Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 177

Logan instinctively let go. Emma rubbed her wrist and walked over to Travis.

"Go back to the room first."

Travis leaned casually against the wall with a lazy, dangerous posture. He waited until Emma disappeared into the private dining room before lifting his head. A terrifying, murderous chill settled in his predatory gaze.

"For the sake of the fact that the Lockwoods used to be her family, I won't do anything to you today. But if you keep harassing her, spouting nonsense about 'family' ties..."

Travis descended the stairs, stopping mere inches from Logan's face.

"I have more than enough ways to permanently exile your entire family from this country."

Faced with Travis's lethal threat, Logan didn't flinch.

He stood tall, his scholarly demeanor masking an unwavering gaze.

"From a legal standpoint, Emma was raised a Lockwood. Whether she's backed by the Vance family or the Reynolds family, she bears our name. Moving her registry doesn't erase her past."

Travis's eyes darkened, brimming with lethal intent.

Logan remained unfazed, arching a brow calmly. "We're on domestic soil. Even the Reynolds family has to abide by the law."

It was a double-edged remark, reminding Travis of his limits and reinforcing Emma's ties to the Lockwoods.

Travis stared at him for a long moment before letting out a contemptuous laugh.

"A Lockwood, huh? I'm curious. If you actually saw her as family, where were you when she couldn't afford to eat and had to scavenge expired bread outside supermarkets? Where were you when she was so sick she could only grit her teeth, letting a simple cold turn into severe pneumonia?"

Logan's face drained of color. Had... had that really happened?

"You claim she's your family. Do you know how many times she was targeted by muggers because she was a foreigner? Do you know how many times someone pressed a gun to her head, trying to force her to sell her body just because she's beautiful?"

Before Travis even finished, Logan looked physically ill.

Had she truly endured all of that alone?

"You know absolutely nothing, yet you have the audacity to call her family. Why didn't you say these things when she first came back? Now that you see she has money and power, suddenly you remember your 'bond'?"

"Logan, what are you thinking about?"

Gillian bit her lip. Was he actually regretting not bringing Emma back into the fold?

She hurried down the steps, her voice soft and pitiful. "This is my first time inside this restaurant. When I was a little girl, I used to stand outside staring at it, dreaming that one day I'd be able to eat here."

Her words reminded Logan of Gillian's miserable childhood. The guilt he had just felt for Emma was swiftly buried.

He forced a gentle smile and affectionately patted Gillian's head.

"Then I'll take you inside. The Jennings family is here too. You rarely visit your mother's side of the family. It's only right that you go say hello."

Gillian breathed a sigh of relief, glad he still prioritized her.

She offered an obedient smile, but the moment they walked into the private room and she spotted Arthur Jennings, she blurted out:

"Grandfather, I heard you're giving the Elixir distribution rights to Emma. Why give them to her when you could give them to me? I'm your actual granddaughter."