Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: You made me talk of the town
After work, Winter slid into the car, her phone vibrating relentlessly until she finally silenced it with a frustrated sigh. The persistent calls from a particular number had her temper flaring, and in exasperation, she tossed the device into the glove compartment, hiding it from sight.

“That ex of yours… doesn’t he have the decency to stay away after dumping you for your sister?” Kalix’s nonchalant tone broke the silence, drawing her attention.

Winter exhaled heavily, leaning back against the seat with her eyes closed. “I wonder how he even got my number in the first place,” she muttered.

Ever since she had made headlines, she had become the center of attention. At work, colleagues offered unsolicited sympathy, and even people who once ignored her now reached out, pretending to care. The sudden shift felt suffocating.

“Don’t you think you went too far exposing her?” she asked, turning to Kalix. “You made me the talk of the town.”

He simply reached out, brushing his fingers over her cheek with a smirk. “Then enjoy it.”

Winter rolled her eyes, but deep down, she knew Kalix had been deliberate in orchestrating this media storm. He had leaked just enough information to shape public opinion in her favor, adding a touch of spice to an already burning scandal.

The result? The world now saw her in a completely different light, while Agnes’s reputation had been utterly destroyed.

Winter knew her so-called family wouldn’t retaliate, not publicly at least. However, Agnes wasn’t the type to expose the truth, especially since doing so would mean risking the man she desperately wanted to hold on to.

Both she and Kalix suspected that Diana had played a role in informing Agnes about Winter’s connection to him. But even if that were true, Agnes would never dare to make it public. She had too much to lose.

However, Kalix didn’t share the same restraint. Instead, he had mercilessly exposed Agnes, burying her beneath the weight of her own deception.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

His deep voice pulled Winter from her thoughts, making her straighten in her seat as she looked at him expectantly.

Kalix hesitated, his lips pressing into a firm line.

“That man who followed you to the company that day… he was sent by Eric.” His tone was measured, yet laced with something darker. “I think it started after he saw us together, but I doubt he knows who I am.”

Winter’s brows knitted together as a sense of unease settled over her.

“So, he’s been stalking me for a while?” She murmured, more to herself than to him. “That’s why he was lurking outside the company that day.”

Kalix nodded. “Yes. And yet, you tried to hide it from me.” His voice dripped with mockery, a trace of disdain curling at the edges.

Winter snapped her gaze to him, momentarily stunned by the accusation. Then, realization dawned.

She folded her arms, eyes narrowing as she studied him intently. “And how long have you known it was Eric?”

Kalix met her stare, unreadable as always, but she wasn’t backing down.

“There’s no way you just found that out,” she added with certainty.

Nothing about her life escaped his notice. He always knew everything. So this wasn’t something he had just recently discovered.

Kalix pursed his lips and shook his head.

“It’s been some time now,” he responded slyly.

Winter inhaled deeply, already piecing together the reason he had kept this from her until now.

She had believed the man stalking her was sent by her father. But the truth was far worse, and it had been Eric all along, keeping tabs on her.

“I should’ve known,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “The way he always managed to cross my path with his lies…”

“Did you say something?” Kalix asked, his sharp gaze flicking toward her.

Winter quickly pressed her lips together, refusing to respond.

The car ride was tense, but instead of heading home, they drove to Greyson Estate, another property where Bryson was currently staying.

Winter had already told him about the incident earlier. Despite assuring him that she was fine and explaining her plan regarding Agnes, Bryson hadn’t said a word. He had simply let her handle things as she saw fit.

Agnes had long been a source of frustration for him. He had endured years of turmoil caused by the schemes orchestrated by that mother-daughter duo, their manipulations chipping away at his peace. But after what Agnes had attempted with Winter, his patience had finally run out.

He didn’t care how badly it would affect their reputation, as he had already decided to disown Agnes, cutting her off from the wealth she was set to inherit after his passing.

“You think disowning her won’t land you in trouble, Grandpa?” Winter asked thoughtfully. “Dad already holds immense hatred toward you. If you take away Agnes’s inheritance, he’ll despise you even more.”

She had always believed Bryson had been too harsh toward Agnes while they were growing up. Maybe that was why Agnes resented her so much. The favoritism had sown the seeds of jealousy in her heart, and that jealousy had festered into something far darker—vengeance. Now, that insecurity had driven her to the point of trying to take Winter’s life.

“She had plenty of chances to change, to let go of her insecurity toward you, Winter. I admit, I bear responsibility too for not seeing it sooner and for pushing you away instead. But believe me, I only did it to protect you and Seren from the harshness of it all. I thought I was making the right choice.” Bryson exhaled deeply, his expression weary. “But now, I see how wrong I was to ever believe that David was the rightful heir to my legacy and that he was the one to carry my name forward.”

He had realized it too late. The son he had trusted, the one he believed would never betray him, had orchestrated an attack against him. David’s true colors had finally come to light.

So, it was no great shock when Agnes followed suit.

Yet, instead of directing her anger where it belonged, she had set her sights on Winter, punishing her for something she had never been responsible for.

“I can’t believe she actually thinks Eric refused to marry her because of you,” Bryson muttered, his curious gaze darting toward Winter.

It was absurd, yet undeniable. When Agnes was taken to the hospital, she had kept repeating those same words over and over. That was how they had finally pieced together her motive for trying to run Winter down with her car.

And when they checked her phone, Winter had found something even more damning—several photos of her and Eric from that evening, forwarded to Agnes by none other than Diana.

Bryson let out a heavy sigh before shifting his attention to Kalix, who had remained silent throughout their conversation, simply listening.

“What are your thoughts on Diana?” Bryson asked, his voice laced with mockery. “Are you still going to let her target Winter? Or is your grandfather still clinging to the idea of getting you two hitched?”

Winter stiffened, caught off guard by Bryson’s bluntness. She hadn’t expected him to address Kalix so directly. But what surprised her even more was how unbothered Kalix remained.

“I’m not marrying her,” Kalix responded coldly. “I stand by the deal we made.”

Bryson didn’t doubt it. He had already seen the lengths Kalix had gone to in order to protect Winter even before he had known who she truly was to him.

“Then I think it’s only logical to get married before someone tries to demean your lady,” Bryson remarked.

Winter’s head snapped toward him, her eyes wide with shock. “Where did that come from?” she demanded. “Didn’t I make it clear that I need to fall for him first?”

Kalix met her gaze, his expression unreadable, before giving her a slow nod. “I have no intention of forcing her into this arrangement,” he stated firmly. “I want her heart without the burden of any agreement between us.”

His words carried a weight that silenced Bryson. As he considered Kalix’s stance, he realized that pushing them into marriage wasn’t necessary. Things were already moving in the direction he had hoped. Sooner or later, they would take that step on their own.

As the trio continued their discussion, they highlighted the challenges they might face in the coming days now that Winter had provoked Agnes. There was no doubt that Dorothy and David were already aware of what had happened, but they were likely waiting to see how the situation unfolded before making their move.

While Winter believed Agnes might keep certain secrets from her parents for a while, she remained confident that Eric would still be left in the dark.

***

Meanwhile, inside his apartment, Eric continued to throw things in a fit of rage. Winter ignoring his calls was both disheartening and infuriating.

The news of her near-accident, caused by Agnes, was making headlines. But what bothered him even more was how people were branding him a cheater, publicly dragging his name through the mud for betraying one sister for the other.

Never in his life had he imagined being exposed this way. Yet, for once, none of that mattered. All he wanted was to talk to Winter, to hear her voice, to ask if she was okay.

But she had ignored his calls all day. And now, she had turned her phone off completely, shutting him out without a second thought.

“I know exactly what you’re trying to do, Winter,” Eric sneered. “Discarding me for that man, the one who’s influenced you so much that you even filed a complaint against your own sister. Nice.” He let out a mocking chuckle, his anger barely restrained.

He had thought that threatening Agnes would be enough to keep her under control. But instead, it had backfired spectacularly.

And now, with David pressuring him to marry his daughter or lose the position, the walls were closing in on him faster than he could handle.

“I won’t stop until I find out who the man behind your support is,” he declared, his determination unwavering.