Page 100 of The Secret Heir Next Door

I hold up a hand, trying to compose myself. I can feel the adrenaline still coursing through me, but the panic is slowly ebbing away. “It’s not your fault, Logan. You got here just in time. Thank you.”

He approaches me—slowly—like approaching an injured deer. “I should’ve done more. I should’ve stopped him sooner.”

“You did stop him,” I say, forcing a shaky smile. “And that’s what matters.” I reach out and touch his arm. His warm skin grounds me. “If you hadn’t come in when you did...”

Logan’s expression hardens, his jaw clenching as he glances at the door. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t come near you again. I promise. And I’m going to get this whole eviction thing sorted. He won’t get away with this.”

I nod, letting his words sink in, and for the first time, the weight of everything that’s happened feels slightly lighter. It’s still there, the threat of losing my shop, the uncertainty of what comes next, but with Logan here, standing beside me, it doesn’t feel quite as impossible.

I’ve spent so long fighting alone, pushing everyone away, thinking I had to handle everything by myself. But maybe having someone in my corner willing to stand up for me isn’t such a bad thing after all.

“Thank you,” I say again, my voice barely above a whisper. “Really.”

Logan’s hand finds mine, squeezing gently, his touch reassuring. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad I was here.”

I look around the shop at the half-packed boxes and the broken bell on the floor. There’s still so much to do—so many battles left to fight, but right now, I’m just grateful that I don’t have to face them alone. For the first time in a long time, I feel this is a battle I can win.

I don’t need a white knight, but having one makes me feel stronger.

26

LOGAN

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I just need a minute,” she says softly.

“Okay. I’m…going to go outside and get some fresh air,” I tell her.

I glance at her one more time to assure myself she’s okay, and then I head outside. I pace on the sidewalk. I’m ready to rip someone’s head off.

Who the hell does my brother think he is? What he just did was criminal.

How many times has he gotten away with something like this?

I can’t stand still. My hands shake and my blood is boiling as I pace outside Serena’s shop. I’ve never felt this kind of rage, a fury so consuming that I don’t know what to do with it. Chaz. Of all people, it had to be him.

I’m furious at him for cornering Serena and daring to put his hands on her. But more than that, I’m livid at myself for not seeing this coming. I should have known. I should have stopped him before it ever got this far.

I lean against the brick wall, trying to steady my breathing. The city sounds around me are too loud, grating on my nerves. I close my eyes, but all I see is Serena’s face—her fear, her shock, the way she tried to put on a brave front even when Chaz had her cornered. I squeeze my hands into fists, feeling utterly powerless. How did things get this bad?

I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at it, my thumb hovering over my dad’s contact. I’ve had enough of this. My family has gotten away with too much for too long, and I can’t keep pretending like I’m okay with it.

Not anymore. I dial the number, my grip tightening as the phone rings, and when my father answers, I don’t even wait for a greeting.

“Did you send him?” I snap, not bothering to hide my anger. “Did you send Chaz to harass Serena?”

There’s a moment of stunned silence on the other end, and then my dad’s voice comes through, confused and defensive. “Logan, what the hell are you talking about? We didn’t send Chaz anywhere. Calm down.”

“I’m not calming down!” I shout, pacing again. I can feel the anger seething under my skin, hot and relentless. “You think I don’t know how this works? You’ve been pulling Chaz out of trouble his entire life, and now he thinks he can just do whatever he wants. He walked into Serena’s shop and cornered her. He nearly?—”

I can hear my dad fumble with the phone, and then my mom’s sharp voice cuts in. She’s on speaker now. “Logan, sweetheart, what is going on? We didn’t know anything about this.”

“Do you expect me to believe that after the way you attacked my fiancé at the party? You guys were rude, judgmental assholes, and now you send Chaz to do your dirty work.”

“Logan, women like Serena are only after one thing. At the party, we were trying to protect you, to get you to see that she’s only after our money.”

“I actually have a lot more to offer than money. Did it ever occur to you that she loves me for everything but my money?”

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