Chapter 12

Chapter 12


Brianna's point of view. 

I burst into the King's mansion, my heart pounding with rage and a sense of helplessness. I had been thinking about doing this for the past few hours, and I intended to give Logan King a bit of my mind.

I found Logan at the study, sitting right behind the desk, all smug, and looking satisfied with himself. I walked towards him with my blazing eyes.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" I spat, "Canceling the wedding without even talking to Brenda or me first. You don't know what's trouble you've caused."

Logan raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his face. "Oh, I think I do," he said. "I in fact know exactly what I'm doing."

I felt fire burning within me from his tone, but I controlled it. "Don't poke your nose in the business of our family," I said. "This is between Brenda and my father, not you."

He leans back in his chair, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Ah, but it's not just Brenda and your father, is it?" he said. "It's about you, too. And our little...arrangement."

I felt a stone's weight fall inside me as the reality hit me: Logan was trying to bring up our one-night stand and use it against me.

But I was not having it. I was livid that he would even try to bring it up.

"Don't even try to go there, Logan," I hissed. "That was a mistake, and it's not relevant to this conversation. So just drop it."

Logan faltered in his amusement for just a second, and then the mask slipped back on. "Fine," he said, "I'll drop it. For now. But let's get back to what matters. The wedding is off, and there is nothing you can do about it."

I felt that surge of anger rise within me at his words but tried to keep my cool to think clearly to find a way out of this mess.

"You're really screwing up, Logan," I said. "Trust me, you're going to regret this."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it," he said. "But we'll see about that, won't we?"

I turned to leave, but not before giving Logan a scathing look. "This isn't over," I said. 

Logan just smiled. "I'm counting on it," he said. 

I walked into Brenda's room and found her lying on the bed. She stared blankly towards the ceiling. She looked lost and hurt, and my heart went out to her. 

I sat down beside her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, sis," I said softly. "How are you doing?" 

Brenda turned towards me, and tears finally gushed out of her eyes. "I am so humiliated, Brianna," was all she could say, her voice full of tremors. "I feel like such a fool. I allowed Dad to manipulate me into getting engaged to Logan, and now it's all fallen apart." 

I pulled Brenda into a hug, holding her tightly as she cried. "It's not your fault, Brenda," I said. "Dad's been playing games with us for years. We're just pawns in his game of power and control." 

Brenda pulled away from me, swabbing her tears with a tissue. "I know," she also said. "But it's tough to not feel as if I've failed at something. Like I'm not good enough." 

With both of her hands in mine, I looked her straight in the eye, "You are good enough, Brenda," I said. "You're an amazing person, and you deserve so much better than what Dad's been trying to force on you." 

Brenda smiled slightly, looking a little more hopeful. "Thanks, Brianna," she said. "Just talking to you makes me feel a little better." 

I smiled back at her, feeling a sense of relief. "That's what sisters are for," I said. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking and laughing as the two of us tried to forget all about the dad-and-Logan drama in Brenda's life.

We did watch movies and played games for the day. We even had a spa day with a whole load of face masks and manicures that we styled the whole day in.

As the sun was setting, she looked at me with a smile. "Thanks for today, Brianna," she said. "I've really needed this."

I hugged her tightly. "Anytime, sis," I said. "We're in this together, always."

Huddled, a strange sensation came over me. I was prepared to go to all extremes just to protect Brenda, helping her tide over this difficult phase. And I was going to ensure that Dad and Logan did not get away with their manipulative games.

I pulled back and studied Brenda, shaping a plan in my mind. "You know, sis," I said. "I think it's time we took matters into our own hands. Are you with me?"

Brenda was all sparkly-eyed with excitement. "Always," she said.

As the evening continued, Brenda and I kept going through the documents and research we gathered. We were close to revealing the secrets of our father's business, and Logan's family.

Just as we started to get somewhere, we heard the noise of a door opening up front. Our father, George Conners, stepped into the house with a demeanor that struck us as very calm and composed.

Brenda and I looked at each other. This was not what we were expecting from our father. He'd been fuming earlier, one would expect he'd be still in the same mood upon getting home.

Instead, he appeared to be almost…calm. His face looked unfurrowed, while his eyes had an odd gleaming, sinister light. 

"Hello, girls," he said, his voice low and smooth. "I see you're still hard at it. Good, good. I'm glad to see you're taking an interest in the family business." 

Another exchange of glances between Brenda and me: this time, one of confusion.

Why exactly was our father acting all cool and collected?

"Dad, what's going on?" Brenda asked. "You seem- different," her voice hesitant.

Oh, I'm just feeling a little bit... relieved, that's all," he said. "I think I've finally found a way to manage all the stress I have accumulated... on me for days. 

Looking at our father, I felt a cold shiver run through my spine. There was something about him that did not seem right, something that made me feel more uneasy and frightened.

"Dad, what have you done?" I whispered under my breath.

His smile widened, leaning forward with eyes glinting with some sinister light. "Oh, my dear girls," he said. "I have perfected a little affair that has been gnawing at me. Now everything is going to be perfectly fine.”