Chapter 1 - A Logan's Wife

The walk to my boss's office has never felt this long.

I step off the elevator, and the carpet stretches into forever. Each step is heavy, slow, my heart racing.

My palms are sweaty. I wipe them on my skirt, but they're damp again before I've taken ten steps.

Come on, Olivia. You can do this.

You've done harder things. You've watched your father fade. You've held your mother while she cried over bills. This is just a conversation.

But Robbin Jonathan isn't just my boss. He's the man who gave me this job when no one else would.

The man who leaves granola bars on my desk because he noticed I skip lunch. The man I've caught staring.

I push that thought away. I can't afford to think about anything except the papers in my hand….the deal I secured. The account everyone said was impossible.

I knock.

"Come in."

His voice sounds strange. I open the door. He's on the phone, back half-turned, one hand pressed against his forehead.

"No, I understand that," he says, voice tight. "But you have to give me more time."

He pauses. His shoulders hunch.

"I know what's at stake."

Another pause.

"Yes. I'll handle it."

He hangs up and turns. For a moment, he doesn't see me. His face is pale, drawn. Then the mask slides into place. He smiles. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"Olivia. I didn't hear you come in."

"I didn't want to interrupt." I gesture at the phone. "Everything okay?"

"Fine. Business stuff." He waves a hand. "What can I do for you?"

I hold out the papers. "I secured the Harrison account."

Something flickers across his face…gone before I can name it.

"That's great, Olivia."

I spread the papers on his desk. "They wanted fifteen percent, but I talked them down to twelve. And I got a two-year contract. The upfront payment alone will cover….."

"That's great," he says again.

But he's not looking at the papers. He's looking through me.

"Everyone said it was impossible. The Kangs have been trying to poach them for years. But I researched their CFO, found out he's into local art, and I….."

"Olivia."

"....brought him to that gallery opening, and he loved it. He said he'd been looking for someone who actually understood….."

"Olivia, stop."

I stop.

Robbin looks at me now. Really looks. And what I see in his eyes makes my stomach drop.

"This isn't the time," he says.

"What?"

He runs both hands through his hair. "The company is bleeding, Olivia."

"I don't understand. The Harrison account…."

"Is a bandage on a bullet wound." His voice rises, then drops. "The Kangs have poached three of our biggest clients. Do you know how much we've lost?"

I shake my head.

"Millions."

He stands, starts pacing. I've never seen him like this. He looks like a man who hasn't slept in weeks.

"The war with the Kangs has been going on for two years. Eventually, someone runs out of resources. Someone has to surrender. And right now, that someone is us."

I grip the edge of his desk. "So what do we do?"

He stops. Looks at me. And for the first time, I see fear in his eyes.

"There's been an offer. A merger. With Logan Industries."

The name hits me like a physical blow. Logan.

"No."

"Olivia…."

"No." I step back. My hands are shaking. "You know what that family did to mine."

"I know." He reaches toward me. I flinch away. "But we're out of options. The Kangs are going to destroy us."

"Unless we make a deal with the devil?"

"Unless we accept help from someone who can actually provide it."

I laugh. Not a happy one. "Sebastian Logan destroyed my father. He stole everything and watched my father die from the shock."

"I don't want this either." His voice cracks. "But if we don't do something, everyone loses their jobs. You. Margaret, who has two kids in college. Me."

He moves closer.

"There's more. The merger comes with conditions."

"What conditions?"

He opens his mouth. Closes it.

"Robbin. What conditions?"

"The Logan family wants a union. Between the families. To seal the deal."

The words don't make sense.

"A union. Like a marriage?"

"Yes."

"Between who?"

He doesn't answer. He just looks at me with those red, exhausted eyes. And suddenly I understand.

"No."

"Olivia…."

"No!" My voice echoes. "You want me to marry a Logan? Into the family that killed my father?"

"It's Aiden Logan. Sebastian's son. He's not like his father. He keeps to himself. He's……"

"He's a Logan." I'm shaking so hard I can barely stand. "He carries the name. He benefits from money stolen from my family. Money that could have saved my father."

Robbin reaches for me. I jerk away.

"Please. Sebastian Logan sat in this office and told me if I didn't make this happen, he would destroy everything I've built. He can do it. You know he can."

I think of my mother. Her insulin. Chloe, studying by flashlight because we can't afford electricity. The stack of bills on the kitchen table.

I think of my father, killed by a man who couldn't let go of a grudge.

"What's in it for me?"

Robbin blinks. "What?"

"If I do this. What do I get?"

He exhales slowly. "Your family's debts. Paid. Your mother gets the best medical care. Your sister's education, fully funded."

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"The marriage. How long do I have to be married to him?"

"A year. One year. After that, you can walk away. It's in the contract."

A contract. The Logans love contracts. My father signed one. Look where that got him.

"I need to think."

"Olivia…."

"I need to think." I grab the Harrison papers, crumpling them. "You can't expect me to decide this in five minutes."

He nods. His face is gray. "Take all the time you need. But don't take too long. Sebastian Logan isn't patient."

I turn and walk out.

The hallway is endless, but I'm not counting doors anymore. I'm thinking about my mother's face when I tell her. Chloe's rage. My father, cold in the ground, and the man who put him there.

And Aiden Logan. The son. The one who's supposedly not like his father.

I wonder if he knows what his father did. I wonder if he's sitting somewhere right now, waiting to find out if some poor girl is desperate enough to sell herself to his family.

I guess I'm going to find out.

Because even as I walk toward the elevator, even as I press the button with shaking hands, even as I tell myself I haven't decided…..I know the truth.

I'm going to say yes.

For my mother. For my sister. For the future Chloe deserves.

I'm going to marry a Logan.

My phone buzzes as the elevator doors close.

A text from an unknown number: "He's not what you think. Neither is your father's death."

I stare at the screen, heart pounding.

I type back: Who is this?

Three dots appear. Then disappear. Then appear again.

"Someone who knows the truth. Meet me. Tomorrow. Central Library. Third floor. Come alone."

The elevator opens. I step out into the cold afternoon, gripping my phone.

I should ignore this. I should go home.

But my fingers move before I can stop them.

What truth?

The reply comes instantly: "About your father. About who really killed him."

The world tilts sideways.

Someone out there knows something.