Chapter 146

The moment Logan asked, Bethel became animated, gesturing wildly. Her voice came out raw and broken. "It was... someone did—"

The doctor walked in just then and quickly intervened. "The patient shouldn't be speaking yet. Family members, please hold your questions. Let me examine Mrs. Landry first."

Logan frowned, but Axel placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let the doctor check on your mother. Everyone's safe. We'll get answers soon enough."

Logan pressed his lips together and nodded.

After the examination, the doctor confirmed Bethel was out of danger. She'd inhaled a significant amount of smoke and damaged her vocal cords, but rest would heal both in time.

Once the doctor and nurses left, Logan handed Bethel a notepad and pen. "Mom, if you can't talk, write it down. Tell me exactly what happened yesterday."

Bethel grabbed the pen and scrawled furiously.

She held up the notepad for Axel and Logan to read.

[Someone deliberately locked the green room door from outside.]

Logan's eyes narrowed to slits. Something murderous stirred behind them.

Bethel kept writing.

[The power strip in the room caught fire on its own—the whole room went up in seconds. Cordelia broke the lock with a metal rod. That's the only reason we got out.]

Logan's gaze darkened.

This matched what his own investigation had turned up. The fire originated inside the green room. He'd initially wondered whether the two women had argued and accidentally spilled water on the power strip.

But if someone locked the door deliberately, this was something else entirely.

The question was—how had they made the power strip ignite?

Bethel wrote again.

[Is Cordelia's hand okay? She got me out, then collapsed in the doorway. I couldn't move her. I had to go find help.]

The worry in Bethel's eyes was unmistakable. Logan's expression grew even more impenetrable.

Axel drew Bethel gently against him. "Cordelia's fine. The doctor already bandaged her hands. Don't worry. She saved your life—that makes her family."

Logan nodded. "Mom, you had a terrible scare yesterday. Get some rest. I'll take care of Cordelia."

As he finished speaking, he noticed someone hovering outside the door, peering in nervously. He strode over and opened it.

Kaida stood there, fidgeting, with Sherry behind her.

The moment Kaida saw Logan, guilt dragged her gaze to the floor. "I'm... I'm sorry, Mr. Landry. I was so worried about Cordelia—I just wanted to check on her."

Sherry cleared her throat and stepped forward. "How is Cordelia?"

Logan's handsome face was carved from ice. "The doctor says she's out of danger. But she has burns on her hands and back, and her throat is damaged. She needs serious rest."

Sherry's brow furrowed. "The director—"

Logan cut her off. "I'll handle him. If they need to recast, I'll cover the breach-of-contract penalty myself."

Nothing mattered more than Cordelia's health. And she certainly couldn't film in this condition.

Sherry nodded. "Okay."

If the man was willing to personally foot the penalty, what else was there to say?

Logan turned his cold gaze on Kaida. "Where were you yesterday?"

As Cordelia's assistant, Kaida should have been by her side at all times. Instead, she'd abandoned her post.

Kaida's head dropped lower. Her voice cracked. "There was a family emergency. My parents called..."

She swiped at her eyes as she spoke, drowning in self-blame.

If she'd stayed with Cordelia, would this have happened?

Cordelia was lying in a hospital bed, and half of it was her fault.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Landry. Fire me. I deserve it. If I'd been there yesterday, none of this would have happened."

Sherry watched the girl crumble under the weight of her own guilt and decided to speak up.

She looked at Logan. "Mr. Landry, this looks deliberate. Even if Kaida had been there, she'd have just been one more person locked inside that room."

Logan's face remained taut, his blue eyes glacial.

Sherry was right. If someone had targeted Cordelia, an extra person on scene would only mean an extra casualty.

"Have you found any leads?" After bringing Cordelia to the hospital, he'd kept vigil all night. Most of the investigative legwork had been handed off to his assistant, Fox.

But Fox had turned up very little. Sherry knew the production better—she might have different intel.

Sherry shook her head. "The hallway cameras were completely destroyed in the fire. There's no footage left."

The fire had started inside the green room. There was no way to determine exactly how it began.

But one thing was certain: someone had locked that door on purpose. Someone wanted Cordelia dead.

The reasoning was simple—it was Cordelia's green room. Bethel getting caught inside was collateral damage.

Whoever had planned this couldn't have anticipated Bethel showing up on set that day.

"I won't rest until I find whoever did this to her." Logan's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.

---

The three of them were still talking when rapid footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Logan looked up. Nathan was approaching fast, Bianca trailing behind him.

"Is Cordelia doing better?" Nathan asked immediately.

His refined features were drawn tight, eyes full of concern.

"That's none of your business." Logan's cold stare slid past Nathan to the woman behind him.

Bianca felt the hostility in his gaze but forced herself forward. "Mr. Landry, there's no need for that. We're just worried about Cordelia."

Logan let out a derisive laugh. Then his voice sharpened. "Ms. Johnson—you stopped me to chat yesterday, completely out of the blue. You wouldn't have known something was about to happen and deliberately stalled me, would you?"

The color drained from Bianca's face. She felt Nathan's gaze shift toward her.

Panic flashed in her eyes. She shook her head rapidly. "Why would you say that? I didn't do anything."

Logan's stare was bottomless, laced with bone-deep frost. "Really? Because you approached me—something you've never done before—and the moment you had my attention, Cordelia was trapped in a fire. Everyone knows you two have issues. Am I wrong to be suspicious?"

Tears spilled down Bianca's cheeks like a string of pearls snapping loose. "Mr. Landry said it himself—everyone knows we don't get along. If I wanted to hurt her on set, I'd basically be signing my own name to it. Why would I do something that stupid?"

Her gaze swung to Nathan, eyes pleading.

"Nathan, do you believe me?"

Nathan pressed his lips together. He stepped between Bianca and Logan. "If you have evidence, show it. If you don't, stop throwing accusations around."