Logan’s footsteps echoed softly down the hall as he returned to the bedroom. Jean was perched on the edge of the bed, her fingers twisting the hem of her sweater, eyes shadowed with worry.

"He wants me to meet him. Alone," Logan said, his voice low, deliberate. "If I call, it could give away the safe house. I’ll go see him in person."

Her brows knit. "Then I’m coming with you."

He crossed the room in two strides, cupping her face in his hands. "Not this time, Jean. I need you safe. Just... trust me."

Jean’s grip on Logan’s sleeve tightened. "Why can’t we all come with you?"

Logan shook his head instantly. "No."

Her eyes narrowed. "Logan..."

"Jean," He said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "If I call him from here, we risk revealing this location. That’s the last thing we can afford. I need to go to my office and meet him there...alone."

"But why alone?" she pressed, her voice low but laced with worry. "What if Tyler’s..."

He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin in a rare, tender gesture. "The only reason I’m going alone is because I can’t risk you walking into whatever trap this might be. If he’s sending lawyers now, it means he’s already thinking several moves ahead. I need to see exactly what my father knows before we make our next move."

Jean’s lips parted, a protest on the tip of her tongue, but the resolve in his eyes rooted her in place.

"I’ll be back before you even have time to miss me," he promised quietly. "Henry’s here. Emma’s here. And my sister is here too. You’ll be safe."

She searched his eyes but found only unshakable resolve. Reluctantly, she nodded, though her chest felt like it was caving in.

The words should have been reassuring, but as Logan grabbed his coat, all Jean could feel was the hollow weight of the unknown pressing in on her chest.

The front door closed with a muted thud, leaving the safe house unnervingly still.

_________________________

Hours later, Logan’s black sedan slid into the underground garage of an old office building... one of his father’s private meeting spots. Inside, Jared Kingsley was pacing, his expression stormy.

"They’re painting you as a violent threat, Logan," Jared said, shoving a stack of documents across the desk. "Tyler’s lawyers claim you threatened to kill him. They’ve already leaked part of it to the press."

Logan’s jaw tightened until it hurt. He read the so-called "evidence" Statements twisted beyond recognition, conversations taken out of context. His pulse pounded in his ears.

"He thinks he can bury me with lies? He just bought a bunch of people to speak against me." Logan’s voice was a low growl, dangerous enough to make even Jared hesitate.

Jared exhaled sharply. "Don’t do anything stupid. This is exactly what he wants..."

But Logan was already on his feet, shoving his chair back so hard it scraped the floor. "No. What he wants is to ruin me from a distance. I’m done playing defense. I’m going to pay Tyler a visit... and this time, he won’t be hiding behind lawyers."

The room seemed to shrink around him as his rage burned cold and focused. Logan wasn’t just angry... he was ready to end this, no matter the cost.

Logan’s hand closed around the car keys like a vice. Every muscle in his body screamed for motion, for confrontation.

"Logan..." Jared’s voice followed him, heavy with warning. "If you go to him now, you’ll be playing into his hands."

Logan stopped only long enough to glance back, his eyes like steel. "If I don’t go now, I’ll be handing him the win without a fight."

The elevator doors slid shut, sealing Jared’s words on the other side. Logan leaned back against the wall, forcing slow breaths into his lungs, but the pounding in his temples wouldn’t fade.

He thinks he can turn the world against me? He hasn’t seen what I’m willing to do yet.

________________________

At the safe house, Jean paced the length of the living room. Every tick of the clock scraped against her nerves.

"Jean, sit down," Henry said from the armchair, his voice calm but his eyes tracking her every move.

"I can’t," she admitted, her voice tight. "He walked straight into something Tyler wanted. You don’t bait someone like Logan unless you’ve already set the trap."

Emma stirred faintly on the couch, still recovering, her breathing steady. Jean’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, the reminder of how quickly things could go wrong sinking deep into her chest. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Her phone buzzed... a message from an unknown number.

She opened it. The screen is filled with a single image.

Logan.

Standing in front of Tyler Dominic’s building. The message beneath was loud and clear... it made her blood run cold. "One step closer to the end."

What is he doing there?

___________________________

The glass doors to Tyler Dominic’s high-rise parted with a hiss, the security guard barely lifting a hand before recognizing Logan Kingsley. One look at his face was enough to keep questions unasked.

The elevator ride up was suffocatingly silent, the kind that built anticipation like a taut wire ready to snap. By the time the doors opened to the penthouse floor, Logan’s expression had carved itself into something lethal.

Tyler was waiting. Leaning back on a sleek leather sofa, drink in hand, the picture of smug calm. "Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour," Tyler drawled. "I thought you’d be smart enough to stay in your little safe house."

Logan stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with deliberate slowness. "You’ve been running your mouth, Tyler. Making up stories. Leaking them to the press."

Tyler’s smile widened. "Stories? No, Logan. I call it painting a picture. And right now, the world’s starting to believe you’re dangerous. Reckless. The kind of man who can’t be trusted with power."

Logan moved closer, each step heavy with intent. "The problem with painting a picture... is that if you make the colors too dark, people start to wonder what you’re hiding."

Tyler’s smirk faltered for just a fraction of a second. "Careful, Kingsley. I’ve still got enough leverage to bury you and Jean, with a single phone call."