The Divorced Heiress Is Entering a New Marriage

Work couldn’t go by fast enough. By the end of the day, I was exhausted from all of Dawn’s pointless demands. At one point, she had even sent me out to pick up her dry cleaning. What did this have to do with promoting the new HR rules?

When I was finally finished, I slinked into Logan’s office and collapsed onto one of his chairs. I’d been running around all day, my legs were sore and my cheeks hurt from fake–smiling.

“An assistant should always have a sunny disposition, Dawn had said during one of my many lectures throughout the day. If I see you without a smile, even once, I’ll take it as a personal insult.”

*Logan, unbothered by my arrival or my lack of decorum, continued to type away at his keyboard. I

wondered who he had help cover his emails in my absence. His other assistants did a well enough job, but none of them were attentive to the nuances of the various clients at Hatfield Supply.

“You look how I feel,” Logan said without missing a beat, fingers flying

over the keys.

“A rough day for everyone, then.”

“I’m almost done,” Logan said.

I lifted my head from the back of the chair. “Do you need help?”

“Rest,” he commanded, so I did just that. True to his word, he finished up quickly. He exhaled low as he leaned back in his own leather chair. “Hopefully Dawn will return you soon. I’m not sure how you finish some of these tasks as fast as you do.”

“Practice,” I replied. I was used to the mundane, menial labor. Logan, as CEO, was built more for attending meetings and putting out figurative fires. He shouldn’t have to write his own emails unless they were vitally important or to our VIP clients.

“Come.” Logan stood. “I have an idea which dress would suit you best, but I want to see if it suits you.”

With a groan, I forced myself out of my chair. This was mostly for show now, though. Yeah, my feet hurt and I was tired. But spending time with Logan was no hardship, even when I was exhausted.

In the garage, Logan opened the passenger door to his sports‘ car. Once I was inside, he closed the door behind me, then rounded the car and entered the drivers‘ side.

The car purred as he sparked the ignition. A sexy rumble from a car built for speed.

It showed that speed today, as Logan drove the long way around to expensive stores. At one point, we were so far out of town that I was starting to wonder if he was taking me to another city entirely.

He turned around then, and started the trek back downtown.

All the while, his hands were curled, white–knuckled on the steering wheel. He didn’t say one word to me.

I let the silence linger for a time, especially while he was exceeding the speed limit, but when his foot eased up some on the pedal, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Is something going on?” I asked him.

“What do you mean?” he replied, voice tight.

+25 BONUS

“You’re tense.”

As if only now realizing it, Logan inhaled a deep breath, then released his vice grip on the steering wheel into something looser.

“I’m fine.” he said.

“Logan.”

It’s

“It’s work stress, Hazel. That’s all.”

I didn’t know whether to believe him or not. The explanation was reasonable enough. As CEO, Logan was under a tremendous amount of pressure all the time, from the shareholders, the board, even his own employees. These HR rules hadn’t made things easier. And now he was covering for my job too.

But… I have an itch in the back of my mind that tells me there’s something else going on. Logan had a lot of secrets, I knew and accepted that, but this felt like something big and urgent. Something maybe he would turn to Dylan for, if Dylan was still speaking to any of us.

The tension stayed in Logan’s shoulders as I tried on the dress he thought I would like. It was a deep blue satin color, high–waist, with a fluttering knee–length skirt.

It was beautiful and hung perfectly. I shifted on my heels to show Logan the sway in the skirts, but his gaze had glossed over some. He was so far away, a thousand miles or so.

“Logan?” I asked, not for the first time.

He blinked, and finally focused on me. “Oh. It looks great. That’s the one.” Immediately, he became lost again.

I, too, liked the dress, but I’d hoped for a bigger reaction. No matter.

Logan bought me the dress and then drove me home.

“Would you like to come up?” I asked before I exited the car. “I could make dinner.”

“No,” he said, eyes on the road. “I have something I need to take care of.”

This new chasm between us felt too big to traverse. I wished he would confide in me, so I gave him one last chance.

“Logan. If something is going on, you can talk to me, okay?”

He startled, then glanced at me and gave one of those fake smiles I was coming to hate. “Everything’s fine. Go, have a good dinner. And I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

Dismissed, just like that. I tried not to let my disappointment show.

“Okay,” I said, and exited the car. Once on the sidewalk, I watched as he sped away.

Logan carried a briefcase to the HR offices. Evening now, most of the offices were empty – save one. Logan walked into Dawn’s office, straight up to her desk, and dropped the briefcase over her desk. “Five million dollars,” Logan said, voice low and cold. He’d leave no room for games. The time for that was over. This was a transaction, nothing more and nothing less. “I want you out of the country by

tomorrow, and I never want to see or hear from you again.” Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

Dawn’s hungry eyes focused on the briefcase. She swiveled it around and lifted the lid. Inside was piles and piles of cash, all neatly folded.

“I wanted it deposited,” she said, but didn’t sound particularly mad about it. Logan didn’t think she would. In fact, he imagined she would like to see the money like this. She probably wanted to roll in it.

Truthfully, he didn’t want the paper trail.

“This or nothing.” Logan knew she wouldn’t turn down the money once it was in her hands.

He was right. “This.”

“Delete the video,” Logan said.

will,” Dawn replied.

Not good enough. “Now.”

Logan watched over Dawn’s shoulder as she moved to the briefcase aside and opened her laptop. She went to the file and deleted it.

“Now empty the recycle bin.”

She did that too. “Satisfied?”

Logan didn’t reply.

Dawn glanced up at him. “Oh relax, Logan,” she said with a laughing smile. “We are both getting what we want. This is a good day.”

What Logan wanted was for Dawn to take a long walk off a short pier, but he’d settle for having him out of his face.

He knew, despite her words, that she wasn’t out of his life.

Blackmailers always wanted more. At some future point, this five million would run out, and Dawn would be back, demanding more.

Undoubtedly she had that video backed up in some secure location.

All he bought himself tonight was time.

If he truly wanted to save himself from her, he’d have to bring his relationship with Hazel to light.