Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Just to be close to you
Eric had been closely monitoring David’s every move. The man was trying his hardest to hunt down whoever was threatening him. But it wasn’t time yet—not for confrontation.

“Try as hard as you want, David,” Eric murmured with a smirk, remembering his father-in-law’s helplessness. “You’ll never find anything.”

A lot had happened since then—not in Eric’s life, but in Winter’s. The Kingston guy had been detained, and slowly, speculation began to surface about how he had managed to target Kalix. At the top of that list was Dianna’s possible involvement in hiring him.

Eric had discovered that Dianna was being interrogated and had since been fired from her position. She was currently living with her family.

But what truly shocked him was how she managed to deflect all accusations and avoid further grilling from the authorities—she attempted suicide.

The day Dianna crossed his path by sending those pictures of him and Winter to Agnes, Eric had made it a point to dig into every possible detail about the woman. Not only was she the CFO of J&K International, but she had also been obsessing over the CEO for years.

As he continued to dwell over his thoughts, a call came through, interrupting him midway.

It was none other than Alexander.

Without wasting a second, Eric reached for the phone and answered it.

“There’s a problem, Eric. Someone’s trying to breach our data,” Alexander said, his voice grim.

The words made Eric instantly sit upright, his thoughts spinning through every possibility—starting, of course, with David.

“Did you find out who it is?” he asked, his voice sharp.

Alexander had been meticulously hiding their identities for years. Their digital presence was nearly nonexistent, buried beneath layers of encryption and proxies. This was only the second time someone had come close to breaching their systems.

“Not yet,” Alexander replied. “But I think we need to fast-track our plan, Eric. I have a feeling this is one of our enemies.”

Eric frowned, trying to make sense of the sudden urgency in Alexander’s voice. “Enemies? What enemies are you talking about?”

But before he could finish, the call went dead.

Eric stared at the screen for a moment, the silence louder than any answer.

Enemies? What did his father mean? They had always operated from the shadows. Precise. Controlled. Invisible. Who could be coming after them now?

Then another realization struck him like a jolt to the spine—they needed to accelerate their plan to bring David and his company down.

If someone was digging, it was only a matter of time before secrets started to surface.

And once that happened, not even Eric would be able to control the fallout.

***

[J&K International]

“There hasn’t been any movement from Eric’s end, but he’s been smart enough to cover his tracks,” Sean reported. “David hasn’t even caught a whiff yet and is still chasing shadows.”

Kalix gave a slight nod. His arm was no longer in a sling, but he was still cautious not to strain his shoulder.

“That’s the reason Eric has always intrigued me,” Kalix muttered. “He’s so calculating that even now, we still don’t know who he truly is. It’s like something—or someone—is protecting him from the shadows. We need to find out who.”

Sean nodded grimly. He’d been trying to get more from Niko on the subject, and one name kept surfacing—Alexander.

“There’s this guy, Alexander. Eric’s been associating with him recently, but we haven’t been able to dig up much about him yet,” Sean said, handing over a photograph.

Thanks to Gina, who had finally talked things through with him, and to Niko, who’d been level-headed enough to warn him against letting jealousy cloud his judgment, Sean had made progress.

Kalix studied the photo carefully, trying to place the man’s face. Something about him felt… vaguely familiar.

“How long has Eric been seen with him?” Kalix asked, eyes still on the image.

“Niko tracked Alexander’s arrival to a few days ago. Since then, he’s been spotted with Eric multiple times. But there’s nothing substantial yet—no background, no clear connections.”

“Have you found out where he’s staying?” Kalix looked up from the photo, sharp focus back on Sean.

“We tried,” Sean replied, shaking his head. “But it’s like he doesn’t exist. No one seems to know much about him.”

Kalix sat back slightly, nodding thoughtfully. “Keep monitoring them. I have a feeling Alexander is the thread we need to pull to finally get to Eric.”

Sean hesitated for a moment, then said, “There’s something else you need to know.”

Kalix raised an eyebrow.

“Alexander is someone Gina knows.”

Kalix didn’t react immediately. Then, calmly, he said, “Then I suggest you work even harder—with your girlfriend’s help—to find out who this man really is.”

Sean’s eyes widened at Kalix’s words. “Girlfriend?”

Kalix set the photo aside and laced his fingers together, watching Sean’s stunned expression with amusement.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Kalix said dryly. “You’ve been obvious from the beginning. Ever since you were assigned to watch Winter, you couldn’t take your eyes off Gina.”

Sean smiled awkwardly. “I thought you didn’t bother paying attention to anything besides the lady boss.”

Kalix’s lips curled into a playful smirk. “I keep an eye on everyone, Sean. You know that very well.”

“Yes, boss,” Sean replied, unable to argue with that.

They continued their discussion, voices low and focused—until the door suddenly burst open.

Lilac stormed in, breathless and wild-eyed.

“Brother, there’s something you need to know,” she said, panting slightly as she made her way to the table.

“Move.” Without waiting for a response, Lilac shoved Sean out of the chair beside Kalix and dropped into it herself, facing her brother with fierce determination.

Sean blinked in disbelief, glancing at Kalix, who looked just as startled. But then again, Lilac had always been unpredictable.

“Aunt Beatrix is giving Uncle Richard drugs that are stopping his recovery,” Lilac announced, dropping the bomb with no buildup.

Kalix’s and Sean’s tense expressions instantly shifted—they both relaxed, almost too casually.

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” Sean said, grabbing a file from the table as he stood to leave.

Lilac gaped after him, stunned. “What did he just say?” she asked, turning to Kalix with wide eyes.

Kalix simply shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement. “Exactly what you heard.”

Lilac slumped in her chair, defeated. “How come I’m always the last one to know about everything?” she muttered, exhausted.

Ever since confronting Sylvester the night before, all Lilac had done was inform her brother about their grandfather’s actions the very next day. But before she could go any deeper into her revelations, she was already dismissed as “enough.”

Kalix could tell Lilac was eager to help, but everything had already been checked off in advance.

“Anyways, I’m sure by now even Grandpa knows why I haven’t confronted him,” Kalix stated, brushing off the weariness in Lilac’s expression.

“We’ve always known Beatrix isn’t as simple as she seems, but I never expected her to use her husband too,” Lilac voiced her disdain, her tone thick with disgust.

“But her selfishness is stopping us from getting closer to the real culprit who killed our parents, Lilac,” Kalix said, his voice hardening.

The only person who had witnessed what really happened that night was Richard. But Beatrix’s selfishness had kept him from recovering.

This isn’t as simple as it seems. But for now, Kalix decided to let Slyvester deal with it before he was ask to step in.

***

[Celestial Tower]

Lily slumped onto the couch, her mind still reeling from the fact that Roger had purchased an apartment in her residential building—just so he could stay close to her.

And if that revelation wasn’t enough to shake her world, he had also admitted that he was actually looking forward to her taking him away from Rita.

Like—seriously? How could she have been so stupid as to confess her feelings to the very man she once dared herself to steal?

Her stomach churned with disbelief, embarrassment, and something dangerously close to hope. What did that say about her? What did that say about him?

Just then, the front door swung open and Gina walked in, the click of her heels echoing like a slap to Lily’s overworked nerves.

“So, you’ve finally been spared, huh? I thought Mr. Roger was going to keep you all to himself,” Gina joked, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

Lily froze. Her eyes widened as Gina’s words registered, and she shot upright on the couch.

“You knew?!” she blurted, the words tumbling out like a reflex.

Another jolt of disbelief surged through her. She had already been thrown off balance all morning—Roger’s sudden proximity, his confession, the spiraling implications—but this? Gina knowing too? That was the last curveball she expected.

Gina raised a brow, as if it were obvious. “How wouldn’t I? I saw you two getting out of Roger’s car,” she said casually, walking toward the kitchen. “But I never imagined he’d actually move into one of the apartments in Celestial Tower—let alone just to be close to you.”

Lily’s heart pounded in her chest, a frantic rhythm of panic and something she didn’t dare name. Was everyone around her seeing things she hadn’t even come to terms with yet? The world felt like it was tilting beneath her feet, each revelation dragging her deeper into something she wasn’t sure she could control.