Logan glanced at her. "Other than Grandma, you don't need to pay attention to anyone else."
Selina noticed the slight impatience in his eyes and clicked her tongue. It seemed this visit wouldn't be simple. Well, what major family wasn't complicated?
The villa was located in the western part of the city.
As the car pulled up, Selina saw an extraordinarily luxurious villa and began silently speculating about who Logan's mother might be.
Just then, Logan raised an eyebrow. "Standing so far away—are you sure we look like a loving couple?"
Selina glanced at the space between them and froze. "…?"
They were practically glued together—how was that far?
Before she could respond, Logan spoke again. "Give me your hand."
Her hand? Was he asking to hold hands?
Selina swallowed nervously and instinctively stepped back. "There's no need, really. I'll make sure everyone believes we're deeply in love. Holding hands isn't—"
Without waiting for her to finish, Logan firmly took her hand in his.
Selina was momentarily speechless.
The man's tone was indifferent. "Your acting can slip in front of others; I don't care. But you can't let Grandma see through it."
Selina mentally translated his words: You don't have to pretend with anyone else because Logan doesn't care.
It was clear that Logan's relationship with his mother's side of the family wasn't great. Without his grandmother, he probably wouldn't even bother coming back.
In the sitting room, it was crowded with people. Selina counted them silently, her mind boggling at how large this family was.
A middle-aged woman seated in the center gave her a hostile glare. Selina instantly understood.
Oh… It seemed this "Mrs. Reid" wasn't exactly welcome here.
Logan scanned the room coldly, then pulled Selina's hand and headed toward the garden. "I'm taking you to meet Grandma."
Selina nodded.
But just as they were about to leave, someone blocked their way.
The middle-aged woman leading the group plastered on a fawning smile. "Your grandmother is still napping. Logan, since you rarely visit, don't be in such a rush to leave."
She gestured to the woman beside her. "Vivian, go make some tea for Logan!"
It was then Selina noticed the young woman next to her. She was delicate and beautiful, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The middle-aged woman beamed. "Logan, Vivian is my adopted daughter. Her family fell on hard times, and she was left all alone. I couldn't bear to see her suffer, so I took her in. I even gave her my last name—she's now Vivian Perry."
Logan's expression darkened at the word "adopted," disgust flashing through his eyes.
But the woman didn't notice and continued excitedly. "Vivian graduated from a prestigious university abroad. She is more than qualified to be your assistant. Logan, why don't you take her home with you?"
Another man chimed in, "Exactly, Logan. You don't have anyone by your side to look after you. Let Vivian care for you—it'll put all of us at ease."
The middle-aged woman shot Selina a smug look, pretending to joke. "We all call Vivian a 'flower of understanding.' She's gentle and considerate, so much better than some women who don't know the first thing about manners!"
Selina: "…"
Flower of understanding? Confidante? Isn't that just a fancy way of saying 'mistress'?
Logan was already married, and yet they were trying to push a so-called confidante onto him?
Selina saw right through the couple's plan. They clearly wanted to shove another woman into Logan's life.
But to do it in front of her, the legal Mrs. Reid? Did they think she was invisible?
At that moment, Vivian returned to the sitting room, holding a teacup. Her cheeks were rosy as she bit her lip shyly, looking like a timid rabbit that had wandered into a wolf's den. "Brother Logan, please have some tea."
Hearing the words Brother Logan, Selina couldn't help but snicker coldly.
Why does every other woman love calling him 'Brother Logan'? What's with all this "brother" nonsense?
The middle-aged woman gasped dramatically, "Oh, Vivian, what are you blushing for? Logan is your brother!"
She then turned to Logan with a sweet smile. "Our Vivian just blushes easily. She's young and innocent, so when she goes home with you, Logan, you'll need to take good care of her. Otherwise, certain people might go out of their way to bully her!"
Vivian cast a cautious glance at Selina, bit her lip, and hid behind the middle-aged woman.
Selina nearly laughed out loud in disbelief.
She hadn't uttered a single word since entering the room, yet these people had already hurled dozens of veiled insults her way. Did they think she was some pushover?
Crossing her arms over her chest, Selina smirked. "Logan hasn't even agreed yet, so why is Miss Perry in such a rush to become his 'assistant'?"
Vivian's face instantly turned pale, her eyes welling up with tears as if she had just suffered a grave injustice.
The middle-aged man's heart ached for her, and he snapped furiously, "Shut your mouth! This is a family matter—who gave you the right to speak?!"
Selina blinked innocently. "I'm just curious. People who know the situation might think you're just trying to help Logan find an assistant. But those who don't know might think Reid Group is under your control and that you decide who works by Logan's side."
"You… you—" The middle-aged man stammered, flustered. "That's not what I meant! Logan, you can't believe what Selina is saying!"
Logan's expression visibly darkened.
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the tension rise.
It was the middle-aged woman who steadied herself first. She stepped forward with a cold smile, trying to change the subject. "Selina, is this how you behave? Seeing us elders and not even greeting us?"
Selina tilted her head in confusion. "And you are…?"
The middle-aged woman had initially intended to provoke Selina, but hearing this, her anger spiked.
"I'm Logan's aunt! When you see your uncle and aunt, shouldn't you greet us properly?!"
Selina feigned sudden realization. "Oh, you're Logan's aunt? My apologies, Aunt Perry."
Mrs. Perry's expression softened for a moment, but before she could bask in the acknowledgment, Selina added with heartfelt sincerity:
"Judging by your attitude, I thought you were some madam in a brothel, desperately introducing women to Logan."
...
The room fell silent.
Logan raised his eyes to Selina, while Jack froze for a moment before barely managing to stifle his laughter.
The faces of the middle-aged couple flushed bright red. The man pointed at Selina and roared, "What did you just call us?!"
"Logan, just look at Selina—she's completely uncivilized! Poor Vivian is so obedient and well-mannered, but Selina's out here calling her names!"
Selina couldn't explain the sudden surge of irritation she felt at seeing others try to manipulate Logan.
Logan had made it clear that, aside from his grandmother, she didn't need to pay attention to anyone else. His attitude toward his so-called uncle and aunt was evident—he couldn't stand them.
This couple was trying to force a fragile "white lotus" into his life for obvious reasons.
Selina sighed, then spoke in an exaggeratedly saccharine tone:
"Uncle, Aunt, you can't blame me for misunderstanding. It's just that I've never encountered elders like you before—I wasn't prepared."
"After all, Logan already has Jack as his assistant. Is Miss Perry more capable than Jack? Or better at handling responsibilities? If she's neither, and you're still trying to push her onto Logan, well… if I misunderstood, is that really my fault?"
A faint smile curved at Logan's lips.