Alex choked on her glass of water. Her father certainly didn’t like to beat around the bush.
Next to her, Logan froze for a moment. Parthenos Company belonged to the Greenwood Family and not the Carters. If what Alex’s father said was true, then Alex’s identity was…
… the sole heiress to the biggest chain mall business of the country and the man he is speaking to was…
“You’re Ethan Greenwood.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“That’s right” Ethan nodded. He placed his glass of water down and squinted at Logan, “Carter is my wife’s maiden name and Alex uses it as a cover. When I heard you call her that, I realized you are still unaware of the weight of the situation. Now that you do, what will you make of it?”
The Greenwood Family had a more… colorful reputation compared to the Carter Family, Logan thought. He didn’t like listening to his father’s lectures about their social circle but it didn’t mean
that he hardly remembered them.
The Greenwoods had keen eyes when it came to opportunities. Almost every chance they took had led to great heights. A lot of families that couldn’t expand their wealth envied them. They had gained enemies… and in return, they had set up defenses that could protect them.
Alex poked Logan’s leg with her shoe. He had been quiet for too long. Her father might become suspicious of him if he didn’t say anything by now.
Logan regained his composure and cleared his throat.
“I do understand the weight this entails, sir. Rest assured, I won’t let anyone find out” he took a sip of water, “Speaking from experience, it’s not easy to be an heir. Possible ulterior motives are always present. I can understand that it would be much more difficult for an only heir, almost always alone if it meant to keep away from such an unclean world. I’ll do my best to stand by her side and accompany her through it.”
Alex had an urge to facepalm. If it wasn’t rude to do so, she would have done it.
She tapped Logan’s arm and whispered, “You overdid it.”
“It’s true though, isn’t it?” Logan pointed out.
“Well, maybe—”
“You had told me the exact same words before and what I told you then still stands. I just worded that part differently.”
A lump grew at the back of Alex’s mouth. Why did he have to bring that up? She had only used it as a trump card to explain why ‘Alex’ lived separately from ‘his’ family. She didn’t think he would use her own words against her father.
“That is incredibly wonderful of you, Logan” Angeline responded when Ethan didn’t, “I am delighted to know that my daughter has a true friend amidst her surroundings.”
“I do have Emily, you know” Alex held out a hand towards her cousin’s direction.
Emily raised her eyebrows, “I think your mother meant someone who is not related to you and someone who can see you every day.”
“I am honored to have your faith, Angie” Logan smiled. At least, he had one parent in his favor.
“Use it well, won’t you, Logan dear?” Angeline replied, beaming ear to ear.
“Absolutely” Logan folded the napkin on his lap and placed it on the table, “Please excuse me. I must go to the men’s room.”
Once Logan was out of earshot, Angeline turned to her husband, “Well, that went well, didn’t it?”
“I’ll just consider it a good thing that he is Parker’s son. No need to worry if he ever accidentally mentions Alex’s gender in his home.”
Alex sighed in relief. The worst had ended. If her father started badmouthing Logan, she wouldn’t know what to do.
“I think it’s still better to inform his father about Logan’s awareness. He might get the wrong idea if it didn’t come from you, Uncle Ethan” Emily said. If her uncle hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten Lauren’s story about Principal Parker being present during the English presentation.
“She’s right, dear. It’s better to have it formally discussed” Angeline added. If Alex had gone to Logan’s house and cooked him soup like she instructed then, who knew what his father thought of the situation.
“Alright, I shall talk it out with him tomorrow morning” Ethan replied to both of them.
Alex saw Logan emerge from the restrooms. She tilted her head to the side and watched him walk back towards their table. When he was near, his gaze found hers and he smiled. That was when she realized the exact enormity of what happened.
Logan Parker finally knew her entire secret.
Yet, he still looked at her like the revelation had little importance.
He sat back down and asked her, “What is it?”
“You’re taking this rather well” Alex answered.
Logan chuckled and replaced the napkin over his lap, “Come on, Alex. It’s not like you suddenly lost your sarcasm and eye rolls. As far as I’m concerned, you still act quite the same. You’re still you—except you currently have longer hair, you have makeup on your face and you have a dress on. I’d mention your heels too but I don’t see the height difference.”
Alex glared at him, “Well, maybe you can feel the difference when I hit your foot with it.”
While the two of them bickered, Emily leaned towards her aunt’s ear, “Do you think we turned invisible? They act like we’re not here.”
Angeline laughed silently, whispering, “Emily dear, that is a natural thing when two people have feelings for each other.”
“You think Uncle Ethan would let Alex date?”
“Probably not in this situation.”
“We could just let the school know about her gender. Leave her identity out of it.”
“Ethan won’t be the only to protest that idea.”
Soon, the first course of their meals came. The smell of freshly cooked food filled the air. It also travelled to everyone’s stomach, making them realize their hunger.
“So, Logan. How did you and Alex meet?” Angeline asked, cutting a piece of steak.
“Oh, we got paired in a project together” Alex replied before Logan could, “For English class. We ended up getting an A.”
Emily almost spat out the carbonara in her mouth. Trust her cousin to take the reins of the conversation. She could already tell that Alex didn’t want her mom to find out about it.
“That’s wonderful!” Angeline commented.
Emily squeezed her eyebrows together, “It was about Romeo and Juliet, wasn’t it?”
Alex wanted to kick her cousin’s foot. Emily noticed the expression on her face and fluttered her eyelashes innocently.
“Ah, classic piece of literature” Angeline remarked, “Which of its themes did the two of you write about? Was it about love? Society? Patriarchy?”
Logan patted the napkin on his lips, “Oh, we didn’t write a paper, Angie. We had to present a scene from the play.”
Alex chose this moment to focus on her plate. The tropical chicken had the creamiest and softest mashed potatoes she ever had. Although the dish only had little spices, the flavors still blended well together in her mouth.
“Present?” Angeline paused from eating. She raised an eyebrow, “Do you mean role play?”
“Yes, we had to pick a scene and perform it in front of the class.”
How did mashed potatoes and chicken taste so good? Alex thought. By the time she finished this dish, she’d have a full stomach.
Angeline pointed a fork at her daughter, “Aren’t you supposed to be known as a boy in class? Why would the two of you be paired?”
“Sadly, the class didn’t have enough females” Logan explained, “Since Alex is technically a female, I think the teacher had her paired with a male which turned out to be me.”
“My, my, my” Angeline gaped. She placed an elbow on the table and bent her fork hand, resting her chin on the back of it, “Must have been fate that brought you two together. I would have loved to see that presentation.”
