Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Do you even care about your life?
Stanley didn’t realize that Lilac had caught a cold and was now shivering on the bed.

“Stupid girl… Why would you hurt yourself like that?” he sighed, running a hand through his hair before striding to his closet. He grabbed a loose T-shirt and returned to her side.

Without hesitation, he pulled her up, undressed her carefully, and slipped the shirt over her frail frame. Once she was covered, he tucked her back into bed.

Lilac instinctively shrank into the warmth of the mattress, then reached for him in her sleep. Her hands wrapped around his torso, clinging to him as if seeking comfort even in unconsciousness.

Stanley stiffened for a moment, then let out a slow breath. He couldn’t bring himself to pull away.

He didn’t know how Lilac had found out about her parents’ deaths, but one thing was certain—it had affected her deeply.

At least she hadn’t gotten drunk this time. Instead, she had ended up at his door. But that didn’t mean he would let her drown in her pain again. Tomorrow, she would have to face it.

With that thought, he pulled her closer, running a soothing hand over her back. She was slightly warm, but soon, her shivering subsided, and she drifted into a deep slumber.

Stanley, however, remained wide awake.

***

[Penthouse]

Kalix had just stepped out of the shower when his phone rang.

Winter, who was nearby, furrowed her brows and picked it up, glancing at the screen before handing it to him.

“It’s Roger,” she said.

Kalix took the phone and answered swiftly.

“Yes, Roger?” he said, listening intently as the voice on the other end spoke.

Winter silently observed Kalix from the side, noticing how his expression shifted from calm to tense.

By the time he ended the call, his entire demeanor had changed.

“What happened?” Winter asked, slowly approaching him.

“Lilac is missing. She even left her phone at home.” Kalix’s voice trembled, the fear evident in his tone.

Winter frowned as she watched him dial another number.

The phone rang twice before Stanley answered.

“Stanley, search every corner. Lilac is missing,” Kalix said urgently.

However, the response he received left him stunned.

“Boss,” Stanley hesitated before continuing. He was uncertain, but he knew he had to be honest.”Lilac is with me.”

Kalix’s expression softened instantly, the tension in his aura dissipating. He simply hummed in acknowledgment before ending the call.

Winter looked at him in confusion as he quickly typed a message and sent it to Roger. Without another word, he tossed his phone onto the bed and carried on with his errands, leaving Winter completely baffled.

Meanwhile, inside Rosewood Mansion, Roger exhaled in relief as he read Kalix’s text. He turned to look at Sylvester, who had been growing more anxious ever since Lilac had walked away without a word.

“She’s at her friend’s place and will be staying there for the night,” he said, rising from his seat.

Sylvester frowned. “Why can’t she be at home? Why stay with a friend when she could come here and argue with me for keeping this secret from her?”

Roger sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Grandpa, I think we should give her some time. Do you really think she’s that easy to understand? If you keep nagging her, will that make things better? No, right? Just let her be for now. She’ll be back tomorrow.”

Roger didn’t want to pressure Lilac or meddle in her life. She was old enough to decide what was right and wrong for herself. And when the time came, he was prepared to face her anger, after all, he had been part of the decision to keep the truth about their parents’ deaths hidden.

“Get some rest, Grandpa. And please, don’t send anyone to bring her back. You’ll only make things harder for all of us.”

With that, Roger turned and walked to his room, leaving Sylvester drowning in regret.

***

Back inside Kalix’s room, Winter continued to watch him, her patience wearing thin. When she could no longer stand his silence, she finally spoke.

“Are you going to ignore me, or am I invisible to you?”

Kalix stopped mid-movement and looked at her cautiously. “No, I can clearly see you. And I’m not ignoring you, Angel,” he said plainly. But his detached tone only fueled Winter’s irritation.

“What happened to Lilac? And what did Stanley say that made you take back your orders right after giving them?” Her voice was sharp, her gaze locked onto him.

She had heard him say Lilac was missing. So why had he suddenly changed his mind when he should have been out looking for her?

Kalix met her stare with a skeptical look, but Winter refused to back down. Her unwavering stance made him sigh heavily.

“She’s with Stanley.”

“…”

“And you’re not going to ask why?” She challenged, her heart pounding.

She hadn’t expected Kalix and Roger to be this calm, not when fear was gnawing at her insides.

“Why should I?” Kalix said, brushing past her as he made his way to the bed. “Stanley is trustworthy, and Lilac has known him for as long as we have. She’s in safe hands.”

Winter stood frozen, disbelief washing over her. She couldn’t understand how blindly they trusted Stanley. If only they knew what their sister truly thought of him, perhaps it would end up sparking a war between them.

Pushing aside her frustration, she changed the subject. “Then what was the reason she went missing in the first place?”

Without waiting for an answer, she slipped into bed, her thoughts still tangled in unease.

It wasn’t that Winter didn’t know anything about his parents. Kalix had never hidden the truth from her. So when she asked, he didn’t hold back and told her everything.

“How could you keep such a big truth from her? She deserves to know about her parents’ deaths. Every child has that right,” Winter said, looking at him in disbelief.

Kalix pressed his lips into a thin line. He regretted not telling Lilac sooner, but now that his grandfather had revealed the truth himself, he was already prepared for Lilac’s scolding.

“Lilac was too young to understand the mystery behind what led to our parents’ deaths. As her brothers, we were always protective of her and never wanted her to know they had been murdered. We never planned to keep it a secret for so long, but we never even got the chance to tell her.”

No matter how much Kalix tried to justify his actions, he knew he was still at fault.

“Grandpa believed that one of his enemies was responsible for their deaths. However, he did his best to keep us out of that world because of my father. He knew how dark the underworld was, and no matter how careful they were, there would always be prying eyes watching.”

“Then how did you end up stepping into his world?”

Kalix’s eyes glinted with an emotion that made Winter’s stomach twist.

“I was never an obedient child to begin with. Unlike Roger, who followed in my father’s footsteps to avoid violence and live a peaceful life, I did the opposite. I was fascinated by guns and fights, so I started going with Grandpa to the base and learning his skills.”

Winter listened silently. There was a sad smile lingering on his face, one that told her he wasn’t proud of it either.

“But after their deaths, I stopped everything… until the very reason behind their deaths pulled me back into the same world my father had fought to keep me out of.”

The heaviness in his tone revealed just how much he regretted going against his parents’ wishes.

But there was also a determination in his eyes that stood out, and she knew why.

“And what if you never find the people who killed your parents? Will you still continue to live this life?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Winter had always believed in standing up for what was right, but what Kalix was searching for wasn’t justice. It was vengeance. And vengeance was dangerous. It had already nearly cost him his life once.

This wasn’t as simple as handing a goon over to the cops. It was life-threatening.

“Are you scared that something might happen to me?” he asked, his lips curling into a playful grin.

Winter was momentarily distracted by that smile, but before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms, and suddenly, they were lying face-to-face.

Her breath hitched. For a moment, she was too stunned to react. But then she noticed how calmly Kalix was looking at her, his gaze unwavering. Those eyes had a way of making her feel at ease, as if the chaos of the world faded when he looked at her.

“Tell me, Angel… Are you scared that something might happen to me?” he asked again, his voice lower, more intimate.

This time, she found herself tongue-tied.

“Why? Do you want to die?” she asked after a moment, refusing to look away, her gaze locked with his.

His eyes gleamed under the dim light, like polished marbles reflecting secrets she wasn’t sure she wanted to uncover. And that slight curve of his lips… it made her want to kiss them.

“I don’t mind… but only if you come to save me, just like that night.”

Winter’s heart clenched at his playful remark. He said it so easily, as if his own life meant nothing. But what about them? Was that why he was so desperate to make her fall for him, just so he could leave her alone again?

Her eyes turned cold, and without hesitation, she pushed him away.

“I’m sleeping in my room,” she said, already shifting to climb out of bed.

But Kalix refused to let her go, his grip firm as he kept her in place.

A part of him was pleased to see her so distressed, to know she cared. But the other part regretted pushing her buttons like this.

“You promised to sleep with me,” he said calmly.

His composure only fueled her anger.

“Do you even care about your life? Or is it just that easy for you to treat it like a joke?” she snapped.

This time, Kalix didn’t smile.

“I promise to leave everything behind and live a life with you and Star… but only after I find and punish the people who killed my parents.”

And it was then she realized how serious he was.