the couch beside her. “Why don’t you come sit over here instead of in that chair where I can’t be close to you? Am I that repugnant to you?”
Her expression turned wistful, and a surge of guilt hit him. What if she had genuine feelings for him? He was treating her badly… using her. He had to end it now.
“Allegra, this isn’t going to work. I can’t keep seeing you. ”
“That’s not fair.” Her wistful look vanished, anger in its place. “You never even gave us a fair chance. You already had your mind made up before we started.”
“It’s not fair to you to keep pretending I’m interested in you. I haven’t gotten over Ellery.”
Her ice blue eyes narrowed. Could they do that if she’d had Botox?
“Ellery’s gone, Logan. She left you. I made that mistake once, and I’ll never do it again.”
“I’ll try to win her back.”
“Why? Why choose her over me?”
“Maybe because I’ve learned that beauty really is more than skin deep.”
“I’m not talking about her face.” She waved off his comment with a flip of her hand. “You’re saying you think Ellery is a better person than I am. I get it. You think she’s some kind of perfect innocent, righteous angel, and I’m some evil oppressor.”
The description was fairly accurate. “She is better than you!”
Unperturbed, Allegra crossed her arms. “You believe I’m rich and spoiled. But if you’re honest, you’ll realize you and I both are.”
“I won’t deny it. But Ellery’s made me a better man. At least I’m trying to be.”
“And there’s the real difference between Ellery and me.” Allegra aimed her index finger at his chest. “With Ellery, you’ll forever be trying to please her and forever falling short. But I love you just the way you are. I always have.”
Her words rang true, but she’d lied to him before.
“If you ever really loved me, you had a funny way of showing it.”
“Logan, I know I hurt you when I broke up with you five years ago, but I had a reason.”
To his surprise, fat tears began to roll down her cheeks, leaving a black mascara trail behind. He could count the times he’d seen her cry on one hand. Had she enhanced her acting skills in the last five years? He tamped down the automatic sympathy rising inside him. He couldn’t let himself be manipulated again.
“I get it. You had to choose between being with me and keeping Daddy happy, right?”
Years of pent-up anger made him lather on more sarcasm than he should have. He regretted it when her tears flowed faster, her nose turning red.
“You don’t understand what kind of man my father is, Logan. I know your stepfather did some awful things, but Dad has… he’s destroyed people. Literally ruined their lives.” Black now ringed her eyes like a raccoon as she swiped at her wet cheeks with her trembling fingers. “With him, it’s about money and power. I’m fairly certain he’s driven at least one man to suicide.”
“And now that I’m a billionaire, I’m good enough to be with his daughter?”
Why was the idea so disgusting to him? Hadn’t that been his goal all along when he’d set his mind to acquiring wealth? And hadn’t he worked out every day and honed his body, all to prove Allegra had made a mistake? His end goal was accomplished. His five-year dream was unfolding before his eyes. Yet it sat in his stomach like sour milk.
“I didn’t hear it from him, but that’s what Chester told me. Dad and I haven’t been on speaking terms since he forced me to break up with you.” Her voice cracked, her gaze dropping to her lap where her hands twisted together. “I never forgave him.”
This time her act failed to win his pity. After all, she’d been given a choice between being with Logan and pleasing her father, and Logan had lost. Obviously, she hadn’t cared as much as Logan had.
“He didn’t force you to do anything, Allegra.” His tone was dry and emotionless. Dead. The way he felt inside. “You could’ve stayed with me. Whatever kind of threats he made, surely you don’t think he would’ve carried through. He wouldn’t destroy the life of his own daughter.”
“You’re right. I know he would never hurt me… not like that. It would’ve made him look bad. And he never threatened to destroy me.” Her lips quivered as she lifted soulful, red-rimmed eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. “His threats were aimed at you.”
It seemed Logan had just closed his eyes when the signal went off at his front gate. He grumbled as he climbed out of bed and padded down the hall while the annoying beeper continued to chime.
He hadn’t fallen asleep until early morning. Allegra’s revelation had set his mind spinning—reevaluating everything that had happened. He wasn’t quite sure he bought her story. Had she really sacrificed herself to save Logan? If she’d truly cared about him, wouldn’t she have found a way to be with him?
But as he’d tossed and turned in his bed, he suddenly realized none of it mattered. It was time to let go of the past. To stop fostering bitterness. As if blinders had fallen from his eyes, he finally saw his life in context… the whole picture. As his anger dissipated, the surprising emotion left behind was gratitude. Maybe God didn’t hate him after all. Maybe everything had happened because of some greater plan.
Logan squinted at the monitor, trying to focus his scratchy eyes on the man on the screen. Chester! “It’s seven thirty in the morning. Why are you at my gate?”
He’d decided to forgive the man, as his mother had years ago. But deciding to do it and actually doing it were two different things. At the moment, he still despised his stepfather with every fiber of his being.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“I was awake until three a.m.” Logan yawned. “Go away.”
