It was barely 11 in the morning when Ronin stormed into the office chamber of his elder brother and tossed a file in his face.
"What the heck are you trying to accomplish?"
Erik Logan cast a lazy glance at Ronin and the paperwork on the table before returning to his laptop. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"I think you know damn well what this is about." Ronin snarled, leaning on the table and glaring at his brother, jaw clenched. "Stop pretending oblivion!"
Erik groaned internally, eventually setting the laptop to the side, leaning back in his chair, and giving his younger brother undivided attention. "I'm not pretending to be anything, Ron," there were times Erik wished to smack that needless attitude out of his younger brother, but this was not the time to lose patience. The entire day was ahead of him and he couldn't risk destroying the mood. "You're the one talking in riddles. I wouldn't be this clueless if you spoke like a normal person. Have you thought about that?"
The corners of Ronin's lips lifted in a sneer as his glares grew sharper and darker. "I told you to stay away from the Bakersfield project. Yet, you went to Dad and spewed nonsense. If you're so frustrated with my achievements, Erik, maybe you should ask me how I do it rather than stabbing me in the back."
Erik let out a snort. "It's hilarious that you think I have anything to prove to you."
"The fact that dad named you the project's independent adviser just 10 minutes ago, I take it, has nothing to do with you, right?" Ronin raised his brow. "Which is nothing more than a sneaky way of keeping tabs on me." Sliding his hands into his pockets, he narrowed his dark eyes. "I wonder who even came up with it."
Erik shrugged nonchalantly and simply stared up at Ronin with the same lazy expression. "My guess is as good as yours, little brother. Though I wouldn't exactly say I'm surprised," he replied, rising to his feet, rounding his office desk, and folding his arms over his chest, his gaze fixed on the only other person in the room. "Recently, none of your decisions have benefited the family's reputation. Almost the opposite, in fact. Let's not forget about the shocking divorce." He paused, if only for a dramatic effect. "I think it really upset them gravelly. After all, everyone had become extremely fond of Carmen."
"Don't!" Ronin warned.
"Why? You can't even stand to hear her name now?"
Ronin flashed a tight smile. "No. I simply do not want to hear it from you. And the next time her name comes out of your vile mouth, you won't have a mouth to spew any more crap."
Erik grinned, unmoved by the apparent threat.
"And this is my final warning to you." Ronin prodded Erik's chest with his finger. "Stay the hell out of my way. As far as possible."
Then, he left.
* * *
"Take it easy, Jane." Eddie Logan said lovingly. "Or your blood pressure will shoot through the roof. And we don't want that. We really, really don't want that."
Jane paused hearing her husband and shot him with another intense glare. "You want me to take it easy? Really? How can I take it easy, Ed? How can you?"
"Why not?" Eddie Logan shrugged innocently as if he couldn't quite understand the stress his dear wife was inflicting upon herself. To him, she was simply fretting for nothing. "I can take it as easy as I want." He grinned as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Watch me."
Jane Logan had the strongest urge to pull her hair out, but then she took a deep breath and held it in, not wanting to grow bald so quickly. She was only, what, fifty or something? Probably less. Obviously, there were a lot of years ahead of them and she couldn't afford to look anything but her absolute best. Instead, she huffed and shot a heated glare at her ever-loving husband. "You're unbelievable. Do you know that? You should. Because you are."
Eddie Logan sipped the juice, his gorgeous grin never dimming.
For a man of his years, a sixty-something business mogul, he still had the looks and demeanour to put much younger and much more attractive actors to shame. Not that he liked to brag about it. Fine, maybe occasionally, but not always for sure.
"Darling, our kids have all grown up." Eddie returned the glass to the table and approached his wife. To get her to listen to him, he held her by her dainty shoulders and smiled sweetly at her. "How long do you think you can keep them in check? You must let them go and follow their course. We have done our part, outstandingly so, now it's up to them to lead their lives as they see fit. We simply no longer have a role to play."
"How can you say that?" Jane pouted, her shoulders sagging helplessly. "Ronin divorced Carmen, Ed. He didn't even bother to seek our opinion. What on earth was he thinking? How could he do that to such a sweet girl? She must be so heartbroken."
Eddie sighed with her, realising his beautiful wife wasn't completely off the mark.
Then again, what could they possibly do? Erik and Ronin were no longer immature teens. They couldn't simply drag them by their ears and force them to listen to their parents anymore. It was too late for that.
"She must hate us so much," Jane continued to throw a fit, growing more and more agitated by the minute. "And it wouldn't be wrong if she did. What have we ever done for her anyway? We couldn't even convince Ronin that Carmen was the right one for him and not that selfish and inept Jenna. Ugh—I hate that girl so much." She snorted. "Why can't she leave our boy alone?"
Eddie hummed thoughtfully, caressing her arms. "You're barking up the wrong tree, darling. I don't think Jenna is the issue here."
Jane gave him a puzzled look, unable to grasp what her husband was getting at.
Eddie shook his head. "What I mean is that Jenna is merely a catalyst. The true issue is Ronin. He never moved on."
"It's been nine months, Ed." She stared up at him, shocked that she had to say it. "How long does it take someone to move on from a girl who dumped them at the altar? Literally. Not only did she humiliate him, but also you, me, and everyone else at the ceremony. Do you remember nothing?"
"I remember everything," Eddie groaned, exhausted by the same old conversation. Yes, it was the worst day of his life. And yes, what Jenna did was wrong and utterly mortifying for him and his family. But it was nine months ago. Why couldn't she simply let it go? What good would it do them if they kept talking about the same thing over and over again? It was time to move on. Not just for Ronin, but also for his wife.
"But do you have to hang on to that for so long? Just let it go. We can't undo what happened." Eddie dropped his hands and ran one of them through his salt-and-pepper hair.
"I understand, but we can stop Ronin from making the same mistake, can't we? I don't trust Jenna anymore, Ed—I never even liked her—if it weren't for Ronin's happiness, I would have never given their decision to marry my blessings."
Eddie rolled his eyes heavenwards. He could never win from his stubborn wife. Why bother even trying?
With another dramatic sigh, he caved in. "Fine. What do you want to do?"
Jane's eyes twinkled at Eddie's words, a cheeky grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.
By that look on her face, Eddie knew his wife had everything mapped out. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
She gave him an innocent look. "I need someone tight-lipped for this one, and let's be honest, you're not very good at it."
Eddie was utterly offended by that statement. He scowled. "Excuse me?"
Jane laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him for a kiss on his cheek. "But we'll keep you updated with our progress. Promise."
"We?" His scowled deepened even more, though he did nothing to pull away. He loved it when she tried to coax him by being all cute and sweet. God, he loved her so much. He let her press another kiss to his cheek while her fingers toyed with the collar of his t-shirt. "So, there's someone else in your plan. Who is it?"
Jane smiled discreetly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, Ed. Just know that I'm going to reunite Carmen and Ronin, and I'm not going to sit peacefully until it happens."
Eddie sighed. She already had this planned, must she be so dramatic in front of him?
"Sure. But do remember, Jane. You can try all you want, but be careful and make sure you do nothing that you shouldn't. Do you understand?"
When Jane gave him a nod, then and only then, he kissed her forehead and went upstairs to his home office.
The moment Eddie was out of sight and earshot, Jane made a phone call to someone.
As the person on the other end of the phone answered, she hurried into the closest room and shut the door behind her. "All right, now Eddie is with us, too. Let's meet tomorrow and finalize the rest of the things."
The person chuckled. "Sure, Mrs Logan. I'll wait for you. Same time, same place."
"Perfect." Jane grinned as she hung up the phone.
This was going to be great. She had never felt more sure of herself.