Chapter 8: Embraced In The Dark

LOGAN'S POV

“Why did you hate me?”

The question sounded unbelievable in my ears. Did Amaya really ask me that? She must be out of her mind.

“You hurt your finger, not your brain,” I snapped. “Stop asking dumb questions.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to calm my anger. How could she ask me that? After everything her father had done to my family, she still dared to ask why I hated her. Even though she was innocent of her father's crimes, she should still know her place. I was currently fighting the urge to kill her.

Returning my gaze to the television, my attention was broken by Maxon, who started laughing awkwardly—obviously trying to make Amaya feel better.

People often wondered how Maxon and I became friends. We were complete opposites. Maxon was cheerful, caring, and understanding. However, all his attributes contrasted with mine. I wasn't surprised by his caregiving attitude toward Amaya.

“This is so funny, isn't it?” Maxon laughed, and I smirked, amused by his stupid, witty words in such a serious moment.

Glancing at Amaya, I noticed she had stopped crying, but her eyes seemed distant. I guessed she was regaining her senses after that dumb question.

“It is all fixed,” Maxon said with a smile.

His words snapped her out of her thoughts. She flinched, her lips curving into a smile.

“Thank you so much, Maxon,” Amaya muttered.

Maxon smiled back. “Just be—”

I interrupted, “Your suite is ready. I'll drive you there.”

I had enough of their lovely moment. Maxon stood up, waved Amaya goodbye, and we both left.

We entered the car, and I drove out of the mansion.

“Trying to be the nice guy, huh?” I muttered, my tone dripping with sarcasm, my gaze fixed on the road.

Maxon laughed. “You're too hard on her, Logan. She is not her father, you know.”

“I’m glad you remember she’s Alfred’s daughter. And I clearly explained that I will ruin anyone that is connected with Alfred.” I replied.

“The most stubborn person award goes to you,” Maxon muttered, shaking his head.

He shouldn't have tried convincing me to stop maltreating Amaya. I never went back on my words.

“How was your holiday trip?” I asked, trying to piss him off. A Payback.

Maxon’s head flicked toward me. “A trip? I went to a business conference, man! I almost lost everything—all thanks to Mr. Leo.”

I chuckled. “All thanks to Mr. Leo then. He made it work, not you.”

I winked, and Maxon glared at me.

Maxon had been a friend of mine since my mom and I moved to Singapore. He was my neighbor and best friend, and now we are business partners. The companies are registered under two names, which are Logan and Maxon. I never thought our relationship would last because of our contrasting behaviors. Strangely, we kept celebrating our anniversary every year. I guessed heaven was in support of our friendship.

•••

After dropping Maxon off at his suite, we had a lot of fun and conversations. It was late, and I should have headed home, but I decided to return to my office to avoid my foolish bride. For some reason, I didn't want to see her.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, my gaze following every word on the screen as I worked on a file. A soft knock on the door disrupted my focus.

“Come in,” I responded, shifting my gaze to Camilla as she walked toward me. She stopped in front of my desk.

“I was surprised to see you, sir. I wanted to inform you that I’m through with the files I was sorting,” she said.

Of course, she should be surprised. She must have been praying for my absence at work one day, but that prayer hadn’t been answered, and I was sure it would forever be null and void. None of my workers wanted me around. They all hated me, but that didn’t affect my self-esteem. It made me happy instead. It brought a smile to my face, seeing how people hated and feared me. That was an achievement. Even Beatrice was proud of me.

Camilla continued. “Mr. Dylan sent an email this morning; he asked if you have totally cut off the deal.”

I smiled; that's how much I was needed by businessmen. I did not intend to cut this deal off, but when I learned Mr. Dylan had betrayed one of his business partners in the past. I was enraged and decided not to have any deal with him.

“Don't talk about him anymore; the deal is off. What next?”

“Nothing more, sir.” Camilla replied.

Just then, her tablet rang—a notification. “May I?” she asked, and I nodded. She checked the screen, scrolling as she read the message.

“Mr. Logan, there’s a disaster in your area. A robbery has been reported,” she continues, “but the police are already there. I just wanted to inform you so you could call your wife.”

I furrowed my brows at the sudden news. A robbery? But I hadn’t seen anything strange while driving Maxon; that was in the morning anyways.

I sighed, trying to stay calm, just as my secretary advised.

“You can leave,” I responded, and Camilla walked out of my office.

“Amaya?” I mumbled, grabbing a pen and playing with it as I leaned back on my chair.

I doubted anything bad would happen at my house, but I couldn’t shake the unease. Nothing could possibly go wrong—not when my professional bodyguards stood at my gate.

However, my mind refused to be at ease.

What if the robbers were stronger than my bodyguards? What if they barged into my house and stole all my gold bars and money? Most importantly, what if they harmed Amaya?

Not like I cared about her. But if anything happened to her, the press would broadcast it, and the public would criticize me for failing to protect my family. That would damage my business.

I needed to protect my image from being tarnished and my business from running down.

Grabbing my black jacket, I stood up from the chair and stormed out of my office, striding to the parking lot. I slid into my white Mercedes-Benz. Driving out of the company, my grip tightened on the steering wheel.

What if the crime was happening at my house?

After minutes of driving, I drove past the robbed area. The cops were already there, and the sirens polluted the environment with their irritating noise.

It was very near my house.

I sighed, took a turn to my mansion, carefully parked my car, and then stormed into the house.

The sight in front of me made me release a sigh of relief.

Amaya was peacefully sleeping on the couch.

Did she even know a robbery was going on nearby? I chuckled at my own thoughts as I walked closer.

“Why is she sleeping like this?” I muttered, my tone low, as if I was trying not to wake her.

I moved closer, adjusting her head on the armrest. She mumbled some strange words, earning a chuckle from me.

Abruptly, she held my hand.

“Is she even sleeping?” I muttered, my brows furrowed.

Staring deeply at her face, the innocence there made me feel guilty, as if I had been wrong for treating her badly.

Even though my mind felt remorseful, my body refused to be sorry.

The illuminating light in the room suddenly went off, and darkness enveloped the space.

I felt Amaya stand up and start touching me.

“Just stop the rubbish!” I snapped, grabbing her hands.

I understood that she was startled and scared by the sudden blackout, but she shouldn't use that as an excuse to start something with me in the dark.

“I am so scared,” Amaya muttered, her voice trembling.

“It’s just a blackout. It’s not going to last forever—just a few minutes,” I cautioned.

“I’m really scared, Logan,” she cried out.

And then, in an instant, I felt her arms wrap around my waist.

Her whole body collided with mine, which could only mean one thing—she hugged me.

She embraced me tightly, as if I were running away.

Moving my gaze down to her, I saw the light return, illuminating her clearly.

She was looking up at me since I was taller.

Our gazes locked.