Page 101 of The Secret Heir Next Door

“Logan, I wasn’t…”

“Can you take a breath and tell us what’s going on?” My father interrupts. “You’re accusing us of nonsense, but we don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Chaz came into Serena’s store and tried to intimidate her. Your golden boy just tried to bully the woman I love. Not only that, he harassed her—threatened her! He told her that if she gave him a blowjob, he could save the store for her.”

“He didwhat? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I walked in on him pinning her against the wall in her store. I heard the proposition. Not to mention, it was all recorded on her security cameras.”

“Logan, we didn’t ask Chaz to do anything like that,” my mother says, “I swear to you, we had no idea. We would never... We would never want Serena to get hurt. That’s not who we are.”

I let out a bitter laugh as I leaned against the brick facade, staring up at the gray sky. “You’ve covered for him his whole life. He’s never had to deal with the consequences of his actions because you’ve always cleaned up his messes. And now, look at what he’s done. He thinks he can push people around—threaten them—because that’s what you’ve taught him. He’s never been held accountable.”

My mom’s voice softens, and I can hear the strain, the regret, in her tone. “I know we’ve made mistakes, Logan. And I’m so sorry. But you have to believe me when I say that we never wanted this. We’ve been worried that she was after you for money, but we never wanted to see her hurt. I didn’t know Chaz would do something like that.”

My dad cuts in, his voice calmer but no less troubled. “Logan, you know your brother’s got a temper. But this isn’t on us. We didn’t send him to do this. If we’d known?—”

“Stop,” My voice breaks. I rub a hand over my face, trying to keep it together. “Just stop. You’re missing the point. It’s not just this one thing. It’s every time you’ve bailed him out, every time you’ve let him get away with hurting people. You’ve enabled this.”

My dad sighs heavily. He sounds old and more tired than I’ve ever heard, and it hits me in a way I wasn’t expecting. “Logan, we screwed up. I’m not going to argue with you about that. We’ve protected Chaz when we shouldn’t have, and that’s on us. But I’m telling you right now, we had nothing to do with today.”

I want to believe them. God, do I want to believe them. But there’s this lingering doubt, this constant second-guessing that’s been drilled into me after years of watching them maneuver every situation to their advantage. “He’s been out of control for years,” I say. “And now it’s affecting me. It’s affecting the people I care about.”

There’s a pause, and when my mom speaks again, her voice is filled with remorse. “I never wanted this. I never wanted him to turn out this way. I’ve been trying to figure out where we went wrong—why he keeps doing these awful things. And I’m sorry, Logan. I really am. I’m so, so sorry that Chaz went to this extreme.”

I lean back against the wall, closing my eyes. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard my parents sound like this—honest, vulnerable, admitting fault. But it’s also the first time I’ve had to confront just how deep this goes, how much they’ve contributed to the mess Chaz has become.

“We’ll handle it,” my dad says suddenly. “Don’t release the footage, Logan. Please. Let us deal with Chaz on our own. We’ll make this right.”

I let their words hang in the air, the silence stretching between us as I try to decide whether I can trust them. It’s been years since I’ve really felt like I could count on my parents for anything other than cleaning up Chaz’s messes, and I don’t know if this is any different. But hearing them like this, so broken over what’s happened, is almost enough to make me believe they mean it.

“Logan,” my mom pleads, her voice soft and pained. “You’re our son, and we love you. We just want what’s best for you, even if we haven’t always gone about it the right way. But please don’t shut us out. Let us fix this.”

I want to say something, to let them know how much all of this has messed with my head, how hard it’s been to stand by and watch Chaz get away with everything. But the words get stuck in my throat, tangled with all the years of resentment and disappointment. I let out a ragged breath, running a hand through my hair.

“I’m not doing this for you,” I finally say. “I’m doing this because Serena doesn’t deserve to be dragged into all of your bullshit. But I’m warning you—if Chaz so much as looks at her wrong again, I won’t hesitate. I’ll release the footage, and whatever happens after that is on you. I told him that he had to retract her eviction notice, too. I’m not playing his games anymore.”

There’s a moment of quiet, and then my dad speaks, his voice carrying the weight of all their mistakes. “We understand. And we won’t let you down this time.”

I don’t say goodbye. I just end the call and stare at my phone, my emotions swirling in a mess of anger, guilt, and something close to relief. I’m not sure if I can trust them, but it feels like a start—like maybe they’re finally willing to face the truth about Chaz.

I look back at Serena’s shop. She’s standing at the window with her arms wrapped around herself as she watches me. I put my phone back in my pocket and walk toward her, determined to keep my word. No matter what happens with my family, I won’t let them hurt her again.

Serena opens the door to let me in. “Hey,” she says softly, her eyes searching mine. “Are you okay?”

I nod, but it’s a lie. I’m far from okay. But looking at her, seeing how she’s trying to be strong even after everything that’s happened, I know I have to be—for her. “Yeah,” I say, reaching out to pull her into my arms. “I am now.”

She lets me hold her, and for a moment, it’s just us. I don’t know what will happen with Chaz, my parents, or any of the rest of it. But right now, with Serena in my arms, I know I’ve made the right choice.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m finally taking control of my life. And no matter what my family does next, I’m not letting go of that.

Not now. Not ever.

27

SERENA

Ican’t stop replaying it in my head—the way Chaz loomed over me, the smirk on his face as he cornered me in my own shop like I was nothing more than a chess piece he was determined to sweep off the board. It’s been hours, but the adrenaline still thrums through my veins, my heart beats too fast, and my mind keeps circling back to the same question:

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