Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Don’t pet me-
Beatrix dashed into Richard’s room and found him struggling to breathe. Panic surged through her, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm as she hurried to his side.

“What happened to him?” she asked, her voice tight with worry, while Richard’s body jerked violently in what appeared to be a minor stroke.

Mia, the maid, stood frozen near the door, trembling as she watched the scene unfold.

“I gave him the medicine you told me to give him, but after a while, he started to—” Mia stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

Beatrix shot her a sharp glare, but she held back from scolding her. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t Mia’s fault. Richard’s body must have reacted badly to the medication, but keeping him at home any longer wasn’t an option she could afford.

“Call an ambulance. We’re moving him,” Beatrix ordered firmly.

Mia nodded and dashed out of the room, eager to carry out her madam’s command.

By the time they reached the hospital, Dianna had already arrived after hearing the news. She joined her mother outside the ward, an IV drip stand rolling quietly beside her as she walked.

“What happened to him so suddenly?” she whispered, her voice laced with concern.

Beatrix stayed silent, her eyes fixed on the closed door of the ward, waiting for the doctors to come out and reassure her that Richard would be all right.

Dianna stood anxiously beside her mother, her heart heavy with worry for her father. Beatrix’s silence offered her no comfort, only deepening the unease settling in her chest.

Moments later, the doors to the operating theater swung open, and the doctor stepped out, pulling off his gloves as he approached them.

“He’s stable now, but we’ll need to monitor him for another day,” Jason, the doctor assigned to Richard’s case, informed them.

Beatrix let out a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing that Richard was out of danger, but her eyes carefully studied Jason’s expression, sensing there might be more.

“Is there anything else we should know, Doctor?” she asked, her tone edged with skepticism.

Jason shook his head lightly. “Nothing else for now, apart from keeping him under our surveillance,” he assured her, the calmness in his voice easing the last traces of her doubt.

Beatrix finally allowed herself a deeper breath, the tightness in her chest loosening. Without another word, she and Dianna quietly made their way into the ward to see Richard.

***

Meanwhile, in the dimly lit underground boxing club, Lilac finally found the release she so desperately needed. Each punch against the bag echoed through the room, sharp and unrelenting, as if her anger had taken on a life of its own.

She hadn’t realized just how much she had been holding inside until now. The more she swung, the lighter the weight on her chest became. But as the adrenaline ebbed and her heartbeat slowed, a strange unease began to settle over her.

Now that her mind was clear, the anger that had consumed her didn’t feel justified — at least, not entirely. Something about it felt off.

She replayed the conversation in her head, focusing on Sylvester’s words: “I know what I’m doing.” The certainty in his voice, the calm denial — it didn’t sit well with her.

Earlier, rage had blinded her, sending her rational thoughts packing. But now, as the fog of emotion slowly lifted, a different truth began to stir in the back of her mind.

Something wasn’t right. And the more she thought about it, the more certain she became — she had missed something important.

“You think I overreacted?” Lilac asked suddenly, her hand resting against the swaying punch bag.

Her eyes lingered on Stanley, searching his face for an answer, but all he offered was a quiet, knowing smile.

She hadn’t noticed it before — how silent he’d been, standing off to the side, watching her every move as she unleashed her frustration on the bag. Now that the haze of anger had lifted and her thoughts were clearer, the weight of her actions began to sink in. Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t have let her emotions get the better of her.

When Stanley still didn’t speak, Lilac peeled off her gloves and walked over to where he stood, waiting.

A moment passed before he finally broke the silence. “So… you do realize you overreacted.”

His voice wasn’t harsh, just honest — and the truth of it settled heavily on her shoulders.

Lilac pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, a flicker of shame washing over her. “But he shouldn’t have done that,” she murmured, her voice soft but tinged with lingering frustration. The words came out more like a wounded protest than an excuse.

Despite knowing she had overreacted, a part of her still clung to the belief that she had every right to be angry — to scold Sylvester for falling into the same old guilt trap Beatrix and her family had always used against him.

It had been years, and time and time again, Sylvester had bent over backward for them — sacrificing more than anyone ever asked of him.

He had even turned a blind eye to his own grandson’s happiness when Roger, in a drunken mistake, had slept with Rita. Rather than uncover the truth or question the circumstances, Sylvester had rushed to protect Beatrix’s family name, forcing Roger into an alliance born from obligation rather than choice, all for the sake of saving Rita’s dignity.

Lilac’s jaw tightened at the bitter memory. The injustice of it still stung, and her anger wasn’t just for what Sylvester had done today — it was for everything he had allowed to happen long before.

But even after learning the truth about both Rita and Dianna, Sylvester still chose to believe them — as if the reality wasn’t enough to sway his loyalty.

Stanley finally spoke, his voice calm but thoughtful. “He might not be the best when it comes to making decisions, Lilac… but if there’s one thing that’s always been true about him, it’s this — every choice he’s made, whether right or wrong, has always had one thing in common.”

Lilac lifted her gaze to meet his as he finished.

“He’s always tried to protect you siblings, in his own way — shielding you from the world’s judgment, even if it meant shouldering the blame himself.”

Stanley had never truly blamed Slyvester — the man had his reasons, just like everyone else in this world. But one thing Sylvester always failed at was seeing through the schemes of the people who clung to him, weaving their way into his trust.

And now, with his latest decision to clear Dianna from the case, Stanley couldn’t help but feel the stir of unanswered questions rising in his mind — questions that refused to be ignored.

“Maybe I should apologize to him,” Lilac said quietly, finally accepting the weight of her mistake.

Sylvester wasn’t just her grandfather — he had been her father, her mother, and everything in between. He had filled every role life had taken from her. And no matter how upset she had been, there was no way her heart could stay angry with him for long.

“Now that’s my good girl,” Stanley said with a soft smile, reaching out to gently pat her head.

Lilac frowned and quickly swatted his hand away. “Don’t pet me—I’m not a child,” she grumbled in protest.

Stanley chuckled, unfazed. “Maybe not. But you sure act like one sometimes,” he teased, his eyes glinting with quiet affection. “And honestly, it still amazes me how you’ve managed to make me fall for it… every single time.”

Lilac’s eyes widened, caught off guard by his unexpected honesty. No matter how many times he said it, hearing him admit he’d fallen for her never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

“But I can also be a big girl for you,” Lilac teased, her voice soft and sultry as she leaned in, bringing her face close to his.

Stanley’s breath hitched when her hand slid lower, tracing down to the growing bulge beneath his waistband.

“And it seems,” she whispered against his ear, her lips barely grazing his skin, “you like this big girl too.”

Stanley was undeniably aroused, the heat between them sparking wild thoughts in his mind. But before he could let himself fully give in to the tempting game Lilac was playing, the sharp ring of his phone cut through the moment, forcing reality between them and breaking the sensual tension.

Pulling out his phone, Stanley stepped aside to answer the call.

Lilac watched him closely, noticing how the more he spoke, the more his expression darkened, shifting from calm to grim.

“I’m on my way,” he said shortly before ending the call.

He turned back to her, his voice low and serious. “I need to go somewhere.”

The chill in his tone, colder than even the look in his eyes, sent a wave of dread through Lilac’s chest.

“What happened?” She asked softly, reaching out to hold his hand, hoping he’d open up to her.

But all he did was give her a knowing look — one that spoke volumes without a single word—and the weight of it churned her stomach in the most unsettling way.