Chapter 272

Chapter 272
Anna’s POV
Logan's lips curved into a smile that never reached his eyes. "Surprised to see me, Anna?"

The realization crashed over me like a wave of ice water. If it was Logan that night at Olympus Club, then our encounter hadn't been a drunken mistake—it had been deliberate. Calculated. Planned.

"It was you all along." My voice turned to frost as the pieces clicked into place. My fingers curled into fists at my sides, nails digging crescents into my palms.

Frantic knocking erupted from the hallway. "Ms. Shaw? Are you alright?" Rachel's voice was tight with concern.

"I'm fine," I called back, never taking my eyes off Logan. "Stay outside."

Logan gestured to the elegantly arranged tea service on the side table. "I thought we might talk."

The casual domesticity of it—as if we were old friends meeting for a pleasant chat—ignited something primal inside me. I grabbed the nearest teacup and hurled its contents directly into his face.

"Quite the mastermind, aren't you?" My voice barely contained my fury. "What you did that night wasn't just deception—it was assault."

He calmly wiped the tea from his face with a monogrammed handkerchief. "Is that what you tell yourself? That you were a victim that night?" His tone carried a dangerous edge. "We both know otherwise."

The thought that I'd been intimate with this man—multiple times—made bile rise in my throat. I could barely look at him without feeling physically ill.

"I'm getting engaged to Marcus Murphy," I stated flatly, drawing every ounce of composure I could muster. "I love him, and that won't change. The children are mine alone—they have nothing to do with you."

Logan refilled the teacup I'd emptied onto his shirt with infuriating deliberation. "Your denial means nothing. I am their biological father."

He reached into his jacket pocket and extended a folded document. My stomach dropped as I saw the bold heading: "DNA PATERNITY TEST."

Suddenly, everything clicked into horrifying clarity—Logan's visit to Brown Manor to "see the children" had been to collect DNA samples. His declaration that he'd loved me even when I was pregnant, his willingness to accept children that weren't his—except they were. His desperate efforts to save Benedict... It had all been because he knew.

I stared at the names printed on the report—Logan Porter and my son's name side by side—feeling like the universe had played a cosmically cruel joke on me. One moment of abandonment, one night of weakness, and here was Logan, holding leverage over my entire life.

"Even so, my decision stands," I said, ice crystallizing around each word. "The children are mine, and Marcus is the man I've chosen."

Logan's eyes narrowed slightly. "If Marcus learns I'm their biological father, how do you think he'll feel? Will he still want to marry you?"

My chest constricted violently. Marcus knew the children weren't biologically his, but if he discovered their father was Logan Porter—a man he'd invited into our home, who'd held our children...

I refused to let my panic show. "He already knows these children aren't his. They're mine by birth, and I decide who gets to be their father."

"As their biological father, I have rights to custody and visitation."

My blood turned to liquid nitrogen. "You intend to fight me for custody?"

His silence was answer enough.

I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "Then bring it on." I turned to leave, my heels clicking decisively against the hardwood.

"Anna." Logan's voice stopped me at the door. "Haven't you considered that we should be a family? That we belong together? If you marry me, it would be the perfect ending."

A laugh escaped me—bitter, cold, devoid of humor. "I would never marry a man who deliberately raped me."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Remember what you've said today."

The comment struck me as strange, but I pushed it aside. I would never be with Logan Porter—that was a promise I made to myself.

In the car, I didn't bother hiding anything from Sean as I gave Rachel instructions. "Logan wants to fight for custody. Rachel, discuss security measures with Clayton. Find a way to enhance security at Brown Manor without raising suspicions."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Ms. Shaw, is Mr. Porter really the children's father?"

I leaned back against the leather seat, exhaustion settling into my bones. "He visited Brown Manor and took some of Benedict's hair for a paternity test."

The realization that Logan had planned this all along made my skin crawl. "Look into what happened that night. I was at Olympus Club—why did I end up at Sapphire Sky Hotel? Someone must have seen me."

Sean frowned, thinking back. "We were drinking with a large group. Both you and Catherine were intoxicated. When Catherine went to the restroom and didn't return, you insisted on finding her. I escorted you to the ladies' room, but then someone called me away urgently. When I returned, you were gone. A staff member said someone had taken you."

"At that time, we all thought it was your family member, so we didn't follow up on the matter," Sean continued.
I understood his thinking. Security at the Olympus Club is very strict—anyone picking me up would have to be either my friend, an acquaintance, or a family member.
If Logan had come to pick me up, security would definitely have let him through.
As I thought about this, my brow furrowed even more.
"Did anything unusual happen at the Olympus Club that night?"