My Vengeful-Ex

Chapter 42

Christina 

"Come on in, Christina," Uncle said when he noticed me frozen in the doorway, "I am sure you know, Logan." 

I was puzzled by the situation. Why did Uncle Edward and Aunt Anne invite Logan for dinner? They were aware Logan was the son of Marie, so what made them give him this special treatment? 

"Good evening, My Lady," Logan stood up from the couch he was seated on. 

"Good evening to you too," I replied, then took a step in the direction of the couches where everyone was seated. 

I took a seat on the couch beside my elder cousin, Henry, and from across Logan. I had the choice to sit beside or across from him, and I chose the latter without a thought. 

"Is there something I am missing?" I asked, looking around everyone.  

"Your late father asked Logan to renovate Clairings after he finished his masters," Uncle Edward informed me. 

"He did?" I stared at Logan questioningly. 

"Be assured, Lady Christina, I won't lie on a dead man. You can consult his lawyer if you want. He was the one who contacted me after his death and expressed his wish," Logan gave a detailed answer. 

I didn't doubt that he could be lying. I was only surprised that Dad never mentioned it to me. But when did he consult me about anything? I was nothing but a pretty prop in his life.

"So, are you going to honor his wishes?" I asked Logan. 

"It depends on the current Duke's decision. I would be happy to oblige to the wish of your late father if Lord Edward would allow me," Logan looked in the direction of my Uncle, the current duke, and said the last part of his sentence. 

"I don't find any reason why I shouldn't let you honor the wishes of my late brother.  Clairings is yours to renovate as you please, young man. But I would appreciate it if you consider my wife's advice while doing it," Uncle Edward readily agreed to let Logan renovate Clairings.

I wasn't sure if I should feel happy or concerned. Logan had great potential, and I was sure he would do a terrific job renovating Clairings. The only thing that bothered me was that I would have to come across him while he was doing the job. 

"Richard admired you a lot," Uncle Edward spoke after silence had fallen over the room. 

"It was his generosity that he bestowed his favors on a bastard like me," Logan replied, but there was a bitter sound to his words. 

Logan's father was an influential Frenchman who seduced his mother when she was freshly out of high school. She had gotten pregnant in the month-long affair, and when she told him about it, his father refused to take any responsibility for the child. 

From what I knew, his father was a married man and had been on a business trip to England when he met Logan's mother, Marie. He returned to France when his business was done in London, but Marie had to bear the consequences of it. 

She began working as a maid at Clairings when the housekeeper at the townhouse died. Grandmother transferred her to London at my father's insistence. It was much later that I found out that the Frenchman was a business associate of Dad, and it was because of that Dad took responsibility for Marie and her child. 

Dad never compromised on Logan's education and made sure he studied in the best institutions. For someone as influential as Dad, money was not a big deal, but for Marie and Logan, Dad was no less than a God. 

A knock sounded at the door, and the butler announced the serving of dinner. I shook my thoughts, stood up from the couch, and followed everyone to the dining room. 

The dinner was a formal affair with Uncle Edward and my cousins asking Logan about his time in the Netherlands. While Aunt Anne and I sat picking at our food. I wasn't hungry anymore. The thought that I was the last person to find out about my father's wish made my insides curl.

Dad's behavior towards me was civil and borderline cold. He was a very private man, and it was through newspapers and the television news I found out about his accomplishments in the outer world. 

He barely spoke to me during meals besides inquiring about my school and the piano practice. He never even talked to me about Mom. It was a coincidence that I had found her ballet costumes in the attic one day.  

There was no picture of her in the house or at Clairings. It was like everyone tried hard to erase her existence from their lives after she left. 

Once, when I asked Dad why he never talked about Mom at dinner, he silently left the dining room, and I didn't see him again for a month. If it was his way of punishing me, it was the worst punishment I had faced.  

I had no one in my life apart from him, and not being able to see him or speak to him for a month had been devastating.  I apologized when I encountered him one day when he was leaving for an event and promised never to mention my mother again. He resumed his old routine of having breakfast and dinner with me from the next day.  

"Christina, love, you are not eating anything," Aunt Anne commented at the lack of food on my plate, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

"I don't feel like eating," I replied, staring at my hand in my lap.  

I could feel someone's gaze fixed on me, and I didn't need to look up to know it was Logan. He had been watching me all evening, and his silent examination made me anxious.  

"Would you like me to ask Bella to prepare something else for you?" She inquired in a gentle voice. 

Uncle Edward and Aunt Anne didn't spare any effort to make me feel at home, but the problem was with me and not them. I could never fit into my life and always felt like living in someone else's place.  

"It's okay, Aunt Anne. I think I will rest," I responded and stood up from the chair. 

"Is everything okay?" Uncle Edward inquired. 

"I am not feeling well," I said in a meek tone, not liking the attention shifting on me. 

"Do you want me to send for a doctor?" Uncle Edward rose from his chair in concern. 

"It's okay, Unce Edwards, it's just a headache and nothing else," I blurted out. 

"Take rest. I will ask Debbie to bring you tea and painkillers," Aunt Anne said, and l left the dining room immediately. 

I could feel Logan's gaze fixed on me until I disappeared out of the door. All I could do was pray that I didn't come across him again because I knew it would be unbearable to see him again and not talk to him.

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