Chapter 84
LOGAN~
Logan spotted Johnny across the hall and his jaw tightened. This was the problem with these events. Too many people. Too many connections that needed managing. And Johnny Gray wasn’t someone he could afford to ignore, not with the kind of influence the man had in the tech sector. But Elodie was with him.
His daughter. His… other daughter. The one who complicated everything.
He glanced at Sienna beside him, then at Lauren. They were both watching, waiting to see what he’d do.
Sienna’s expression was carefully neutral, but he knew her well enough to read the tension in her shoulders. She didn’t want him acknowledging Elodie either. Smart girl.
Logan waited and watched. And when Elodie finally excused herself,heading toward the restrooms, thank goodness, he finally made his move. “Come on,” he murmured to Sienna and Lauren. They crossed the hall together, and Logan put on his best smile. The one that had closed a thousand deals.
The warm, genuine, and trustworthy smile. But they were all lies, but effective ones.
“Mr. Gray,” he said, extending his hand. “Hello. I’m Logan Brown, father of Sienna… and Elodie. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.” There. He’d acknowledged it. He couldn’t avoid it completely, not when Johnny clearly knew about both his daughters.
Johnny shook his hand, politely and professionally. “Mr. Brown. The pleasure’s mine p>
Good. This was going well.
Logan then gestured toward Sienna. He needed to establish her importance here. Her legitimacy. “You know, my daughters… they’ve had some difficulties. Misunderstandings.” He shook his head, playing the concerned father. “Elodie’s mother… Mag… she can be extreme. There’s been tension between her and Sienna because of it p>
He let out a carefully measured sigh. Made sure his face looked pained. Regretful. “As a father, I’ve always hoped they could get along. Be sisters, you know? But unfortunately He gave another sigh. “Elodie never listens p>
Perfect. Blame Elodie. Blame Mag. Make it seem like he’d tried so hard to bridge the gap, but they were the unreasonable ones.
Johnny nodded. “I see p>
Was that skepticism in his eyes? It was hard to tell.
The man had a good poker face.
Logan continued to push forward. He needed to end this conversation on a positive note. Needed Johnny to think well of him.
“But you know,” he said, injecting warmth into his voice, “Elodie is lucky to know someone like you. Such a talented young man.” He smiled. “As a father, I’m really happy for her. I heard she started working at your company, so I’ll have to trouble you to look after her in the future p>
There. This was the caring father that would leave an effect on Johnny. Concerned but supportive father. A father who was asking a favor without making it seem like a favor. It sounded good. It sounded real.
If he didn’t know better, he’d believe himself.
Johnny’s expression didn’t change. “You’re too kind, Mr. Brown. Elodie is an outstanding person. Having her with us is truly a blessing for Cole p>
Logan kept his smile in place, but internally he almost laughed.
Outstanding? A blessing?
Please.
What could Elodie possibly contribute to a company like Cole? She had a decent enough resume, sure, but nothing spectacular.
Nothing that would make someone like Johnny Gray actually value her presence. She was probably just doing grunt work. Running errands. The kind of tasks any entry-level programmer could handle. Johnny was just being polite. That’s all this was.
Logan could feel Sienna beside him, silent. She was smart enough not to comment. Lauren too. She just stood there with that knowing smile, the one that said she understood exactly what was happening here. They all knew the truth.
Elodie wasn’t special. Wasn’t valuable. She was just… there. An inconvenience. A complication. And the sooner people stopped pretending otherwise, the better.
But Logan couldn’t say that. Not here. Not to Johnny Gray. So he just kept smiling. Kept playing the concerned father. “Well,” he said, “I appreciate your kindness toward her. Really.” He meant none of it.
Didn’t care about Elodie’s job or her success or whether Johnny actually looked after her. He just needed this conversation to end before she came back from the restroom.
Needed to maintain appearances. Needed to make sure Sienna stayed the favored one. The important one. The one who mattered. Because that’s how it had always been.
Logan shifted gears smoothly, keeping his smile warm.
This was the real reason he’d approached Johnny in the first place. “As for Sienna—” He gestured toward his daughter. “Mr. Gray, you must already know she’s very interested in CUAP. She’s been studying the field extensively, and she’s hoping for an opportunity to work at Cole p>
He watched Johnny’s face carefully. Looking for any sign of interest. Any opening. Sure, with Dante’s arrangement, Sienna would be meeting Nolan soon enough. That door was already opening. She wouldn’t lack opportunities to dive deeper into CUAP technology and Dante was making sure of that.
But Cole’s development was explosive right now.
Everyone in the industry knew it. And Johnny’s family background? Impressive didn’t even begin to cover it.
The Gray family had connections that stretched across multiple pack territories. Building a good relationship with Johnny now could pay off in ways Logan couldn’t even predict yet.
Who knew what kind of deeper cooperation might be possible with Cole down the line? What kind of doors might open for the Brown family?
It never hurts to plant seeds early.
Johnny turned to Sienna, and Logan felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Good. He was considering it.
“Thank you for the compliment, Miss Brown.” Johnny’s voice was polite and professional. “You’re indeed outstanding. I’d be very happy if you could join Cole p>
Yes. Logan’s smile widened slightly. This was going exactly—
“However—” Johnny’s tone shifted. Still polite, but firmer now. “Elodie is my friend p>
Logan’s smile froze.
Wait.
What did that—
But the implication hung in the air between them. Unspoken but crystal clear.
‘Elodie is my friend, and I know what you’re doing p>
‘I know you’re playing favorites. I know you’re using this opportunity to push Sienna while pretending to care about Elodie p>
Logan’s mind raced. No. No, this wasn’t—
He’d been so careful. So measured in how he’d framed everything.
Acted like a concerned father. A reasonable man. Just trying to help both his daughters succeed. But Johnny saw through it. Of course he did. The young man wasn’t stupid. Probably knew exactly what kind of family dynamics were at play here. Probably knew about the tension between Sienna and Elodie, about Dante, about all of it. And he was drawing a line.
‘Elodie is my friend. Not just his employee. His friend p>
Logan’s chest tightened.