The Ruthless CEO's Revenge Wife-Chapter 181: The unspoken trust
Chapter 181: The unspoken trust
Martha led them to a cozy corner café tucked near the edge of the mall’s top floor... the kind with soft lighting, quiet jazz, and velvet chairs that begged you to stay too long.
Hannah slid into the booth first, then Jean, and Martha settled beside her like a queen returning to her throne.
A waiter appeared.
"Three lavender lattes, one chocolate croissant, and... give us all the whipped cream you have," Martha said.
Jean blinked. "You’ve memorized my order? Did you see one of my interviews?"
Martha raised an elegant brow. "Darling, I’ve memorized your wardrobe, your walking speed, and which side of the bed you curl up on when you’re cold. I’m terrifyingly observant."
She’s kidding right?
Hannah giggled, pulling out her phone beneath the table. Quietly, she typed out a message and hit send.
’Logan, café on Level 3 near the glass elevators. Jean had a rough moment. Just in case...’
Then she tucked her phone away and turned back to Jean with a bright smile. "So, anyway... you were totally a warrior back there. That was, like, a movie moment."
Jean gave a half hearted smile, but it was softer now. "Was I too harsh?"
"No," Martha said instantly. "You were overdue. And honestly, I’ve been waiting to tell that woman off for years. She thinks so low of our family."
The drinks arrived a moment later... warm, fragrant, and topped with an absurd tower of whipped cream.
Jean wrapped her hands around her mug, letting the warmth seep in. Her fingers were still shaking slightly, but not from fear... from release.
She took a sip.
Lavender and vanilla with a hint of honey.
Something about it made her chest ache, like it touched a place she didn’t let people see.
"I don’t know what I would’ve done if you both hadn’t been there," she murmured.
Hannah leaned against her shoulder. "You would’ve handled it. But it was our honor to back you up like sparkly bodyguards."
Martha smiled behind her mug. "No one messes with my daughter-in-law. Not even if they gave birth to her."
Jean looked up... startled, but touched.
That one simple phrase... my daughter-in-law... said with pride, not obligation.
She didn’t say anything. But her eyes misted over, just slightly.
And when she felt a warm presence step beside their table moments later... clean cologne, tailored suit, and quiet concern radiating from every inch of him... she didn’t even have to look up to know who it was.
Logan.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just gently placed his hand on her shoulder from behind.
Jean turned, and their eyes met.
No words.
Just that steady, grounding presence she didn’t even know she needed right now.
Martha took a sip of her latte, eyes twinkling. "Well, what do you know? Reinforcements have arrived."
___________________________
Few moments earlier
Logan had just stepped out of the boardroom when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He reached for it absentmindedly, still mentally going over the numbers from the acquisition pitch. But the moment he saw the sender’s name, his attention snapped into focus.
Hannah.
’Logan, café on Level 3 near the glass elevators. Jean had a rough moment. Just in case...’
His brows furrowed.
The suit jacket suddenly felt tighter around his chest.
A rough moment?
He didn’t bother texting back.
He was already moving.
"Henry, cancel my other meetings, I am going for the day."
Logan took the stairs two at a time instead of waiting for the elevator, weaving past weekend shoppers and mall workers without a second glance. Something cold coiled in his stomach as he imagined what could have possibly shaken Jean.
She had looked so calm earlier. A little tired, yes... guarded, always... but she smiled.
His jaw clenched.
Who had taken that smile away?
Then he saw them.
Through the wide glass of the café’s storefront, nestled in a cozy booth near the back, he spotted Martha’s unmistakable posture... regal, head slightly tilted in storytelling mode. Hannah was animated, waving a spoon like a wand.
And Jean...
His breath hitched.
She was smiling.
It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t bright or bold or meant for anyone’s approval. It was soft, quiet... real.
She held a mug in both hands, her lashes lowered as she listened to Martha speak. The faintest curve lifted her lips, and when Hannah bumped her shoulder playfully, she actually laughed... a small sound, but enough to make Logan’s entire body exhale.
He hadn’t even realized how tense he was.
He stood there for a moment, unmoving, just watching her.
There was something in that image... Jean, surrounded by women who cared for her, unguarded for once... that felt sacred.
And fragile.
He stepped inside the café quietly, his presence subtle.
He didn’t say her name.
He didn’t need to.
When he reached their table, he simply placed a hand gently on her shoulder... grounding, protective, not asking for attention, just being there.
Jean turned, eyes wide with surprise... then softening in a way that hit him right in the center of his chest.
And when she looked up at him, something unspoken passed between them.
____________________________
Jean was still staring up at him, her eyes wide with surprise and something gentler beneath.
Logan gave her shoulder a light squeeze, then looked toward Martha and Hannah with the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
"Mind if I join you all?"
Hannah perked up immediately. "Of course not! There’s still one seat left, see? It’s fate."
Martha gave him a look over the rim of her coffee cup. "You do realize this is a no-business zone?"
"I promise," Logan said, loosening his tie as he slid into the booth beside Jean, "I’m off the clock."
Jean was still watching him, a little stunned.
He didn’t just show up.
He stayed.
And he sat beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world... not just as a husband, not as an obligation, but as someone who chose to be here.
Martha raised her hand to signal a waiter. "We’ll need another lavender latte. And bring him something with actual protein before he starts chewing through the napkin."
"Not a bad idea," Logan muttered, glancing at the untouched croissant on the table with sudden interest. "I’ve been in meetings all morning."
Jean tilted her head. "You came all the way here without having lunch?"
"I got the text and didn’t think twice."
Her eyes flickered... something unreadable, then soft. "Hannah told you?"
"Yeah," he replied simply. "And I’m glad she did."
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