Chapter 246

Chapter 246
Stella's POV

I should have felt triumphant. This was exactly what I'd wanted—Logan completely under my control, willing to betray his own family for me. But instead, I felt something crack in my chest, sharp and painful.

"I'm going to hurt you," I whispered.

"Probably." He turned his head and pressed a kiss to my palm. "But that's my choice to make, isn't it?"

Before I could respond, he released my hands and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the side table. "Now stop trying to scare me away with your whole femme fatale routine. It's not going to work."

"It's not a routine."

"Sure it isn't." He took a bite of the apple, then held it to my lips. "Come on. Eat this poison apple like a good little Snow White. I'll be your evil stepmother."

Despite myself, I bit down. The apple was crisp and sweet, juice flooding my mouth. Logan watched me chew with an expression of such open affection that I had to look away.

I curled back into his side, tucking my face against his shoulder. "I really do hope you'll be more ruthless," I murmured. "It would make this easier."

"Make what easier?"

Hurting you, I thought. Walking away when this is over.

But I didn't say it. Instead, I just shook my head and let him pull me closer.

Logan took another bite of the apple, his teeth sinking into the same spot mine had. "You know what I think?" he said quietly.

"I think you're not used to people being nice to you. And that scares you more than anything else."

My throat went tight. I didn't answer.

He set the apple aside and wrapped both arms around me, holding me like I might disappear. "It's okay. You don't have to trust it. But I'm not going anywhere, Stella. Even if you want me to."

Especially if I wanted him to.

I closed my eyes and let myself sink into his warmth. Just for tonight. Just for a few hours, I could pretend this was real. That I was someone who deserved softness and safety. That Logan wasn't just another piece on the board.

"You're either very stupid or very smart," I whispered. "I haven't figured out which yet."

"Can't I be both?"

The movie played on. At some point, the credits started rolling. I felt myself drifting, exhaustion pulling me under like a tide. Logan's heartbeat was steady beneath my ear. His fingers traced lazy patterns on my back.

I should get up. Go home. Put distance between us before this got any more complicated.

But I was so tired. And he was so warm. And for the first time in years, I felt something like peace.

When I woke, I was in an unfamiliar bed.

Panic spiked through me for half a second before I registered the soft sheets, the faint scent of Logan's cologne on the pillow next to mine. I sat up slowly, wincing at the ache in my shoulders.

Logan was lying on top of the covers beside me, still fully dressed. He'd positioned himself at the very edge of the mattress, like he was trying to take up as little space as possible. His hand was stretched out toward me, fingers just barely brushing mine.

In sleep, he looked younger. Vulnerable. The cocky mask he wore during the day had slipped away, leaving behind someone who just looked lonely.

I should have pulled my hand back. Put distance between us.

Instead, I laced our fingers together and closed my eyes.

For the first time in months, I didn't dream of fire or blood or my mother's face. I just slept.

When I woke again, it was to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee drifting up from downstairs. I sat up, pushing hair out of my face. Logan's side of the bed was empty, the sheets cool.

I found him in the kitchen, humming tunelessly as he assembled what looked like an elaborate breakfast spread. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit—way too much food for two people.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said without turning around. "I was starting to think you'd sleep through the whole day."

I glanced at the clock. It was barely eight.

"What's all this?"

"Breakfast. Obviously." He slid a plate across the counter toward me. "Eat up. You're way too skinny."

I stared at the food, then at the stack of papers sitting next to my coffee mug. "What's that?"

"Oh." Logan scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Those are from my dad's safe. I figured since you're, you know, planning to take him down, you might want to look through his private files."

My heart stopped. "You broke into Victor's safe?"

"Technically, I knew the combination. He's had the same one since I was a kid." Logan shrugged. "There's a bunch of boring legal stuff, some offshore account statements, and a few things I didn't really understand. I would've brought the gold bars too, but they're heavy as hell."

I picked up the first document with shaking hands. It was a loan agreement—Victor had used Mellon Aerospace & Defense as collateral for a personal loan. Which was not only unethical but potentially illegal, depending on how the company's charter was structured.

"Logan." My voice came out hoarse. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Not really." He poured himself a cup of coffee, completely unbothered. "Is it important?"

"It's leverage." I flipped through the rest of the stack, mind racing. Bank statements showing suspicious transfers. Emails discussing deals that should have gone through the board. Enough evidence to raise serious questions about Victor's management of the company. "This is exactly what I needed."