The Returning EX (John and Sophia)
Chapter 1690

Chapter 1690 Carve Our Own Paths

By the time lan pulled up at the clubhouse, Logan was already waiting for their arrival by the entrance. The clubhouse was devoid of its usual party crowd during daylight hours, and inside the building, everyone seemed to be shuffling around lazily to pass the time.

At the sight of lan and Cindy, Logan perked up and waved at them vivaciously. "Hurry up and come in!"

Following their last meal together, Cindy had gotten to know Logan a little better, and his enthusiasm was likely his greatest charm. She flashed him a smile and linked arms with lan as they entered the clubhouse.

The atrium of the clubhouse already had tea, cakes, and fruit set up for a quick bite. Logan led them over to the seats and invited them to help themselves. "So what are the both of you doing here? Were you passing by?" Without waiting for lan to answer, he went on to say, "I wasn't planning on coming here today, but Lola kept telling me that I was being a nuisance at home, and she practically kicked me out of the house. It's not as if I had anywhere else to go, so here I am, trying to wait out the storm. And now, you're here! Talk about a coincidence, am I right?"

Then, he burst out into exaggerated laughter, slapping his thigh like he was in a pantomime.

Cindy was thoroughly amused by him. There was something inexplicably infectious about his energy that one couldn't help but want to laugh along with him.

At that moment, it was as if whatever frustration and unease she had been feeling earlier were as good as gone.

When Logan was done laughing, he caught his breath and gazed at lan curiously. "Wait, if the both of you are here, then where's Madam Peyton?"

It was only then that lan answered, "She's at home, probably catching up on rest."

Logan nodded, and when he remembered his own question from earlier that had gone unanswered, he asked again, "So, what were you guys up to before this? Were you guys really just passing by this route?"

"No," lan replied frankly. "We were at the hospital to pay the old man a visit."

Logan's eyes widened at this, clearly interested. "And the both of you showed up at the hospital together? Who else was there? Were you guys on your own?"

A sigh escaped lan. "Yes, we were on our own, and the old man was alone when we went. The whole thing took only a couple of minutes."

Pausing in thought, Logan suddenly inched closer to lan and pressed, "What happened? Did you and the old man get into a fight or something?"

lan scoffed in mild amusement. "Of course not. Why would we?" He shook his head and explained, "We didn't fight. We only talked for a bit and realized that we still don't see eye-to-eye after all these years. You know, with all these differences between us, I wonder why..." he trailed off, then looked at Logan steadily. "I wonder why I was born into his family in the first place."

He might sound like he was joking, but it was half-hearted, and Cindy felt her heart twist when she heard the wounded tone of his voice.

She had asked herself the same thing back when she was younger. She had wondered why she had been born into the Selby Family and found herself asking if life might be different had she been someone else's daughter.

However, thoughts like these only snowballed and made her repressive. She knew one could not choose their own parents, and reincarnation wouldn't offer such a luxury either.

Such was fate. Logan's smile faded as he eyed lan somberly, and after a long moment, he finally grinned and said, "I'm suddenly reminded of my own father. He used to ask me why I was born into his family all the time. It really got on my nerves."

Logan was trying to lighten the mood, but what he said had done little to ease the heavy atmosphere.

lan leaned back into the couch. His lips were pursed into a grim line, and there was a grave look in his eyes.

Cindy, too, seemed to be caught in her own thoughts as she sat silently next to him.

Left without a choice, Logan could only sigh and console lan, saying, "On the bright side, at least you managed to break away from them. You've done well for yourself as a celebrity, haven't you? All your accomplishments are your own, and through your own efforts, you've managed to get out of the Morgan Family. Your kids won't have to deal with them, and you'll be your own man. You're the real winner here, if you ask me."

He nudged the cup of tea toward lan and added, "I know we don't get to choose our families, but as stubborn as fate is, we still get to carve our own paths. You just happen to be a prime example of that ideal."

Upon hearing this, lan looked up at Logan, and in his eyes was exasperation.