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    “I told you…. I’m alright,” Emery said again, her voice muffled against Logan’s neck. “You don’t have to carry me like this. Logan, everyone’s staring.” She tried to hide her face, but that only made her more aware of the dozens of eyes following them.


    After beating Gabriel into the floor, Logan hadn’t even bothered to clean himself properly. He had grabbed Daniel’s abandoned white coat, wiped his bloodied knuckles on it, and without a word scooped Emery up into his arms. Now he carried her through the hall like she weighed nothing, one arm under her legs, the other bracing her back.


    She could feel the stares digging into her. Her grandmother’s announcement earlier had already ced her under a spotlight–everyone in the room now knew her as the heir to Mary Be’s fortune. And now, with Logan carrying her out in full view, no one would forget her face again. Sadly, she knew there was no way around it. To leave the hall, you had to pass through the center, and there was no chance of slipping away unnoticed.


    “Logan.”


    The voice came from their right. James had stepped forward, his ss of wine set aside, his eyes locked on them.


    Logan stopped walking but didn’t put Emery down. His gaze flicked toward James, his tone firm. “You shouldn’t leave your sister behind alone all the time.”


    James didn’t answer right away. He studied them, his lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, his voice came, low and even. “What happened?”


    “Nothing,” Logan replied, his expression unreadable. “But Emery needs to rest.”


    James’s eyes shifted to his sister. Emery still hadn’t lifted her face from Logan’s shoulder. She didn’t want to meet James’s stare, not with the weight of the crowd pressing around them.


    “I’ll tell Grandmother,” James said atst.


    Logan gave a short nod, nothing more, and then resumed walking.


    The next thing Emery knew, the noise of the hall was gone, reced by the hum of a car engine. She blinked, realizing she was already seated in the back of a sleek ck vehicle. Logan had slid in beside her, his arm still tense around her waist as if he didn’t quite trust her to sit upright.


    “Doctor will be ready when we arrive,” Logan told the driver tly,


    Emery groaned softly, adjusting herself on the seat. “I told you, I’m really fine,” she muttered.


    Logan didn’t answer. He sat beside her, staring straight ahead. His jaw was set, his hands sped tightly together, but not a single word left his lips. The silence stretched, and the longer it dragged, the more Emery’s thoughts spun.


    By the time the car finally slowed, it felt like hours had passed. They pulled up to a two–story vi styled with clean wooden lines and a tiled roof, Japanese in design, withnterns glowing faintly along the pathway.


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    Logan got out first, opened her door, and without asking, scooped her up again. Emery let out a long sigh but didn’t argue this time. She was too tired.


    Inside, the smell of cedar wood filled the air. A physician she had never seen before was already waiting in the living area, medical bag in hand. Without wasting time, he gave her a thorough check.


    “The Madam is a little shaken,” the physician concluded, packing up his tools. “But both she and the child are fine.”


    Emery exhaled, her shoulders dropping in relief. “Thank you. You may leave now.”


    The physician bowed lightly and excused himself. When Emery looked up again, Logan had already moved to the bar. He poured himself a ss of wine, downed it in a few gulps, then refilled it without saying a word.


    Emery sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Are you going to say something?”


    Logan’s shoulders rose and fell. He finished the second ss, poured himself another, then finally turned his head toward her.


    That silence pushed Emery to her feet. She walked closer, her tone firm. “Logan, you can’t just beat people like that.”


    This time, he looked directly at her. The vi was quiet now. It was clearly just the two of them. His gaze held hers without blinking.


    “What if people heard themotion?” Emery pressed. “I know you have protocols, but Logan—


    “What was I supposed to do?” Logan interrupted, his voice sharp enough to cut her off mid–sentence.


    Emery blinked, startled into silence.


    Logan set the ss down and began moving toward her. “That man harmed you. Did you expect me to shake his hand?”


    Emery straightened her back, refusing to back down.


    “Gabriel is a very dangerous man, Emery. Do not underestimate him.”


    “I was unharmed, Logan. Did you not hear the doctor just now? I was fine. Both times, I fainted before, yes, but I was fine. And I’m fine now.”


    But Logan didn’t stop. He kepting closer until the edge of the couch pressed against the back of Emery’s legs. She tried to lean away, but his hand caught her arm, pulling her forward instead. Suddenly, she was upright, her body pinned close to his.


    Their faces were inches apart, so close she could see the strain in his eyes, the sharp lines of his jaw. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was about to kiss her, but Emery could feel the tension humming through him, it wasn’t desire, it was anger, fear, and something heavier that he refused to name.


    “You are the mother of my child,” Logan said, his voice rough.


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    …


    “The child is safe,” Emery answered quickly, holding his gaze. “I am safe.”


    Logan’s grip tightened on her back. “It could have gone the other way. And I can’t take that.”


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    Emery’s breath caught in her throat. His grip was firm, his body heat pressing against her as if he could shield her from the world by force alone. Her pulse hammered in her chest, so loud she was certain he could hear it.


    “I can’t let anyone harm you. Or our child,” Logan repeated, his face so close she could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw, the sharpness of his nose, the intensity in his eyes that refused to let her go.


    Emery swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. She wanted to tell herself it was only fear, only the weight of his words making her heart pound so fast. But as she stared at him, at the hard lines of his handsome face and the sheer focus he kept fixed on her, something else crept in, a spark she couldn’t name.


    Her lips parted, but no words came.


    Logan leaned in closer, their foreheads almost touching, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Do you understand me?”


    Emery’s heartbeat jumped again, faster this time, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, though part of her wanted to push him away while another part couldn’t move at all.


    She swallowed once more, staring up at him, trapped between anger and something far more dangerous.


    Then for the second time, he asked. “Do you understand?”


    “You–You can’t just beat people up everytime this happens. I-”


    “Oh, Emery…” he snorted. “You have no idea what I will do just to make sure you and our child are safe.”


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