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“I heard he didn’t spend the night with you,” her grandmother, Mary, said in a low voice as she nced over Emery’s shoulder, clearly searching for someone. “Is that true? What is going on?”
“Grandma-”
“Grandmother, that’s none of your business,” James cut in, dragging Mary’s suitcase behind him, his expression tight.
Mary shot him a sharp look. “How is that none of my business? Your sister just got married, and her husband. disappears on the first night? What do you think people will say ”
“He didn’t abandon me,” Emery said, cutting her off. “Grandma, I don’t know where you’re getting this-”
“You don’t know?” Mary snapped. “The servants have been whispering about it all night.” She turned and red at a few of them nearby, who were awkwardly pretending to clean while obviously listening in. Emery doubted they could hear much from that distance, but Mary clearly wasn’t convinced.
Mary’s eyes swept over the entryway onest time, her expressionposed but unmistakably disapproving. She turned to Emery.
“You just got married… and this—” she gestured lightly around the empty hall. “This is what greets us? Where is he? Why isn’t he here, seeing us off? If he truly hadn’t abandoned you on your first night as husband and wife, then where is he?”
“Grandma-”
“I have made my reservations about that man very clear,” Mary said, her voice smooth but clipped. “Your taste in men, Emery, continues to baffle me. I’ve let many things slide in the name of patience, but this?” She lifted her chin slightly. “This borders on humiliation.”
Though her words carried weight, her posture remained graceful, her voice never rising. She could have beenmenting on the weather. No one would have guessed she was mentally skewering Logan Hayes with every syble.
“Why didn’t he dare toe?” she added, her gaze narrowing.
Emery resisted the urge <i>to </i>sigh out loud. She turned toward Nina, who stood quietly beside Mary.
Nina gave a subtle nod and stepped in. “Grandma, maybe now isn’t the best time to dig into this. Emery just got married. It’s something she should handle herself.”
Mary raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I stay silent on a matter like this?<b>” </b>
“It’s not that,” Nina said. “It’s just… if you want her to grow into the woman you’ve always pushed her to be, then she has to face these things herself. You taught her strength. Let her prove she listened.”
Mary’s gaze shifted to Emery again, thoughtful now. Then Nina continued.
“She’s nearly thirty. If she can’t navigate something like this after everything you’ve taught her… then how will
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she ever stand before you and Grandfather with pride?”
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Mary said nothing for a moment. Then, slowly, she adjusted her gloves and turned toward the car. Not a word more, but the silence said plenty.
When Nina saw Emery’s reaction, she let out a soft sigh. “You can’t really me her, can you?” she said, ncing at Emery before shooting a look at James, who was brushing off his hands after helping the attendant load thest of the suitcases into the car.
“Of course I don’t,” Emery said.
She had known from the beginning that her grandmother had reservations about Logan, especially his background. Him disappearing right after the ceremony was exactly the kind of thing Mary would take as a personal insult.
Emery had expected this reaction. What she hadn’t expected was that her grandmother stayed the entire night. Her father and Deana hadn’t bothered. They left early, without asking a single question about where Logan had gone. Luckily, James stayed with her grandmother.
Nina shifted her weight and looked back at the estate. “How long are you staying in this ce?”
“A week. Then we’ll head back to the US,” she said.
After that, she’dunch her own business. A fresh start. No more operating under her father’s thumb–or anyone else’s. This time, she was doing it on her terms.
“You know your grandmother’s birthday is in a month. You should be there.”
Emery didn’t answer right away. In the past, her grandmother never made a fuss about birthdays–no gs, no announcements, just a private dinner with family. But this year, for reasons still unclear to Emery, Mary had decided to throw a full event. Something loud. Uncharacteristic. The invitations were already sent and she heard many influential people from all over the world were invited.
“She’ll be there,” James said, stepping up beside them. “I’ll personally make sure of it.”
“Alright, I’ll see you then, and don’t forget to call me. If you need anything, and I mean… anything,” Nina said before she stepped forward and pulled Emery into a brief hug. Then, without another word, she joined James and Mary in the car. A momentter, the door shut, and the vehicle pulled away down the driveway.
Once the car disappeared down the drive, a strange quiet settled in Emery’s chest. She chose not to dwell on it. Instead, she turned and walked in the opposite direction, her steps steady.
As expected, Logan hadn’te back during the night. She’d woken up alone, the other side of the bed untouched. But she didn’t let it bother her. She had her own ns and none of them included waiting around.
She made her way toward her room but stopped short when she saw someone already there.
Leaning casually against the doorframe was a familiar figure.
“Alina, right?” Emery said, offering a small smile. The woman with the auburn curls and sharp cheekbones
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nodded. She was a few inches taller, and with heels, Emery had to tilt her head just to meet her gaze.
“Do you have time?” Alina asked.
“Of course,” Emery replied. She stepped aside and gestured toward the door. “Please,e in.”
Emery stepped into the room, holding the door open as Alina followed behind her. She motioned toward the small seating area near the window before turning toward the cab by the wall.
“I can offer you tea or water,” Emery said as she opened the mini–fridge. “I don’t keep coffee around. Sorry.”
“Water’s fine,” Alina replied.
Emery grabbed a chilled bottle and handed it to her. Alina took it with a quiet nod, then walked over to the seating area and sat down. Emery followed and took the seat opposite her.
“I thought you all had left,” Emery said, adjusting the hem of her dress. “I didn’t see anyone after the ceremony.”
“There was an emergency,” Alina replied. “But no, we didn’t leave.”
Emery gave a small smile. She sat back, one hand resting on her knee. Internally, she noted the timing. It was too close to be a coincidence. She wondered, briefly, if whatever emergency had kept them here was the same one that had pulled Logan away.
Alina twisted the cap off her bottle, and then set it aside without drinking.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said suddenly.
Emery looked at her, waiting. She didn’t know for what yet. And she wasn’t sure she liked the fact that there was something to apologize for.
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