Chapter 19 - The Fragile Firtress

Chapter 18: The Fragile Fortress

The high-stakes world of the Logans was never just about money; it was about who could hold the leash.

While Olivia sat in the wreckage of her life, the architects of her misery were busy playing a much older game.

Sebastian paced his study, his face a dark shade of red.

He had spent the morning in high-level meetings, but his mind was on the one person who hadn't shown up. He snatched his phone and dialed Vivian Sumall.

"You didn't show up, Vivian," Sebastian barked the moment she picked up. "No call. No message. You left me standing there like a fool while I was trying to close the Vanguard deal."

On the other end of the line, Vivian leaned back against her headboard, a bored expression on her face that contradicted the honey-thick sweetness in her voice.

"Oh, don't be like that, my love," she purred, her voice dropping into a low, sultry register. "I had a bit of a... situation. But don't worry.

I’ll make it up to you tonight. I’ll give you the baddest styles, my love. I’ll make you scream at the top of your lungs. You’ll be screaming my name all night."

Sebastian felt the anger drain out of him, replaced by a sudden, heavy heat. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He was a man who ruled a city, yet he fell for her every time.

"See you later, my love," Vivian added quickly, catching the shift in his breathing.

Click. 

The second the line went dead, Vivian’s face twisted into a mask of pure disgust. "You jerk," she fumed, tossing the phone onto the silk sheets

"What makes you think you can lie to me? You think I don't know you killed that man because of a woman and stole his assets in addition?

Just watch out for me, Sebastian."

At Chloe’s high school, the atmosphere was far from romantic. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard stood in the principal’s office, their faces etched with a terror that only parents know.

Their principal, Mark, hadn't come home. He had simply vanished.

The principal looked grave as he pulled up the security footage.

"We’ve done a full sweep of the cameras," he said, turning the screen.

The grain of the footage didn't hide the truth. Mark was seen walking toward the north gate.

Beside him, clutching her backpack, was Chloe. They exited together at 3:15 PM.

"They were last seen together," the principal noted.

"We haven't been able to reach the Hughes family yet. I suggest you check with Chloe’s sister, Mrs. Logan."

In the hospital room, Olivia sat by Magdalene’s bed. She had shed so many tears that her eyes felt like they were filled with sand.

There were no more tears left….only a hollow, echoing ache in her chest.

She held Magdalene’s pale, weak hand, smoothing the papery skin with her thumb.

The weight of the world felt like it was crushing her ribs.

Not hearing from Chloe earlier had been a worry, but knowing she was in the back of a van made Olivia feel like she was losing her mind.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, startling her out of her grief. She wiped her eyes and answered with a trembling voice.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Logan? This is the principal from Chloe’s school," the voice said. "I’m calling because we have a situation.

A young man named Mark Bernard has gone missing, and our security footage shows him exiting the school premises with Chloe this afternoon. Is she home?"

Olivia went numb. She was dumbstruck, her mouth opening but no sound coming out. The horror tripled. It wasn't just Chloe; an innocent boy was caught in this net because of her.

"Hello? Mrs. Logan? Hello..."

Click. The phone slipped from her fingers. She couldn't speak. If she told the truth, she feared the Logans would hurt Chloe.

Olivia stood up, her movements stiff. She couldn't stay here and wait for the collapse. She had to move. She knew the police would be coming soon to interrogate her.

She looked at her mother, who was finally drifting into a shallow, feverish sleep.

"I won't let them take you too," Olivia whispered.

She quickly hired a private, 24-hour caretaker for Magdalene, paying with a credit card Aiden had given her. She didn't care if he tracked her anymore.

She had to protect Magdalene from the truth; the stress of knowing Chloe was in danger would kill her.

Olivia stepped out of the hospital into the cool night air, her mind racing. As she reached for the door of a waiting taxi, a sleek, black car pulled up.

The window rolled down to reveal Aiden. His face was bruised, and his knuckles were bloody. He looked like he had been through a war.

"Get in,

Olivia," he said, his voice a jagged, desperate rasp. "My father didn't just take Chloe.