Persuasion

Bonus Chapter

The Day before Thanksgiving - London

Logan sat waiting impatiently for his father to return to his office. He had poured himself a glass of scotch from the ornate decanter, but it hadn't provided its usual calming effects. He was nervous and a little frantic. He had to talk to his dad, he just hoped he showed up quickly before he lost the courage.

"Logan" his voice boomed "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I can't marry Odette" Logan blurted out the words before Mitchum had even had a chance to completely enter his office.

Mitchum closed the door behind him, and poured himself a drink to match Logan's.

He sat down in his office chair and finally spoke "Logan where is this coming from? Of course you are going to marry Odette."

"Dad I'm serious. I can't do this."

"So am I Logan. Just because your little girlfriend came back into your life you think you can just throw all your plans out the window. What so she can break your heart again?"

"This isn't about Rory. It's about me. I don't love Odette. I know that she fit so well in your perfect image of how you wanted my life to turn out and I will do a lot of things to appease and please you but I can't do this. I can't marry someone just because you want me to."

"Like hell it's not about Rory. I saw the two of you. Having lunch together and then you asked me to call in a favor for her. You are clearly seeing each other. You are smarter than this Logan. You need to let each other go or at least pretend to be discreet about it. I told her the same thing when I saw her at Yale a couple of months ago."

"You did what?" Logan's voice was manic.

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you" Mitchum leaned back in his chair looking amused.

"What did you say to her?"

"That you were doing well for yourself and that I didn't want anything to jeopardize that."

"And she would jeopardize that?"

"By continuing an affair, causing you to call off your wedding. Yes she could jeopardize that and it seems my suspicions were not unfounded."

"Dad, there's nothing going on between us anymore" Logan said quietly.

"Anymore?" Mitchum questioned his eyebrows raised.

"Don't look smug dad. We were seeing each other, you know we were seeing each other. When Odette moved in Rory called it off. We haven't seen each other since" Logan admitted an almost truth, he didn't want talk about that night in New Hampshire. That was theirs, Mitchum didn't need to know.

"So why are you doing this Logan? Odette is lovely."

"She is lovely" Logan said sadly "which is why I can't go through with a sham of a marriage just because it's what you want me to do. She doesn't deserve that, no one deserves that. Marriage isn't just thinking someone is lovely, it's love and admiration. It's wanting to share experiences with someone for the rest of your life. I can put up with a lot. I have put up with a lot, for this family and for this business, but not this Dad. I can't do this and most importantly I can't do this to Odette no matter how lovely she is."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"I said fine didn't I?"

"Well then fine." Logan said with a more relaxed tone.

"You will have to be the one to tell your mother though" Mitchum warned.

"And Odette" Logan added quietly before their conversation turned back to business.