Page 56 of Logan (The Valeur Billionaires #1)

Chapter Forty-Three

LOGAN

“ W hat the hell happened to your head?” Liam enters the conference room first, where I’ve called everyone to gather.

“Long story. You’ll hear it all in a minute.” I wave off his question, settling into my chair at the head of the table.

“Are you okay?”

I nod. “I’ll be just fine.”

The noise from outside tells me that Cora and Lucas have arrived too. I recognize their voices rising and falling in familiar banter as they approach.

They enter and take their seats at the large table. Cora slides gracefully into the chair to my right while Lucas sprawls in the one across from her.

“I’m curious.” Cora leans forward, resting her elbows on the polished wood. “I hope this isn’t some bad news. Oh, what happened to your head?” Her gaze zeroes in on my injury, a small frown marring her pretty face.

“Yeah, I have to admit I’m a bit curious, too,” Lucas says. “You never gather us all together like this in the middle of the week.”

“Just wait, and you’ll know everything soon.” I let a note of authority creep into my voice, used to being obeyed.

Dad enters, shoots me a hard look, but doesn’t say anything before taking his seat. Tension radiates off him in palpable waves.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for what’s to come.

“I gathered you all today because I have news,” I say, moving my eyes over everyone in the room. My family. The people closest to me. I meet each of their gazes in turn, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. “I have two topics on the agenda.”

Liam narrows his eyes, and a crease appears between his brows. I have a feeling he’s trying to guess what’s coming. He knows about the video, so he has an advantage over the others, and I’m sure Dad is also guessing what’s about to come.

“I don’t know where to start, so I guess I’ll just spill it all.” I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “About a week ago, at the company event, someone filmed me having sex in the office.” The words leave me in a rush, hanging in the air like a guillotine waiting to fall.

I look at the stunned face of Cora in front of me. Shock slackens her features, eyes wide and mouths agape.

“You fucked someone in the office?” Cora says. “That’s something more like what Lucas would do,” she shoots our brother a reproachful glare .

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Lucas hardens his face and turns to Cora. Annoyance flashes across his face at her jab.

“What do you expect? Isn’t it true? Every other day an article is published about you and your exploits. You’re a whore of the male variety.” She arches an eyebrow.

“Cora!” Dad cuts off the argument between them with one shout, and the table falls silent.

I continue. “This woman works here?—”

“What?” Cora jolts in her seat. “You fucked an employee? That’s not like you. Wait, is this the girl I met at the event? The one you talked to me about?” Her words tumble out in an excited rush, eyes bright with realization.

“Cora,” Dad warns again. “Let him speak.”

She sits back down.

“Yes, she works here. But the reason I’m telling you all, is because it’s not a one-time thing. I love her.”

“Oh God! I’m so happy for you.” Cora leaps from her seat and hugs me. “I thought it would never happen. You’re already old,” she says with a wide smile on her face and hurries to return to her seat. “Sorry, I had to.” Joy radiates from her, pure and infectious.

I roll my tongue in my mouth. Nerves flutter in my stomach as I gear up for the next revelation. “And because I overstepped my authority, and acted irresponsibly, I hereby submit my resignation.”

A jumble of voices erupts from the table as everyone starts talking at once. Chaos descends, each of them clamoring to be heard over the others.

“Quiet!” Dad shouts, slapping his hand on the table, his booming baritone cutting through the clamor like a whip crack, and everyone falls silent. “I ask that you reconsider, Logan. We can fix the situation.”

I shake my head. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. Plus, some of the things that have happened recently made me realize my future is not here. I want to start a new company, one that will produce products that contribute to society, and Sloane will help me with that.”

“Shit, Logan, are you stealing Sloane from me too?” Liam shakes his head.

“Yes. But first, she and I will travel the world a bit. I need a vacation. I understand now that I’ve spent the last few years trying to prove that I belong in this family, that I’m part of Valeur, and I lost my own desires along the way.”

Liam furrows his brow. “What do you mean, you belong? Of course, you belong, you’re our brother.” Confusion clouds his features as he tries to puzzle out my meaning.

I glance at Dad, and he gives me a small nod, allowing me to continue.

“That’s the second thing I wanted to talk to you all about. I’m adopted.” I drop the bombshell, bracing myself for the impact. Saying it out loud still feels surreal, like the words belong to someone else’s life.

“What?” Shock ripples through the room like a physical force.

The cries come simultaneously from everyone present. They didn’t guess this was coming. Disbelief etches itself into their expressions, the revelation hitting them like a sucker punch.

“What do you mean, adopted?” Lucas is the first to ask.

“Exactly what it sounds like. I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological son. They adopted me when they thought they couldn’t have children, which later turned out to be untrue, the three of you are proof of that.”

“And you’ve known you were adopted?” Liam asks. Hurt flashes in his eyes, the betrayal of secrets kept cutting deep.

“Yes. They told me when I was a child.”

“So why didn’t we know?” Cora shifts her gaze between me and Dad.

Dad takes a breath. Weariness settles over his features, the weight of long-held secrets bowing his shoulders. “Your mother preferred it that way. She didn’t want you to think there was a difference between you and Logan. As far as we were concerned, he was a biological son in every way.”

Cora nods.

“I don’t understand,” Lucas says. “So why are you telling us now? What changed?”

“I decided that I no longer want to keep secrets. These secrets give people power over me simply because they are secrets. The fact that I’m the only one who knows does the opposite of what Mom intended and actually makes me feel different.

Mom is no longer alive, and Dad agreed that I should tell you.

” I spare them the story about Georgina.

Cora rises from her seat and hugs me again. “Nothing has changed for me.”

“Thanks, Peanut,” I whisper into her hair, emotion clogging my throat.

“Not for me either,” Liam adds. “You’re still my big, annoying brother.” A tentative smile lightens his face, acceptance shining from his eyes.

“Mine too,” Lucas says. “And even more now that I know that you fucked at the office. Man, we need to talk.”

Cora shakes her head .

“Great.” I nod. “That’s all the news I had.”

“Good thing,” Lucas says, leaning back, “because I’m not sure I could withstand more news like this. You dropped some bombs.” He lets out a low whistle, shaking his head.

I nod. I know. It will take time until they really digest all I’ve told them. The revelations will ripple through our family for a long time to come, reshaping our dynamics and perceptions of the past.

“But what happened to your head?” Liam asks. His gaze darts back to my injury, curiosity winning out over.

“I tracked down the guy who sent the video and confronted him.” I grimace at the memory, phantom pain throbbing in my skull.

“And you lost?” Liam’s eyes widen. “You’re a Taekwondo champion. How did that happen?”

“I didn’t lose. I was distracted for a moment.” I twist my mouth. I know he will hold this on me forever. I’ll never live it down.

“Lucky you caught the one who filmed you,” Lucas says.

“Actually, I still don’t know who filmed it.

” I turn to Lucas. “He admitted to sending the video but claims he got it from someone calling himself ‘The Silent Witness.’ It doesn’t seem like the video is related to Sloane but to me.

I still don’t understand what’s going on, but it seems that someone is trying to get revenge on me. ”

Unease coils in my gut at the thought, a sense of foreboding raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

“Have you seen the email?” Dad asks, his face pale and tense. “The one from The Silent Witness?”

I tilt my head. “Yes, I saw the email today. We tried to track it down without success. He wrote that revenge is served cold and that Valeur will pay dearly. That Mom’s death was not enough punishment.

Do you know anything about this? Any idea what that means?

” Suspicion narrows my gaze as I study Dad’s reaction, trying to read between the lines.

“No.” The word comes out of his mouth almost as a cry, and the conversation around the table stops.

“Why would he mention Mom? What punishment?”

“I have no idea.” Dad gets up and leaves the room. His abrupt departure sends a chill down my spine, a sinking feeling taking root in my stomach.

“What the fuck just happened here?” Cora asks.

“You know Mom’s accident wasn’t an accident, right?” Lucas says, his voice low and dangerous. “She committed suicide.”

Cora sucks in a sharp breath. Horror widens her eyes, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Liam stands. “Why are you spouting lies like that, Lucas?” Outrage vibrates through Liam, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“Because it’s true.” Lucas scowls. “Dad is hiding the truth from you all. He didn’t want you to know, but I always knew.”

“I don’t believe it.” Cora shakes her head. “Why would she commit suicide? She had a happy life. She had us, Dad.” Denial thickens her voice, tears welling in her eyes.

“In their last years, they didn’t love each other anymore,” I mutter. I remember all the times she sat a little farther from him, avoiding him, not allowing him to touch her. The distance growing like a chasm between them, a cold war waged in silence and averted gazes.

Lucas nods. “So, you noticed too.” He turns to Cora. “You didn’t notice because you were young when it started, but something changed in their relationship in the last years. Maybe he cheated on her.”

“That still doesn’t mean she committed suicide.” Cora bites her lip. Uncertainty wavers in her voice, the foundation of her world cracking beneath her feet. “People don’t commit suicide because they stop loving or because of cheating.”

Lucas shrugs. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t.”

Liam paces the room and then stops and turns to Lucas. “But how does this connect? Do you think this revenge is related to her death? Why? How?”

“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”