Chapter 266: A Rivalry Begins Riley forced a strained smile. "Then Iâll take you up on that next timeâif Mrs. Reid doesnât mind the trouble."
Selina put on an act, looking touched. "Why would I? Iâd be thrilled to have you over."
Then she turned and grabbed Loganâs arm, voice low and teeth clenched. "Letâs go look at rings. I canât wait to hear Miss Nelsonâs thoughts on our wedding bands!"
Logan chuckled under his breath as he followed her out.
Inside the private room, once everyone had left, Rileyâs smile dropped. She hurled her wine glass to the floor with a sharp crash.
It took several deep breaths before she calmed down.
No, she had to stay composed. She couldnât slip up. As long as she played the part of Selinaâs "friend," she could stay close to Logan.
Bella was uselessâsheâd never win Loganâs heart. But Riley could.
Selina? She was just a scheming little thing. No real skill. Riley could crush her with her eyes closed.
...
Back at Sapphire Valley Villa, Selina was about to head upstairs when Logan caught her wrist.
She turned, glaring. "What?"
Logan smiled, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Mrs. Reid wants to pick out wedding rings?"
Selina arched a brow, tone dripping with sarcasm. "Rings? How could I dare? With all the women dying to steal Mr. Reid, Iâm afraid the moment I put one on, Iâll lose a finger."
Logan, of course, understood her jab.
He and Riley werenât closeâher older brother, Hunter Nelson, was the real connection. A long-time friend.
Jack, standing nearby, grew anxious. He coughed gently and offered, "Mrs. Reid, actually... Miss Nelson is Mr. Hunter Nelsonâs sister. Mr. Nelson is the one whoâs friends with Mr. Reid."
"Ohhh~" Selina drawled dramatically, resting her chin on her hand. She smiled, eyes sharp.
"So sheâs not even your friend. And yet she jokes with you like that? Wow. Canât wait to see how bold she gets if you ever become friends."
Logan shot Jack a cool glance.
Jack swallowed hard. Uh-oh. Why did it feel like heâd said something wrong?
He quietly stepped outside. Yeah... better stay out of this one.
"I didnât know sheâd be there today," Logan said. "Iâve already disciplined the manager who let her in without telling me."
He paused. "Sheâs never joked like that before."
Never joked like that before?
Selina blinked. So... why now? Why act that way, and in front of her, no less?
It felt staged. As if Riley had done it on purposeâfor her to see.
Selinaâs suspicion deepened. Maybe Riley had an agenda after all.
She narrowed her eyes, voice deceptively sweet. "If I invite Miss Nelson to help pick out wedding rings, do you think sheâll be upset? What if sheâs secretly bothered?"
Logan answered plainly, "Whether she is or isnât, I donât care. All that matters is youâre happy."
Selina pouted slightly. Nice words, but...
She had heard of Hunterâfuture heir to the Nelson Family, one of Loganâs closest friends. Even if he lived abroad, their connection remained strong through business.
If she clashed with Riley, and it drove a wedge between Logan and Hunter... wouldnât she be the problem?
Selina clicked her tongue. No. No way. She couldnât just swallow this.
Why was it always these women using their brothers or fathers to cozy up to Logan? Why did none of them act like he was a married man?
She didnât buy for a second that Riley hadnât known who she was. Even if she hadnât, when she saw another woman with Logan, why hadnât she at least asked "Who is she?" before flirting?
Enough was enough. If Logan was going to have admirers swarming him like bees, then maybe it was time she had a few admirers of her own...
Selina suddenly thought of someone, and her eyes lit up with mischief.
"Iâm very particular about wedding rings. Regular designers just donât cut it for me."
Logan leaned in, all ears. "Mm. Then who does Mrs. Reid have in mind?"
Her tone turned deliberately sly. "Not sure if youâve heard of this nameâhe doesnât release much, but every single piece is a classic."
Logan raised a brow. From that description, he already had a pretty good guess. "Who?"
Selinaâs brows arched triumphantly. "A legend in the industryâRowan. Ring a bell?"
Logan hid the smile in his eyes, playing along. "Rowan... If I recall, he stepped back from the design world years ago. No oneâs heard from him in ages. Doesnât matter how much you offerâhe turns everyone down. So what makes you think heâll say yes to you?"
"Oh, but thatâs where youâre out of the loop."
Selina had been building up to this, and now it was time to drop the bomb.
She cleared her throat and said as casually as she could, "Iâve actually known Rowan for years. He was the one who mentored me when I first started. Technically, heâs my teacher."
Logan tilted his head, amused. "And?"
"So, everyone else might get rejected. But me? No way."
She leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming. "You have no idea how well he treated me. He supported me when I was about to quit. Gave me time to rest when I was burned out."
"And Rowanâs young. Handsome. Charismatic. Not that far off from you."
She stressed that last partâ"not that far off from you."
Logan gave her a look. "So... youâve met him?"
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
ï¤Chapter 265: An Unwelcome Guest Apocalypse: The Supporting Actress Made a Comeback ï¤Chapter 739 - 395 Bite back Selina froze.
Honestly, sheâd just gotten annoyed that Logan had all these women hovering around himâso why couldnât she have a mysterious male figure in her corner too?
Rowan, this elusive mentor, seemed like the perfect pick.
In truth, she didnât know how old Rowan was or what he looked like. She only knew he was a design legendâprobably some forty-something man whoâd retired because he lacked the energy.
Still, facts werenât about to stop her from selling the story.
She coughed. "Of course Iâve met him. Heâs my mentorâwhy wouldnât I?"
Logan was clearly enjoying himself now. "Funny. People say Mr. Rowanâs over forty and stopped designing because he was... well, past his prime."
"Thatâs nonsense!" Selina shot back instinctively. "Whâwho said that? My teacherâs young. Just about your age. And his face? Anyone would fall for it at first glance."
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Mrs. Reid sure thinks highly of Rowan."
"Of course. Weâve supported each other through so muchâquiet, unspoken years."
Selina sniffled a bit, hamming it up. "Back then, I thought Rowan was the best person in the world. Brilliant, disciplined, and just... exceptional."
Loganâs smile deepened.
Outside the door, Jack, whoâd been eavesdropping, blinked hard. Wait a minute... whoâs she talking about? Rowan?
Isnât that the alias Mr. Reid used back in his design days?!
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