Chapter 267: Nothing Like His Father
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘⭒❊✿❊⭒∘∙⊱⋅•
3rd Person’s POV
The room smelled of old leather, fine scotch, and the sharp scent of burning paper. Keith stood behind the massive oak desk, his back to the door, pouring himself a generous glass of amber liquid into a crystal tumbler.
As the decanter clinked against the glass, it could’ve been a classy sound under different circumstances. He maintained a composed posture, shoulders squared in the tailored shirt he had put on after the earlier chaos, but there was a tension in the way he held the bottle, a slow, deliberate movement that hinted he was stalling for time.
The fire in the hearth crackled anew, flames dancing higher as another stack of papers curled at the edges and blackened. Adrien crossed the study in calculated strides, stopping just short of the desk, and without a moment’s notice, lifted his phone. His thumb pressed play.
Logan’s voice filled the room, raw and weary, the confession pouring out in the same exhausted rhythm they had heard before. Keith froze mid-sip. The tumbler hung near his mouth as the words hit him...Joanne’s suspicions, the affair with Helen, the tampered brakes, the deal, the blackmail.
The calm facade he had worn for years began to crack. His shoulders tightened first, then his fingers gripped the glass so hard his knuckles turned white. When Logan delivered the last line.
"Do it for her"
Keith slowly set the tumbler down on the desk with exaggerated care, as if the crystal might break under the weight of what he’d just heard.
For a long stretch, the only sound was the soft pop and hiss of the fire.