[18]

“We're here, Mrs. Victoria,” Hendy said as the car pulled up to the lobby of a café filled with bright pastels. Along the way, Victoria tried to compose herself while answering Abigail's questions about the place they were going.

“Thank you,” Victoria replied, preparing to open the door. But Hendy quickly held her back.

“Just let me, ma'am,” he said as he got out of the driver's seat and opened the door for her.

Victoria was a little taken aback, feeling awkward by such polite treatment. “You needn't bother, Mr. Hendy.”

"No bother at all, Mrs. Victoria. And please, just call me Hendy.” He bowed politely, then made sure Abigail got out of the car safely. “Enjoy your time. I'll be back to pick you up once your business is done.”

Victoria could only nod, thanking him once more. Hendy drove off, leaving them in front of a lively-looking cafe with alluring decorations. Abigail looked around with sparkling eyes.

“Where are we, Mom?” she asked enthusiastically. Her eyes were glued to the colorful balloons and cheerful decorations visible through the window of the café.

Victoria smiled a little. “This is the place Uncle Logan wanted to show us. But before we go in, let's meet him first, okay?”

“Uncle Logan is here?” Abigail asked excitedly.

“Yes.”

“Yeay!” Abigail squealed with excitement, tugging on her mother's hand to get inside. Victoria chuckled, trying to calm the little girl down.

A waiter approached them at the entrance, smiling politely as he bowed. “Mrs. Victoria?”

“Yes, I am,” Victoria replied with a small nod.

“Mr. Logan is waiting in the private room,” the maid said, motioning for them to follow her.

Victoria looked at Abigail for a moment, making sure her daughter stayed by her side, then followed the servant. Along the hallway, nerves began to take over her mind. Logan was always full of surprises, and she had no idea what he had planned this time.

When the door to the room opened, Victoria's eyes widened.

The room was decorated with pastel balloons and colorful streamers. On one wall, a large gold-colored sign read: Happy Out-of-Hospital Discharge, Abigail! In the center of the table, a unicorn-shaped cake took center stage, surrounded by a variety of children's favorites-chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs, spaghetti cheese sauce, and other treats.

“Unicorn! Mommy, look, it's a unicorn!” Abigail exclaimed happily, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Before Victoria could respond, Abigail let go of her hand and ran towards the cake. Logan, who was sitting in his wheelchair, gave Abigail a gentle look.

“How are you, Abigail?” Logan asked in a warmer voice than usual.

“Uncle Logan!” Abigail squealed with delight, then ran to hug him without hesitation.

Victoria choked up, almost stepping forward to stop her. However, what happened was beyond her expectations. Logan smiled slightly, then stretched his arms out to hug Abigail tightly.

“Do you like all this?” he asked, looking down at the little girl.

Abigail nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. “All this for me?”

Logan nodded briefly. “For who else?”

“Uncle Logan, you're so kind!” Abigail jumped for joy, running back around the room to see everything.

“Abigail, you like unicorns, right?” Logan asked as he looked at the little girl with a flat expression that softened slightly.

“Love it! Love it! I can't believe this is all for me!” Abigail exclaimed happily, running to the corner of the room where a pile of presents awaited. Her eyes lit up when she found a large stuffed unicorn. “Mommy, look at this! There's a big stuffed unicorn! Is this all for me, Uncle Logan?”

“Yes,” Logan replied shortly. As Victoria had expected, Abigail's excited squeals filled the room again.

Victoria could only stare at the scene with mixed feelings. To her, it all seemed too much. She almost stepped up to stop Abigail from opening all the gifts, but Ben, who was standing by the door, held her back.

“Do you want to spoil Abigail's happiness, Mrs. Victoria?” he asked in a low but firm tone.

Victoria frowned. “But why is Mr. Logan doing all this?”

Ben smiled faintly. “You will find out soon enough, Lady Victoria.”

Victoria bit her lower lip, trying to contain the anxiety that was beginning to creep up. What exactly was Logan planning?

“Before you open all your presents, you'd better have lunch first. You must not have eaten yet, right, Abigail?” Logan said, breaking her confusion.

Abigail looked over and nodded without hesitation. “Not yet, Uncle Logan.”

“Eat with your mother,” Logan said, pointing to the well-organized table.

“Also with you, Uncle Logan.” Abigail smiled broadly. “Isn't eating together much more fun?”

Abigail quickly positioned herself next to Logan. The man, patiently, helped cut the spaghetti on Abigail's plate. Meanwhile, Victoria sat across from them, watching her daughter who looked so comfortable.

“Uncle Logan, why don't you eat these dinosaur nuggets? Look, they're so cute!” Abigail thrust one nugget at him.

“I don't eat kid food,” Logan replied flatly, but then he added, ”Ah, well. This is good.” Logan took the nugget and ate it.

Abigail laughed with satisfaction. “Look, Mommy! Uncle Logan is eating dinosaur nuggets!”

Victoria smiled a little. This moment felt so foreign-Logan, who was cold, could be so gentle with Abigail.

“Eat, Victoria. Don't just watch us enjoy this lunch,” Logan said without turning around. “Do you have a problem with the menu I chose for you?”

Victoria looked down at her plate. An appetizing lasagna with extra cheese sat in front of her. “No, I don't. Absolutely not,” she said quickly, then began to eat her meal.

In the middle of eating, Abigail suddenly asked innocently, “Uncle Logan, why do you like sitting in that chair? Aren't you tired?”

Victoria was startled, almost dropping her fork. She was about to reprimand Abigail, but Logan answered first in a calm tone, “No. This chair helps me move more easily. This chair helps me move more easily.”

Victoria looked at Logan with dilated eyes. The man, who was usually loud and unapproachable, answered so calmly as if the question was nothing.

Abigail nodded understandingly. “Oh, so this chair is like a unicorn to you? Carries you everywhere?”

Logan smiled slightly, almost imperceptibly. “You could say that.”

Victoria stifled a small laugh at Abigail's funny analogy. “Honey, eat first. Don't talk too much.”

“But I love talking to Uncle Logan!” Abigail replied with a small giggle.

Logan gave Victoria a quick glance, his expression flat. “Leave it alone. The meal won't be interrupted anyway. You'd better finish your meal.”

Victoria let out a long sigh. The two of them were really making her feel frustrated - but also, somehow, a little comforted.

***

After lunch was over, Logan approached Abigail who was busy playing with her new unicorn doll. A faint smile graced his face, though his expression remained unpredictable.

“I think it's time for us to go home,” he said as he glanced at Victoria.

Victoria caught the gaze and nodded slowly. She knew it was definitely time for them to leave this place. Abigail had been playing for a while, and although the atmosphere here was pleasant, they couldn't linger too long.

“Ah, Mr. Logan is right. It's time for us to go home, Abby,” Victoria said softly, approaching her daughter who was still engrossed in her toys.

However, Abigail looked at her mother with pleading eyes. “But I still want to be here. What about my presents? We're taking everything home, right? The cake? I've only eaten a little,” she said in a disappointed tone.

Victoria sighed, squatted in front of Abigail, and gently rubbed the little girl's head. Before she could reply, Logan's voice came first, firm but calm.

“You don't have to worry about your present. Ben will bring it to the house. The cake, too. But we do have to go home. Aren't you tired? Didn't Doctor Chris say you should get plenty of rest?”

Victoria looked at Logan with a surprised expression. That sentence, which was Logan's longest of the day, left her in disbelief. Usually the man only spoke as needed, but this time... it was different.

Abigail looked down with a sad expression. “But I don't want to go home to Mommy, Uncle Logan,” she said softly. “I don't like it.”

Victoria paused, feeling her chest tighten slightly at her daughter's statement. She knew Abigail was uncomfortable with where they lived before, but she never thought the little girl would say it in front of Logan.

Logan, who had been standing near Abigail, now crouched down and gave the little girl a gentle look. “Come home to me? Do you want to?” he asked as he rubbed Abigail's head.

Abigail looked up with an incredulous look. "To your house, Uncle Logan’? You're not lying, are you?”

“You don't want to?” Logan asked again, his voice flat, but there was a hint of tenderness that was hard to explain.

“I DO!” Abigail squealed excitedly. Her face immediately brightened, as if there was no longer any burden on her heart.

Logan smiled slightly, then glanced at Victoria. “Bring your mom then.”

Victoria looked at Logan in confusion. Hadn't her goal been to go to Logan's house from the start? Why was the man acting like Abigail had been invited to stay there? What was he really up to?

Abigail hugged Victoria tightly, her voice beginning to tremble. “Mommy, please. I want to go home with Uncle Logan!” she said in a pleading tone. Her eyes were glazed over, ready to cry if her wish wasn't granted. “I don't want to go back to that house. Can we stay at Uncle Logan's?”

“Okay, we're going home with Uncle Logan,” Victoria said, which was immediately greeted by Abby's excited squeals.

In the car Ben was driving, Abigail sat in the center, flanked by Victoria and Logan. Since the journey began, Abigail had been babbling incessantly, excitedly as if she couldn't wait to arrive at Logan's house.

“Uncle Logan, is your house big?” she asked, her eyes twinkling at the man next to her.

Logan looked straight ahead, his expression flat as ever. “No idea. I never compare it to anyone else's,” he replied casually.

Victoria could see Ben stifling a smile from the driver's seat. Logan's casual answers always sounded strange but typical.

“Is there a pool there?” Abigail asked again, curious.

“There is,” Logan replied briefly.

“Can I swim there?”

“Ask your mom,” Logan replied with a quick glance at Victoria.

Abigail immediately turned to Victoria, her gaze hopeful. “Mom, can I go swimming later?”

Victoria smiled a little, though her heart was a little anxious. She glanced at Logan to check his reaction, but he didn't seem bothered at all. “You can, sweetie. But only after you're fully recovered. For now, you'd better get some rest.”

“Yeay! I love Uncle Logan!” Abigail exclaimed, hugging her stuffed unicorn tightly.

Logan looked at Abigail for a moment, then without saying much, he lifted the little girl onto his lap. His firm hands positioned Abigail more comfortably. Victoria was stunned at the sight.

“You must be troubled, Mr. Logan,” Victoria murmured in a worried tone.

But Logan gave no significant reaction.

“Uncle Logan, your chair is soft too!” Abigail commented as she rested her small head on the man's chest.

Logan didn't reply, just let Abigail find a comfortable position. Moments later, the sound of Abigail's regular breathing signaled that the little girl had fallen asleep. Logan gently rubbed Abigail's head, making sure she was comfortable.

“She's asleep,” Logan said without emotion, just stating the facts.

Victoria reached out, preparing to move Abigail onto her lap. “I'm sorry. It's better to move her to my lap. You'll have a hard time.”

“Let it go,” Logan cut in, preventing Victoria's hand from touching Abigail. “She must be exhausted from all that playing.”

Victoria pulled her hand back, looking down awkwardly. “Thank you, Mr. Logan.”

“No need to thank me,” Logan replied in a low tone, almost a murmur.

Silence fell over the car, except for the sound of the wheels moving on the road. Victoria felt a little relieved, until suddenly she felt something strange. Her shoulders felt heavier.

“Mr. Logan?” called Victoria, a little surprised to find Logan leaning against her shoulder.

“I'm tired. I need sleep,” Logan said without opening his eyes. "I played with your daughter until I was exhausted. Take a little responsibility.”

Victoria rolled her eyes, annoyed. “I didn't ask you to do this, did I?” she muttered softly, though she didn't have the courage to push Logan's head away.

Logan just mumbled a little, then added, “But I like doing it, Victoria.”

Victoria's heart skipped a beat at that sentence. Usually Logan called her 'Mistress' or simply 'Lady.' But this time, her name was spoken in a different way. Logan's voice sounded raspy and heavy, probably from sleepiness, but there was something else... something that made Victoria misbehave.

“That was... fun,” Logan added before completely falling asleep.

Victoria was silent, trying to control her racing heart. She positioned her body so Logan could lean more comfortably on her shoulder, though her mind was filled with question marks.

Hopefully Logan's weirdness will stop once they get to his house, Victoria thought to herself. But for some reason, the strange feeling didn't go away.