Chapter 3

It had been a while since I last visited the company, but yesterday’s surprise visit—and my run-in with Lily Grant—seemed to rattle Logan. His usual calm, calculating nature finally wavered. Before six in the evening, he showed up at our home, insisting on taking me to a newly opened Michelin-starred restaurant. It had been over a month since he last took me out to dinner, ever since Lily appeared in our lives. From a psychological perspective, when a man suddenly becomes overly attentive, it’s often a sign of guilt. As he carefully cut my steak, placing it in front of me like a devoted lover, I met his gaze and asked lightly, “Aren’t you busy handling the Gray Corporation? How do you have time for a dinner date?” He put down the knife, took my hand, and pressed a soft kiss against my fingers. “Nothing is more important than you.” I smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. “The Gray Corporation isn’t easy to deal with. We should eat quickly and head back. You shouldn’t let personal time affect your work.” Logan’s jaw tightened at the mention of the Gray Corporation. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, only focusing on his food. Then, in a low voice, he said, “Olivia, it’s time for you to take action.” I let out a soft laugh, twirling my wine glass between my fingers. “Everyone knows you have a famous hypnotherapist at your disposal. Alexander Gray won’t agree to meet with me that easily.” “To take them down, we need their core secrets. And the only way to get them is by hypnotizing Alexander Gray himself.” His voice dropped, unreadable. “But he’s cautious. Hard to get close to.” I set my glass down, my pulse steady even as tension laced the air between us. “What are you suggesting?” Logan hesitated, then said, “You should find a way to get close to him.” A cold laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “You want me to seduce him?” His grip on my hand tightened, his expression darkening. “Of course not! That’s not what I meant.” He exhaled sharply, his voice turning soft as if trying to placate me. “I just mean… he’s still single. He has high standards, and you’re the most exceptional woman in the business world. If you can gain his trust, even for a few minutes, you can hypnotize him.” I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I studied him, watching for the cracks beneath his composed surface. For years, we had worked side by side. He relied on me more than anyone, and I had done countless things for him—crossed lines I never thought I would. But this? This was different. Beneath the flickering candlelight, his desperation bled through. “You’re worried about my safety, yet you were ready to throw me into the fire,” I murmured. “Why not have Lily arrange a meeting? If she can get me in a room with him, I’ll handle the rest.” Something flickered in his gaze. “Lily has only been here for a month. She’s inexperienced, naïve. If things go south, she won’t be able to get out unscathed.” His words hit me like a slap. He was worried about her. Not me. A slow realization crept in, unraveling the illusions I had clung to. Logan had never truly trusted me—not fully. He had always kept his distance, guarded against the one woman who knew him best. And now, faced with the choice of sending me or Lily into danger, he hesitated… because he cared for her. I inhaled deeply, suppressing the cold dread settling in my stomach. “You’ve been using me to your advantage for years,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “And I let you—because I loved you. But my love doesn’t mean you get to trample all over me.” Logan remained silent, but his fingers curled into fists. I had never been a woman who blindly followed a man. That was part of why he had admired me—because I couldn’t be controlled. But now, I saw it for what it was: a liability to him. Most importantly, he feared me. Because despite all these years together, he still wondered if I had ever hypnotized him. Little did he know, I had never needed to. What I had never told him was that I knew Alexander long before Logan entered my life. Alexander Gray wasn’t just an ordinary businessman. He was a legend—ruthless, brilliant, and utterly untouchable. Even in the worst economic crisis, his empire had remained unshaken. And Logan wanted me to manipulate a man like that? Impossible. I picked up my wine glass and took a slow sip, letting the silence between us stretch. “This matter ends here,” I said finally. The romantic dinner he had arranged, meant to be an apology or a distraction, ended in suffocating tension. The ride home was eerily quiet. Logan’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles white. I could feel his frustration vibrating off him, his resentment simmering beneath the surface. Maybe, for the first time, he realized he couldn’t bend me to his will. Maybe, for the first time, he realized I was no longer the woman he could manipulate so easily. And then, just as we stepped inside the house, he snapped. Logan had always been controlled, cold-blooded even. But tonight, for the first time, he lost control. His anger exploded. And I? I simply smiled. Because now, I knew something he didn’t. He had already lost me. _________