Chapter 194

Ella

“Ella… This is Lyra. My ex-girlfriend.”

I stood there, completely stunned, as Logan introduced me to the beautiful woman that stood in front of us. She was tall, so much taller than me, with a slender build and striking features. She could have been a model.

“Ex-girlfriend?” Ema asked, just as appalled as I felt at that moment. “Who the hell invites their ex-girlfriend to a party like this?”

I didn’t know what to say in response to Ema. She was right; it was strange for Logan to invite his ex-girlfriend here. But at the same time, I almost wondered if it even made sense for me to be upset. After all, Logan and I were not actually together in private. All of this was a ruse, a facade made to trick everyone so we could both get what we wanted.

And yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to shake off the sneaking sense of jealousy that was creeping into my bones. And it made me wonder…

Was all of this a facade after all, or had I fallen for Logan, just as Ema had said?

“How nice to meet you,” Lyra said, extending her hand. Her sweet, smooth voice pulled me out of my state of shock, and I glanced down to see her manicured fingers extended, waiting to shake my hand.

I still felt frozen to my spot, like an unwilling spectator of a situation I never expected to find myself in. But I managed to keep myself composed somehow, and took her hand, offering her a polite smile.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Lyra,” I said, meeting her gaze. “You look beautiful.”

Lyra smiled warmly, her gray eyes sparkling with genuine friendliness. “Likewise, Ella,” she replied. “I must say, I’m so happy to see that Logan has such a nice relationship with such a beautiful woman.”

I was taken aback by her politeness. I had expected her to be rude or standoffish, given the circumstances. After all, Logan and I were engaged to be married—or at least, that was what she thought. I had thought that, in situations like this, she would have looked down at me.

“Lyra and I go way back,” Logan said, looping his arm around my waist in a comfortable way that made my cheeks flush red. “Don’t we, Lyra?”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Sure we do, Logan,” she said with a smirk, then glanced at me. “Is he still as much of a pain in the ass as I remember?”

Much to my surprise, I found myself laughing along. “Only a little bit,” I said, eliciting a pinch on the arm from Logan.

Suddenly, the music began to play, and couples started to take to the dance floor. Logan turned to Lyra with a charming smile. “Enjoy the party, Lyra,” he said, nodding politely before turning to me. “Shall we?”

I nodded, my heart still racing from the unexpected encounter with Lyra. Logan led me to the dance floor, where we joined the other couples swaying to the music. It was a comfortably-paced song, not too slow and not too fast. It gave me a chance to take my mind off of things and just focus on the steps, but Logan’s hand on my waist kept pulling me back to reality.

Finally, as we danced, I couldn;’t hold my curiosity back any longer. I needed to know more about Lyra, and about the reasons behind why Logan had invited his ex-girlfriend to the party that was already enigmatic enough as it was.

“Logan,” I began, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I was just wondering about your history with Lyra. You seemed close.”

Logan nodded, his gaze focused on our dance. “I figured you would ask,” he said. “Lyra and I were together for a brief time years ago. Six years ago, to be exact.”

I furrowed my brow, wondering what had led to their breakup. She was so beautiful, and she seemed to be Logan’s type. “Why did you break up?” I asked.

Logan sighed softly, his grip on my waist tightening slightly. “It’s… a long story,” he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. “You sure you wanna hear?”

I nodded, too intrigued to let it go now. “Tell me.”

“Alright,” he said with another sigh. “So I was twenty… And my dad said it was about time for me to find a wife. He set me up with this girl from a well-to-do family. Surprisingly, her family wasn’t a part of the mafia—not yet, at least. As it turns out, though, my dad was just trying to bolster his connections. He wanted her family to partner up with mine.”

“Obviously you didn’t go through with it,” I said, to which Logan nodded. “What happened?”

“Both Lyra and I caught on pretty quickly,” he said. “And honestly, we never had any feelings for each other. We didn’t want to get married, so we played it cool; we went along with the relationship for a while, and then we broke it off.”

“But your father,” I chimed in. “He would have been furious, right?”

Logan nodded. “Of course. Lyra and I devised a plan to keep both of our parents quiet; we faked a cheating scandal. I pretended to purchase an escort, and she broke up with me.”

“So you took the fall,” I murmured, my eyes wide.

“I did what I had to do,” Logan said quietly as we continued to dance. “My father was furious, obviously, but since Lyra was the one who officially ‘ended’ things, there was nothing he could do. Lyra’s father wouldn’t let his daughter marry a cheater.”

“And the business partnership between your families?” I asked.

He shrugged. “She convinced her father to keep his business plans with my father. I don’t know what she did, but it worked. Honestly, it’s the only reason why he didn’t wind up disowning me.”

As Logan spoke, I felt my heart ache for him. To be a young twenty-year old, barely out of teenagehood, and to nearly be forced into an arranged marriage just for business—and then to figure that being viewed as a cheater was your only way out? It sounded awful.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

“Don’t sweat it,” Logan said. “I’ve moved on. In fact, Lyra has moved on as well. She’s in a relationship with someone else now.” He paused, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Look over there.”

I followed his gaze and saw Lyra with another businessman, her laughter filling the air as they talked and danced. He was shorter and a little stockier than her, but the love was palpable even from here. I couldn’t help but feel a little silly for letting my jealousy get the best of me earlier.

Logan leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he spoke. “I know you get jealous sometimes,” he whispered. “But do you feel better now?”

I blushed at his words, my heart pounding in my chest. How did he know? “I—”

But then, before I could finish my sentence, Logan dipped me low. And then, suddenly, he pressed his lips against mine. The world around us faded away, and all that existed in that moment was the two of us, lost in each other’s arms.

And then, in the midst of the kiss, I heard his voice through our Mindlink.

“Meet me in the garden at midnight,” he said, his voice filled with a hint of mystery. “I’ll show you what this party is really all about.”