Chapter 9 #3
Still holding Elise's hand, he turned to face her.
The lights strung across the upper deck reflected softly against the silver-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, hiding part of his eyes, but not the intensity of the gaze fixed on her.
His expression had already settled back into its usual composed indifference.
"Stay with me." His voice was low and even, carrying the quiet authority that made people obey without thinking. "I don't want to spend the entire evening looking for you."
His thumb unconsciously brushed over the back of her hand before his fingers gave hers a light squeeze.
"And don't wander off."
Only then did he release her hand.
For some reason, the thought of her disappearing into a crowd of strangers had become increasingly irritating.
It wasn't logical. He knew she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Yet ever since she'd stepped onto the yacht, his eyes had been searching for her almost instinctively whenever his attention drifted elsewhere.
It was becoming a habit he didn't particularly like.
Before Elise could answer, several businessmen noticed Xavier and immediately made their way over.
"Mr. Chen."
"It's been a while."
"I've been hoping we'd get a chance to talk tonight."
One after another, they surrounded him.
Xavier acknowledged each greeting with a polite nod before effortlessly slipping into business mode. Discussions about investments, mergers, and overseas expansion began almost immediately, and within minutes, the conversation had become serious enough that no one else could easily interrupt.
Elise stood quietly beside him exactly as he'd asked.
Whenever someone acknowledged her, she returned the greeting with a warm smile before taking a small step back, allowing the conversation to continue uninterrupted.
Then, from inside her clutch, her phone vibrated.
The soft buzzing against her palm drew her attention.
She slipped it out just enough to glance at the screen.
Logan.
Her brows knitted together.
She instinctively looked toward Xavier.
He was listening to one of the investors explain something, his attention fully occupied.
Elise quietly stepped away from the group. She moved toward the quieter side of the deck where the music wasn't quite as loud, stopping near the railing overlooking the water before lifting the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
There was silence.
Then—
"...Elise."
She frowned immediately.
The voice was Logan's.
But it didn't sound like Logan.
Usually, his words tumbled out one after another with excitement, teasing her before she'd even had the chance to greet him.
Now...
His voice was low.
Flat.
Almost lifeless.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
"Logan?"
She straightened unconsciously, concern immediately replacing the relaxed expression she'd been wearing.
"What's wrong?"
There was another pause.
Then, very quietly, he said,
"Can you come outside?"
Her brows pulled together.
"Outside?" she repeated, confusion creeping into her voice. "How do you even know where I am?"
A weary sigh came through the speaker.
"It's all over social media."
Elise frowned.
"What is?"
"The business party." Logan's voice was unusually subdued, almost drained. "People have been posting videos ever since the guests started arriving. I saw one of them... and I recognized the yacht."
He fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"I tracked down the marina."
Another pause.
"So I came."
Elise straightened in surprise.
"You came here?"
"I'm outside."
The words were accompanied by the distant sounds of traffic and waves crashing gently against the docks.
"I tried getting on board, but security stopped me. They won't let me onto the yacht."
Almost instinctively, Elise stepped closer to the railing and looked toward the marina entrance at the far end of the yacht, as though she might somehow catch sight of him through the sea of people and lights below.
Of course, she couldn't.
"Logan..." she said softly, brushing a strand of windblown hair behind her ear. "Go home. We'll meet tomorrow, okay?"
Silence answered her.
She could hear him breathing.
Nothing else.
Then—
"Elise..."
His voice cracked ever so slightly.
"...please."
She froze.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
In all the years she had known Logan, she had never heard him sound like that.
His voice was low.
Just... empty.
As though something inside him had quietly broken.
A knot formed in her stomach.
"Logan..."
She swallowed, her heart beginning to beat a little faster.
"Stay there."
She was already turning away from the railing before the words had fully left her mouth.
"I'm coming."
The call ended.
Without wasting another second, Elise slipped her phone back into her clutch and hurried through the crowd, quietly apologizing whenever she brushed past another guest.
The music, laughter, and conversations around her faded into meaningless background noise as she made her way toward the passerelle, her thoughts consumed by worry.
She descended the yacht almost at a run, disappearing toward the marina without looking back.
Several minutes passed before Xavier noticed.
He had been surrounded by businessmen discussing a contract, his attention fixed on negotiations that demanded his full concentration. It wasn't until the conversation paused that his gaze wandered across the deck out of habit, searching for the familiar flash of pink.
His eyes swept past Juliet.
Then Amara.
The place where Elise had been standing was empty.
A faint frown settled between his brows.
Almost unconsciously, he searched the crowd again.
She wasn't anywhere.
Then, through the moving guests near the exit, he caught sight of her.
She was already stepping off the yacht, her pace hurried as she crossed the passerelle and disappeared toward the marina.
His expression immediately hardened.
Without another thought, Xavier broke away from the conversation and strode after her.
The music faded behind Elise as she stepped onto the pier, replaced by the rhythmic sound of water lapping gently against the wooden pilings below. The night air carried a cool breeze that lifted strands of her hair across her shoulders as she looked around for Logan.
She didn't have to search for long.
The moment he saw her, he hurried toward her.
Before she could even call his name, Logan closed the distance between them and wrapped both arms tightly around her, pulling her against him with such force that she instinctively took half a step backward to steady them both.
He didn't say anything.
He simply held her.
His face buried itself against the side of her neck, his arms locked around her waist with a desperation she'd never felt from him before.
Elise stood frozen for a second, caught completely off guard.
"...Logan?"
Slowly, she lifted one hand and rested it against his back.
Only then did she notice how tense he felt beneath her palm.
His breathing was uneven.
His shoulders were stiff.
It was as though he'd been holding himself together for hours and had only now allowed himself to fall apart.
Concern immediately settled over her.
"Logan..."
She gently pushed against his shoulders until he reluctantly loosened his hold enough for her to look at him.
The sight that greeted her made her heart sink.
He looked nothing like the cheerful young man who always greeted her with an infectious grin.
His shirt was badly wrinkled, as though he'd pulled it on without bothering to button it properly the first time.
His jacket hung unevenly over one shoulder, his usually tidy hair was in complete disarray, and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes that hadn't been there the last time she'd seen him.
She reached up almost instinctively, smoothing a few unruly strands of hair away from his forehead before lightly touching his cheek.
"What happened?"
Her voice softened with worry.
"Why do you look like this?"
Logan leaned into the touch for the briefest moment before closing his hand around her wrist, not to stop her from moving, but as though he simply needed to hold onto her.
"I want to live with you."
Elise blinked, certain she had misheard him.
"...What?"
"I want to stay with you."
His eyes searched hers with an intensity she'd never seen before.
"I'm not asking forever." His fingers tightened slightly around her wrist. "Just... for a little while."
She stared at him, trying to understand where this had come from.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"Logan… You're not a little boy anymore."
She gently slipped her wrist from his grasp and smoothed the front of his rumpled jacket as if tidying him might somehow make everything better.
"If you don't want to live with your parents anymore, then find a place of your own. I'll even help you look. But you can't stay with me."
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't appropriate."
He frowned.
"Who says it isn't?"
She sighed.
Logan stared at her for several long seconds before taking a step closer.
"What if it's only for a few days?"
"No."
"A week?"
She shook her head again.
"Until I find an apartment."
"Logan..."
"I promise I won't be any trouble."
His voice carried an unfamiliar edge of desperation now, each refusal seeming to chip away at him a little more.
"I'll cook. I'll clean. I'll stay out of your way. I just..."
He swallowed hard.
"I don't want to go back there."