Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Knock, knock, knock—

Three sharp raps on the door pulled Cordelia from a hazy, restless sleep.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, dragged herself out of bed, and opened the door. The exhaustion on her face was impossible to miss as she looked at the man standing there.

"Morning," she mumbled weakly.

Logan's eyebrow arched. His gaze landed on the dark circles under her eyes, and amusement tugged at his lips. "Were you out sneaking around all night?"

Cordelia shot him a glare, her expression pitiful. "I was nervous."

Logan let out a low chuckle and reached up to gently touch her slightly swollen eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't sleep at all last night."

Cordelia swatted his hand away. "And whose fault is that? This is all because of you."

If he hadn't sprung this whole 'meet the parents' thing on her out of nowhere, she wouldn't be this much of a wreck.

She'd tossed and turned all night, only managing to drift off early this morning—and then he'd come knocking.

She hesitated, then reached out and caught Logan's hand. "Maybe we should skip this time. I—"

Logan cut her off immediately. "You'd really let Rhys go alone? He'll be terrified without you there."

Excuses. That's all they were.

Cordelia deflated. "But I don't think we're at that stage yet—meeting the parents... What if your mom and dad don't like me?"

"Not possible." His voice was certain. "If I like you, they'll like you."

Cordelia pressed her lips together, still torn.

Logan didn't give her a chance to waver. He steered her back inside. "Go wash up. Get the puffiness down. I'll pick out your outfit. We'll eat breakfast and head over. Relax—I'll be right there. My parents won't give you a hard time."

Between his coaxing and cajoling, Cordelia let herself be half-dragged, half-persuaded to the Landry Estate.

Unlike Nathan's villa, the Landry Estate sat atop a hillside, surrounded by lush greenery. The entire hilltop belonged to the Landry family.

The front gate alone was enough to take her breath away.

Logan parked the car and scooped Rhys into his arms first, then extended his hand toward Cordelia. "Come on. Let's go."

Cordelia stared through the window at the rows of household staff lined up outside. Her scalp prickled with nerves.

But she was already here. She steeled herself and stepped out.

A man in a formal butler's uniform inclined his head respectfully. "This must be young Master Rhys and Ms. Borgia. Mrs. Landry and Mr. Landry have been expecting you. Please, follow me."

Cordelia nodded politely to the butler, gathered the hem of her dress, and followed.

They passed through the front hall—and then kept walking. And walking.

Cordelia leaned in close to Logan's ear, curiosity getting the better of her. "Is your family's place really this big? How much farther?"

She'd worn heels today. Her feet were already aching.

Logan reached over and took her hand. The corner of his mouth curved upward. "Almost there."

But when he turned away, the smile faded. His brow creased involuntarily.

His parents had been desperate to see Rhys. Yet they hadn't come to the door to greet them in person. That could only mean one thing.

He'd brought her here himself. If they dared make Cordelia uncomfortable, he wouldn't be pleasant about it either.

Just as Logan promised, they didn't walk much farther before entering the living room. A middle-aged couple was visible on the sofa from across the room.

The woman—Bethel Grey—was elegant and poised, her features soft with warmth. A gentle smile rested on her lips, giving the impression of someone easy to get along with.

The man—Axel Landry—was more imposing. His handsome face bore a striking resemblance to Logan's, though sharpened with a few more degrees of severity.

Cordelia's heart climbed into her throat. She pressed her lips together and willed her expression not to freeze.

Logan held her hand and stepped forward. "Mom, Dad. We're here."

Bethel rose first. Her gaze landed on Cordelia, then shifted to Rhys.

She stepped closer and gently took Cordelia's hand. "So you're Cordelia. You're even prettier in person—more beautiful than you look on TV."

Cordelia hadn't expected her to have watched her shows. Heat crept into her cheeks. "Mrs. Landry, it's lovely to meet you. I brought some gifts—I hope you'll like them."

Bethel glanced at the butler beside her.

The butler smiled and nodded, confirming that the staff had already unloaded the gifts from the trunk.

Bethel patted Cordelia's hand. "That's very thoughtful of you."

Then she released Cordelia's hand and turned to Rhys. Her composure wavered, emotion rising visibly in her face. She crouched down in front of him. "Rhys, I'm your grandmother. Has your mommy told you about me?"

Rhys frowned at the teary-eyed woman before him and instinctively shrank behind Logan.

A flicker of hurt crossed Bethel's face. But she rallied quickly, smiling through it. "That's okay. We'll get to know each other. Why don't you stay here tonight and keep Grandma and Grandpa company?"

Rhys didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Cordelia. "Is Cordelia staying too?"

The question caught Cordelia off guard.

"I have work tomorrow," she said. "I can't stay."

Rhys shook his head immediately. "Then I don't want to stay either."

Bethel's smile dimmed. She looked at Cordelia. "I didn't realize Rhys was so attached to Ms. Borgia."

Cordelia was puzzled herself. The little guy was never this clingy with her normally. What had gotten into him today?

Before she could explain, Logan spoke first. "Rhys was sick for a while. Cordelia took care of him around the clock. Of course he's close to her."

Bethel's expression softened slightly as she regarded Cordelia. "That must have been a lot of trouble for you, Ms. Borgia."

Cordelia offered a small smile but didn't respond.

Even someone with zero social awareness could sense the coolness beneath Bethel's politeness. But to her credit, the woman hadn't been openly unkind.

Then Axel, who had been silently observing everything from the sofa, finally spoke. His tone was measured and even. "If you want to see him, just have Logan bring Rhys around more often. If the boy doesn't want to stay, don't force it."

Bethel considered this and nodded. She turned to Logan. "Bring Rhys home on weekends when you're free. Your father and I want to see more of him."

Her eyes reddened. "He looks so much like your brother."

Logan saw the grief rising in her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Come on, Mom. Let's not go there today."

He looked down and gave Rhys a small nudge. "Rhys, this is Grandma. And that's Grandpa. Say hello."

Rhys shuffled forward reluctantly and mumbled, "Hi, Grandma. Hi, Grandpa."

Bethel's eyes brimmed with tears instantly. "Yes—yes, good boy. Such a good boy."

The tearful reunion stretched on for a while, until the butler appeared and cleared his throat gently. "Lunch is ready. Shall I have it served now, or would you prefer to wait?"

Bethel dabbed at her eyes and smiled, taking Rhys's hand. "Rhys must be hungry. Let's eat now."

But Rhys stiffened at her touch. He pulled his hand free and ducked behind Cordelia again. "Cordelia, I want to sit next to you."

The living room went still.