Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Forty-Four

She was a Logan.

His granddaughter.

His only granddaughter.

Did that mean she was the same oldest sibling of Ronin and Eric who disappeared years ago?

Carmen had heard about her, had seen her pictures. Her dark eyes and bright smile. But not a single one of those could justify the woman in front of her. She looked so weak now, so fragile. Grandpa was right, the life that she once was so rich in was now robbed away from her. Now she was just a girl on the bed who hadn't even blinked for the last three years.

Questions bombarded Carmen like never before, her curiosity stabbing her like a knife, urging her to know more. After a minute-long silence, and trying her best to not sound desperate, she mumbled to herself, "I don't understand. I thought she ran away." Her mind wandered back to all the conversations she had with Jane, Ronin's mom, about Willow's disappearance. "How did she end up here?"

Grandpa scoffed, his eyes fixed on Willow as he gently squeezed her hand before laying it back on her stomach. "She did run away, or at least that was her plan, I believe. But obviously, as you can see, things didn't go according to her plans."

Carmen couldn't help but feel a mix of confusion and concern. "How did you find her? And what happened to her? And how did she..." Her words stumbled as she tried to find the right questions to ask.

"So many questions, aren't there?" Grandpa said, turning to face her as he reached for his cane and slowly walked around the bed. "I wish I knew everything, Carmen. I wish I could find the one who did this to her. I wish I could bring her some justice, if not all. Because I know she would have wanted to be avenged. I know. She was a Logan. A woman like her didn't just accept what she didn't deserve. She fought against it. Just like you."

Carmen swallowed, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Her eyes were fixated on the sleeping form of Willow—a once vibrant and beautiful girl reduced to nothing but a shell. Even though Carmen had never met Willow before, her heart ached for the girl. Anger and frustration swirled within her at the brutality of whoever had done this to her.

Carmen had to force herself to look away from her, if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to clear her mind and focus on the things that now seemed more important than ever. She watched as Grandpa walked across the room and sat down on the couch near the window, the faint rays of the rising sun casting a soft glow around him.

"I know what you're thinking," he said after a long silence and settled into the room, his words carrying the weight of the past and the gravity of the present. "You're probably wondering how you're connected to all this, aren't you? Why I brought you here instead of revealing everything back in Asheville? You must wonder, don't you?"

There was no need for Carmen to nod. He knew that was the truth.

He continued. "I brought you here because there are only a few people in the world that I can trust. And whether you asked for it or not, Carmen, you are one of them."

Carmen had heard those words before, yet they echoed with such different weight this time. She didn't know what she had done to earn that trust, but hearing him now, and remembering the moment when he told Dr Mitchell that he couldn't trust his own—she wanted to know if that was all related to what happened to Willow.

"Who else knows about her?" She asked instead.

"Just me, Dr Mitchell, and now you."

The exclusivity of this situation stiffened Carmen's shoulders. She stared at him for a long moment before dropping her eyes and brushing the back of her wrist, her mind racing. "Is this why you want me to be the CEO?" It was a careful analysis, one that her guts told her could be the only reason. "Do you suspect someone within the company is responsible for what happened to Willow?"