CHAPTER 6 A RESTLESS NIGHT

CHAPTER 6

A RESTLESS NIGHT

The Loghan family dining room was not only grand.

It was warm.

Tall candles burned along the surface of the old oak table, casting golden reflections across antique silverware and expensive crystal glasses arranged with perfect elegance. The aroma of rosemary roasted lamb blended with the sweet scent of apple pie prepared by the family kitchen, creating a feeling of nostalgia that belonged to a gentler time.

Geby sat at the end of the table, wearing a simple yet elegant black dress. Happiness had softened her features, making her look younger than her years.

Her gaze moved between Aron and Catherine, occasionally meeting Jeremy's eyes as he quietly observed the young pair sitting across from them.

Tonight, Aron Loghan seemed different.

He was not silent.

He did not disappear after taking the first few bites of dinner.

He even turned toward Catherine several times, offering small comments and almost allowing himself to smile.

"So, you don't mind staying here for a few more days?"

Aron's voice was calm, but there was a warmth in it that surprised her.

Catherine nearly choked.

She was not used to hearing such a gentle tone from a man like Aron Loghan, especially when the invitation involved staying at his family home.

"If that is acceptable to you, sir," Catherine answered carefully, keeping her voice professional despite the sudden nervousness.

"Of course."

Aron took a slow sip of his red wine.

Even his own mother could never fully predict Aron Loghan.

Geby watched the conversation carefully, like a strategist observing a delicate negotiation where one wrong move could ruin everything.

"Aron..."

Her voice was gentle.

"Did you know Catherine's father was once an honorary professor at Oxford?"

Catherine lowered her gaze slightly, understanding exactly what Geby was doing.

She was highlighting Catherine's background.

Her family.

Her reputation.

"She graduated at the top of her class from Cambridge, speaks three foreign languages, and her father is a respected professor of modern politics."

Geby continued proudly.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Aron admitted it without hesitation.

Not because he disliked Catherine.

He simply had never cared enough to ask.

"You should meet him someday."

Geby continued pushing.

"Perhaps."

Aron did not reject the idea.

And that small response was enough to make Geby's hope quietly grow.

"Maybe one day we can all share a meal together at this table."

Aron understood exactly what his mother wanted.

Tonight, he decided to give her a small performance.

Enough to calm her worries.

"This house has been too quiet for too long."

Jeremy cleared his throat, pretending to warn his wife.

"We are getting older, Jeremy. This family needs a new generation."

"Hopefully I am not too old to consider your advice."

The words made Geby freeze.

For a moment, she looked genuinely surprised.

"Is it too much to hope for a miracle soon?"

Aron did not answer.

But he did not refuse either.

And for Geby, that was enough.

Sitting beside him, Catherine felt her heartbeat quicken.

Not only because Aron Loghan was undeniably captivating.

But because, for the first time, the cold and untouchable man beside her seemed as though he might finally allow someone closer.

Perhaps...

Something could begin.

The night grew deeper.

The grand Loghan estate became silent.

Everyone had already retired to their rooms.

Everyone except Catherine.

She stood beside the tall window, looking out at the dark and peaceful Yorkshire landscape.

The wind moved through the curtains, brushing against her skin as warmth returned every time she thought about the man who had always seemed impossible to reach.

Why was he acting like this?

Why now?

Was this hope?

Or was it only...

A coincidence?

A coincidence that they were in his childhood home.

A coincidence that they were surrounded by quiet countryside, where old stone walls and gentle rain created the atmosphere of a forgotten romance.

Catherine could not deny the truth.

She had admired Aron Loghan for years.

But she also knew the reality.

Aron was not a man who fell easily.

Not a man who opened his heart.

So when he finally showed signs of letting someone in, Catherine did not know whether she should believe it.

Or fear it.

Near midnight, her phone suddenly vibrated.

One message appeared on the screen.

Meet me in the library.

Now.

Alone.

Catherine quickly put on a thin coat over her nightwear and walked through the long, silent corridors of the castle.

Her heart beat faster with every step.

Aron wanted to meet her in the middle of the night.

Only the two of them.

No one could know.

The timing was deliberate.

He had waited until everyone was asleep.

The library door was slightly open.

Warm golden light spilled through the gap.

Catherine entered.

Aron stood beside the towering bookshelves.

In his hand was a phone screen still glowing.

"Thank you for coming."

His voice was direct.

Catherine nodded.

Aron stepped closer and showed her the screen.

A photograph.

A woman.

Dark hair.

Striking gray eyes that looked almost unreal.

Catherine stared at the image.

She recognized her immediately.

The waitress from the restaurant earlier that day.

"I want this woman."

Aron's voice was quiet.

But certain.

Catherine slowly looked up.

"For the surrogate arrangement?"

Her question was careful.

Aron held her gaze.

"Not only as a surrogate."

A pause.

"But also for a marriage that will bind her to me completely."

Silence filled the room.

Catherine almost forgot how to breathe.

"Find her for me."

Aron's tone remained calm.

But there was something beneath it.

Something darker.

"Whatever it takes."

Catherine gripped the edge of her coat.

Something inside her cracked.

She did not understand what hurt more.

The feeling of losing something she had never truly possessed.

Or the realization that, for the first time, Aron Loghan wanted something not because of logic.

Not because of strategy.

But because of a desire she could not compete with.

"You will stay here for a few more days."

Aron continued.

"You will handle this."

Only then did Catherine realize.

This was the reason he had asked her to remain in Yorkshire.

He had already prepared everything.

"Follow my instructions."

Catherine lowered her eyes.

"Understood, Mr. Loghan."

And at that moment, something inside her quietly broke.

Because Aron Loghan had already made his decision.

He was not searching for love.

He was preparing his revenge.