Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: It was nothing serious
As soon as Sean ended the call, his gaze shifted to the woman who seemed far more engaged with the man handling the tech setup than with the one silently brooding on the side.

“How come she knows everyone?” he muttered under his breath, irritation tightening his jaw as he walked over to join them.

Niko, the man she was chatting with so effortlessly, wasn’t a stranger. He was one of their top IT specialists—brilliant, efficient—and also someone who had history with Gina, dating back to their university days.

“How long do you think it’ll take to trace the voice?” She asked, her focus entirely on Niko.

Despite being one of the best in his field, Niko’s brows were furrowed with frustration. “It’s tricky. I can’t isolate the decibel pattern. Whoever made that call to Kingstone knew exactly how to cover their tracks.”

He cast a quick glance at Gina, as if seeking affirmation or perhaps just reassurance.

Sean, now standing beside them, gave a tight nod. “Then I suppose we give him the time he needs. Right, Gina?”

His voice held a subtle edge, meant to draw her attention away from Niko—and it worked. Gina turned to him with a soft smile, completely unaware of the twinge of jealousy flaring behind his eyes.

“You’re right,” she said lightly. But just as she was about to walk away, she leaned close to Niko, whispering something in his ear that made the man chuckle quietly.

Sean’s brows rose, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

It wasn’t that he was surprised to see Gina turn up wherever he went lately—he was starting to get used to it—but finding her at Niko’s place earlier had thrown him. That felt… personal.

As they made their way back to his car, the question burned at his tongue.

“You and Niko seem… close,” he said, trying to keep his tone even.

Gina shrugged, completely at ease. “Quite a lot, actually. We were buddies in uni and still are. We just don’t get time to catch up often.”

Her casual response made his expression darken. That easy familiarity between her and Niko stirred something unpleasant in his chest.

He’d been watching her for weeks—months even. Knew her routines, her favorite coffee shop, the way she wrinkled her nose when she was thinking. And yet, there were so many things he didn’t know. Like this friendship with Niko. Like how easily she seemed to belong in places he hadn’t pictured her in.

She was more than Winter’s friend. And he hated how much he wanted to know every hidden piece of her.

“Good for him,” Sean said, his tone flat, barely hiding the edge underneath. “Because you’re invested in me now.”

The words were quiet but heavy, enough to make Gina halt mid-step, blinking in confusion.

Before she could respond, Sean slipped into the driver’s seat, shutting the door with finality.

By the time Gina climbed in beside him, curiosity was practically buzzing off her. “Wait—what was that you just said?”

Sean didn’t look at her. He started the car, eyes fixed ahead. “What?”

She frowned at the brush-off, not used to Sean acting so… disinterested. Or distant.

“That part where you said I’m invested in you,” she repeated, her tone rising with excitement, like a child discovering a hidden candy stash. “Are you saying you finally accept me?”

She turned toward him fully now, grinning like she’d just won a prize.

Sean glanced at her, startled by her reaction. “W-When did I say that?” he stammered, clearly flustered. “I only said you are invested in me… as in, you’re the one courting me.”

Gina leaned back in her seat, pretending to consider that. “Hmm, so I misunderstood,” she said, tapping her chin theatrically. “That means you’re not accepting my love, just… acknowledging it?”

Sean’s fingers tightened around the wheel. “Don’t twist my words.”

“I’m not twisting them,” she said with a teasing smile. “I’m just interpreting them. Creatively.”

He exhaled, frustrated and yet undeniably amused. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re terrible at hiding your feelings,” she shot back, folding her arms smugly. “Next time you confess, try not to sound like you’re delivering bad news.”

That earned a sharp look from Sean—but his lips twitched, just barely.

And for a moment, the tension in the car softened.

Gina didn’t tease him any further, sensing the shift in his mood. She sat quietly, letting the silence stretch as Sean focused on the road—until he finally broke it.

“What did you say to him?” He asked, eyes fixed ahead but voice low and deliberate.

Gina stiffened. Her gaze flickered to him, cautious now. The way he’d watched her earlier—so intently, so quietly—told her he hadn’t missed a thing.

Her fingers fidgeted in her lap. “It was nothing serious,” she said, turning to look out the window.

But Sean didn’t miss the way her voice dropped or the way she avoided his eyes. He didn’t press her, though. Just let the words hang there, unanswered, filling the space between them like fog.

Still, something about her interaction with Niko hadn’t sat well with him.

It hadn’t looked flirtatious—that much he was sure of. In fact, it was the exact opposite. There had been no playful touches, no giggles, no lingering looks. And strangely, that’s what unsettled him more.

Because if it had been flirtation, it would’ve been easy to read. Easy to label and easier to brush off.

But whatever passed between them had been… grounded. Familiar. Comfortable.

Too comfortable.

And that quiet sort of closeness raised more questions than answers.

He didn’t speak again. But his silence was heavy, and Gina felt every ounce of it pressing down on her.

By the time they pulled up in front of Gina’s place, the silence between them had thickened into something tense—heavy with the weight of unspoken thoughts.

Gina sat with her hands folded in her lap, unsure how to break through the invisible wall that had formed. She didn’t know how to explain what Sean might’ve perceived, but she also didn’t want him thinking she was playing games with him.

She just didn’t realize that wasn’t what was bothering him at all.

“To make everything clear,” she said at last, her voice quiet but firm, “I wasn’t flirting with Niko.”

Her eyes darted toward him, cautious, searching for a reaction. But Sean didn’t flinch, didn’t even turn his head.

“I know,” he said calmly. “And I also know you didn’t intend to.”

Gina blinked, caught completely off guard. She’d been bracing for doubt, for suspicion—but not this quiet understanding.

Sean finally turned to look at her, his gaze steady, unreadable. “But… I also think I shouldn’t force you to talk about things you’re not ready to share.”

His words landed gently, but the meaning behind them was clear. The last time they’d touched anything personal—especially about her past—Gina had shut down. That moment had taught him enough to back off.

But looking at her now, watching the guarded way her fingers tightened around her coat, he realized something else.

She wasn’t the only one who wasn’t ready.

And maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as prepared for her truths as he thought he was.

Gina offered a weak smile, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. Sean’s quiet understanding, his patience—it was something she hadn’t expected to find in a man.

Not in her life, anyway.

“You know why I like you?” she asked, leaning back into her seat, her body relaxing for the first time since the car ride began.

Sean glanced at her, his brows lifting just slightly.

“It’s because you’re not like the men I used to date,” she continued, her voice softening. “I hated being forced to act a certain way. To say things I didn’t mean. To be someone I wasn’t, just to keep them happy.”

Her words trailed off, but the weight behind them lingered. She wasn’t teasing this time, not trying to disarm him with charm or wit. She was just… being honest.

Sean’s gaze softened, and he turned toward her more fully. The way her voice dipped low, the slight tremble she tried to hide—it tugged at something in him.

This wasn’t the bold, sharp Gina who knew how to hold her own. This was the woman underneath, slowly peeling back her layers.

And God help him, he was already leaning closer.

“You never have to be anyone else with me,” he said, voice quiet but certain. “Not ever.”

The way she looked at him then—surprised, almost disbelieving—made his chest tighten.

Unknowingly, Sean’s hand reached out, his thumb brushing gently over the softness of Gina’s cheek.

Something about her had always drawn him in—even when she was just a presence in the background of his world. But now, in this quiet, vulnerable moment, with nothing but the soft hum of the engine between them, he felt closer to her than ever before.

Their faces slowly leaned in, breath mingling in the space between them, lips just a whisper apart, ready to close the distance…

“Wait a second—is that Rita?” Sean blurted, pulling back abruptly as his eyes widened, locking on something outside the window.

Gina blinked, startled, before snapping her gaze in the same direction.

Sure enough, Rita was leaving the building, her posture hurried as she got into her car and drove off.

“What is she doing here?” Gina muttered, squinting suspiciously as the car disappeared down the road.

The atmosphere shifted instantly—from emotional intimacy to alert suspicion.

Sean’s jaw tightened. “Something’s off.”