Garden of May - Chapter 122
“For what?”
“How should I know? Though I’d wager your report card arrived by express mail.”
The two gentlemen exchanged equally troubled looks at the exact same moment. Judging by the easy familiarity between them, Logan clearly adored his great-uncle.
“But more importantly, aren’t you going to introduce the young lady standing beside you?”
“Ah, right. This is Lady Vanessa Somerset. She said she had something she wanted to ask you, Great-Uncle.”
“I am Vanessa Siren Somerset.”
Vanessa gracefully extended one hand.
Had she been a young lady thoroughly seasoned by high society, she likely would have simply curtsied before an elderly gentleman like him. Girls her age often treated older men with subtle condescension, as though they were relics to be politely endured.
But for Vanessa—who had spent the entire day stumbling through one unfamiliar experience after another—maintaining a straight posture and a soft smile was already difficult enough.
At that point, all she could do was trust the etiquette manuals from St. Louis and the lessons drilled into her by her etiquette instructor.
And Rosalyn’s advice, too.
Benjamin looked faintly surprised by the old-fashioned greeting, but he quickly broke into a delighted smile and merely pretended to kiss the top of her gloved hand.
Even afterward, he continued smiling fondly to himself until Logan shot him a look, prompting the old man to clear his throat awkwardly.
“Somerset? Ah… now that you mention it.”
The old man narrowed his eyes as though searching through old memories, then suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
“Yes. Yes, of course… I remember meeting your parents a long time ago. Good heavens. Back then, you were just a tiny little lady.”
Finally.
Vanessa smiled brightly, hiding the nervous tension trembling beneath it.
“I heard you once served as legal counsel for my parents. So I suppose we must have met around that time, though unfortunately… I don’t remember it.”
“You were far too young. Five years old, perhaps?”
“Please, make yourself comfortable with me.”
For a brief moment, the old man studied her with pale blue eyes. Then he smiled again in a gentle smile softened by the deep lines of age and experience.
“Would that really be all right? I assumed you’d come here as a client.”
Despite his kindness, there was still a sharpness in his gaze that time had never dulled.
Vanessa steadied her breathing.
Benjamin Logan seemed like an honest man.
Then again, that judgment came from a barely twenty-year-old girl whose worldly experience was painfully limited. As someone whose only independent outings had been boarding school and church.
She did not trust her instincts when it came to adults. Adults were experts at wearing masks, and she knew she still lacked the ability to see through them.
Especially this old gentleman before her.
There was a weight of experience about him that made her feel as though no matter what she concealed or cautiously probed at, he would instantly sense the hidden meaning beneath it and pull it into the light.
Well, lawyers were trained for exactly that sort of thing…
‘Trying to hide information or fish around indirectly probably won’t work on him.’
Having made up her mind, Vanessa tightened her grip slightly on Logan’s arm.
“Logan. I’m sorry, but could you give us a moment?”
“Hm?”
“It’s… a somewhat sensitive family matter.”
“Oh.”
Logan, who had been absentmindedly observing the exchange, finally got up from his seat with an awkward laugh.
“Right. Of course. I’ll just go drink whiskey soda over there.”
“Don’t get carried away and drink too much, Logan. And watch your drink.”
“Great-Uncle, do I still look like a child to you?”
Then he turned toward Vanessa. With exaggerated old-fashioned charm, Logan took her hand and bowed over it slightly, one eye narrowing in a playful wink. His cheeks had flushed pink without him even realizing it.
“Don’t forget the favor I did you. I plan on charging a very expensive price for it.”
After flashing a teasing salute toward his great-uncle, he headed toward the other side of the hall.
Vanessa watched his retreating figure for a moment.
Honestly… she didn’t quite know how to explain it. At some point, Logan’s behavior had started to feel strangely off to her.
She couldn’t pinpoint why, nor could she properly explain the discomfort blooming inside her, but it made her heart pound with a peculiar unease.
Vanessa lightly pressed a hand against her chest. This feeling was completely different from the way her heart raced whenever she thought of River Ross.
“So then, Lady Vanessa.”
Lost in thought, Vanessa lifted her head at the sound of her name.
The warm, grandfatherly smile was gone. In its place sat a cold, sharp-eyed lawyer. The old man looked directly at her.
“What exactly is the reason you went as far as bringing Logan with you to find me?”
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 152 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 151 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 150 - Jun 16, 2026
