Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: So this is what you were trying to hide?
Winter breathed a sigh of relief as she managed to slip out of Kalix’s office just in time. The sudden phone call had kept him occupied, and she seized the opportunity to sneak away before he could make her spill the truth.

It wasn’t that Winter intended to keep it from Kalix forever, but she couldn’t ignore Rita’s request—it intrigued her more than she wanted to admit.

Moving swiftly toward her desk, she buried herself in work, pushing aside the lingering tension.

Meanwhile, inside Kalix’s office, Stanley’s call held his attention. He clenched his jaw, watching Winter slip away, but the information he received instantly shifted his focus.

“The driver who hit Mr. Bryson’s car has been found,” Stanley informed him, his breath uneven over the line.

Kalix’s brows furrowed. The strain in Stanley’s voice didn’t go unnoticed.

“Get him to the base,” Kalix ordered. “And tend to your wounds—I don’t want anyone blaming me for the blood you lose.”

A quiet hum of acknowledgment came before the call ended.

Kalix paused, his gaze flickering back to Winter. Though suspicion gnawed at him, he couldn’t afford to dwell on it—not when Stanley had finally caught the man they had been hunting for so long.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he pushed his thoughts aside, grabbed his car keys, and strode out of the office, heading straight for the base.

Meanwhile, Stanley dumped the man into his car’s trunk and drove to the designated location.

He made sure to clean his wounds before Kalix arrived, but he wasn’t alone—Bryson had come along as well.

Kalix had informed Bryson about the discovery and asked him to join. Since Bryson had been the target, having him there would make negotiating with the man much easier.

“Where is he?” Kalix asked, his sharp gaze lingering on the bruises and cuts marring Stanley’s face.

“In the dark room,” Stanley replied.

Without another word, Kalix and Bryson strode toward the room. However, that didn’t stop Stanley from understanding the look Kalix shot him.

I’ll deal with you later.

The unspoken warning was clear, which he as usual ignored and carried with his errand.

***

Inside the dark room, the man woke to the sight of two figures. One felt unfamiliar, but the other—

Panic surged through him. He struggled against the restraints, but the ropes binding his wrists held firm.

Byron and Kalix exchanged a glance. The man’s reaction made it clear—he recognized Byron. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this terrified.

“Let me go! I don’t know anything!” the man blurted out, his voice shaking.

Both Byron and Kalix raised their eyebrows. The fear in his eyes said otherwise.

Byron took a step forward, his voice cold and unyielding. “Who hired you?”

The man froze, his breath hitching.

When Stanley had first captured him, he’d been high on something. But now, with the drugs worn off, the paranoia had settled in, replacing whatever reckless bravado he might have had.

“I don’t know anything, please—please let me go,” he pleaded, his voice trembling.

The plea was cut short when Byron’s hand lashed out, striking him hard across the face. The sharp sound echoed in the room.

“One last time,” Byron said, his patience wearing thin. “Who hired you to attack me? And why?”

The man clamped his mouth shut, his eyes darting around as if looking for an escape.

Kalix sighed, stepping forward. “I don’t think he’ll answer like this.”

He pulled out his gun, pressing the barrel against the man’s forehead.

“Speak,” he ordered, voice void of mercy. “Or get ready to have your skull split in two.”

The cold steel and the deadly intent in Kalix’s eyes sent a visible tremor through the man’s body. Terror flickered across his face as Kalix tightened his grip on the trigger, ready to press it when the man shouted.

“I will tell you everything. Please spare my life”

Kalix instantly pulled back the gun, his eyes peircing through the man intently, ready to hear him.

***

Both Kalix and Byron were left disappointed, unable to extract any significant clues about the person who had hired him. It felt like a meticulously planned setup, exploiting the attacker’s unstable mental state.

Yes, he had attacked Byron while under the influence of drugs—drugs he had purchased with the money given to him by an anonymous source.

“We can’t rely on him. He doesn’t even know the person who hired him,” Byron let out a disappointed sigh.

Kalix agreed but refused to believe the man was completely useless.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find him,” Kalix assured.

With that, Byron left the base, having important meetings to attend.

Meanwhile, Stanley, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly felt Kalix’s sharp gaze settle on him.

“How many fights did it take to get to this man?” Kalix asked, his tone keen and measured.

Stanley shared a knowing look with Kalix and muttered nonchalantly, “Two, just to befriend him.”

Kalix’s lips twitched in annoyance. “And what about these fresh bruises?” he asked, taking mental note of the damage on Stanley’s face.

“To kidnap him.”

Kalix exhaled sharply, barely restraining his frustration. He couldn’t believe he was raising a bull that refused to be tamed. No matter how much he tried to set Stanley on the right path, the man never budged.

“Just because I agreed to the deal doesn’t mean you can risk your life. I still owe it, remember?” Kalix stood, closing the distance between them with a single stride.

Gripping Stanley’s chin, he pressed against the swollen bruise under his eye, eliciting a sharp hiss.

“This—I don’t want to see it again. Got it?” His tone left no room for argument.

Stanley simply nodded.

Kalix didn’t say another word as he turned on his heel.

“You know what to do with him,” he said before walking away.

Stanley glanced in the direction of the dark room, a smirk tugging at his lips, before stepping forward to finish the job.

***

As soon as the lunch break arrived, Winter seized the opportunity to slip out of the company, relieved by Kalix’s continued absence since their last encounter. She had no idea what had pulled him away or where he had gone, but she welcomed the reprieve from his relentless questioning.

Reaching the restaurant where Rita had asked to meet, Winter’s curiosity grew. What could Rita possibly have in store for her? Why had she insisted on meeting in secret?

The moment she spotted Rita already waiting, it was clear—whatever she had to say, she was determined to say it.

“I’m glad you could spare a moment for me,” Rita said in an uncharacteristically polite tone, making Winter arch a brow.

She hadn’t been this courteous during their first encounter. The sudden shift in her demeanor left Winter questioning her intentions.

Was it Kalix’s warning that had caused this change? Or was there something else?

“What did you want to say?” Winter cut straight to the point, unwilling to waste time on small talk. Her only goal was to get this meeting over with as quickly as possible.

Rita’s smile faltered at Winter’s cold response, and she pursed her lips awkwardly.

“I know that after what I did to Seren, you probably don’t trust me,” she began, her tone laced with sincerity. Winter remained silent, intrigued but skeptical, allowing Rita to continue.

“But I truly want to apologize to you,” Rita said, her voice steady.

Winter let out a dry laugh, the unexpected reaction making Rita’s lips twitch in unease. But even as Winter’s laughter lingered, she pressed on, unwilling to let doubt shake her resolve.

“Are you done, Rita? Because I really need to leave,” Winter sighed, tucking her bag under her arm, ready to stand.

But Rita quickly reached out, stopping her.

“Please, believe me, Winter. I deeply regret what I did, and I’m ashamed that I resorted to such a cheap trick to push you away. But now I see how wrong I was and how foolish it was to think I could separate you from Kalix.”

Winter listened in silence, absorbing every word. But no matter how earnestly Rita spoke, she couldn’t bring herself to believe her.

One thing she had learned about Diana and her sister was their mastery of manipulation. And she hadn’t forgotten the warning Lilac had given her back when Diana first tried to trap her.

“You know what, Rita? I don’t understand the point of your apology now when you could have done it the moment Kalix exposed you. But you didn’t. Instead, you kept denying everything, making it even harder for me to trust you.”

Winter had always prided herself on her ability to read people, to see through facades. And with Rita, she didn’t even need to try, she already knew the kind of woman she was.

This so-called apology didn’t move her in the slightest.

Rita, on the other hand, saw Winter’s unyielding pride as a frustrating obstacle. But she couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip through her fingers.

“Please believe me, Winter. I’m not lying,” Rita persisted, her voice laced with desperation as she tried to convince Winter to forgive her.

But before Winter could respond, someone else spoke on her behalf.

“And she refuses to forgive you. Are we clear, sister-in-law?”

Winter’s eyes snapped to the figure standing beside her, her breath catching in shock. Rita, on the other hand, went pale at the sight of the man who had nearly killed her once before.

“K-Kalix, what are you-”

Kalix didn’t spare her a glance. Instead, he reached for Winter’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Without another word, Winter got up, allowing him to lead her out of the restaurant, leaving Rita in shambles.

“Kalix, slow down! I can’t keep up,” Winter protested, struggling to match his pace.

The moment the words left her lips, Kalix slowed, but the second they reached his car, he spun her around and pinned her against it.

“So this is what you were trying to hide?”