Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: We lost them

Ahead, Stanley spotted a narrow alley that cut between two buildings — just wide enough for a single car to squeeze through.

Without hesitating, he veered into it.

The tires screeched against the pavement, and Lilac tightened her hold around Seren as the car jolted. She glanced back and saw the black car hesitate, unable to make the sharp cut in time.

“They missed it!” Lilac gasped, hope fluttering in her chest.

Stanley didn’t slow down. He sped through the alley and merged onto another busy street, blending into the flow of traffic. Only after a few tense seconds did he finally ease the pressure off the gas.

He kept glancing in the mirrors, but the black car was nowhere to be seen.

Lilac exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She loosened her grip on Seren, brushing a hand over her soft curls.

“You okay, little one?” she murmured.

Seren nodded sleepily, yawning, her body relaxing against Lilac. Thankfully, she hadn’t fully realized the danger.

Lilac met Stanley’s eyes in the mirror — serious, worried.

“That wasn’t random,” she said quietly. “Someone knew we were picking her up.”

Stanley nodded grimly.

“I’m calling Boss.”

As he reached for his phone, Lilac held Seren close and whispered into her hair — more to herself than to her —

“No one’s going to touch you, sweetheart. Not while I’m breathing.”

Stanley didn’t waste a second. As soon as he found a clear stretch of road, he hit speed dial.

Kalix picked up on the second ring.

“Where are you?” Kalix’s voice was sharp, all business, sensing immediately that something was wrong.

Stanley didn’t bother with pleasantries. “We were tailed. Black sedan. Lost them just now, but it was too close.”

There was a beat of heavy silence. Then Kalix’s voice dropped, cold and lethal.

“Is Seren safe?”

Stanley glanced at the back seat. Lilac had Seren tucked tightly against her, the little girl half-dozing, safe — for now.

“She’s fine,” Stanley assured him. “Lilac’s with her. We’re heading to J&K now.”

“I wanted you here yesterday,” Kalix growled. “And don’t take main roads. Take the back route. I’m sending our men to intercept you. If anyone so much as looks at that car wrong, you hit the panic button.”

Stanley nodded, though Kalix couldn’t see him.

“Understood.”

The call disconnected abruptly. Kalix didn’t waste time with words when action was needed.

Immediately, he dialed Sean, barking out orders the second he picked up.

“Track the car that tailed Stanley. I want eyes on them now. Don’t engage until I say.”

Without waiting for a response, Kalix ended the call. There was no room for discussion — only action.

Meanwhile, following his instructions, Stanley took the back route, weaving through side streets until they finally reached J&K International.

Winter and Kalix were already waiting at the entrance, a wall of tension surrounding them. The moment Lilac stepped inside, cradling Seren carefully in her arms, Winter rushed forward, her heart in her throat.

“My baby,” Winter cried, pressing frantic kisses to Seren’s forehead, her cheeks, her tiny hands — anywhere she could reach. “Mommy’s here, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

“She slept on the way,” Lilac said gently, trying to sound calm even as her heart was still hammering in her chest. “She didn’t realize what happened. We kept it light, like a game.”

Winter exhaled shakily, clinging to her daughter as if she’d never let go.

Kalix stepped in next, his expression fierce but careful as he kissed Seren’s head with a tenderness that didn’t match the lethal rage brewing behind his eyes. He brushed a hand down her back before turning his attention sharply to Stanley.

“Did you see who it was?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Stanley straightened, professional and steady despite the adrenaline still running through his veins.

“I couldn’t. Tinted glass. They kept their distance. Could barely make out anything.”

Kalix’s jaw tensed, his mind already racing.

Whoever it was, they weren’t amateurs.

He gave Stanley a look of grim approval. “You handled it well.”

Stanley dipped his head in acknowledgment.

Working for Kalix had sharpened him over the years — trained him not just to react, but to think five steps ahead. Among Kalix’s men, Stanley had become a force in his own right, a man nearly impossible to outmatch when it came to loyalty and skill.

Kalix turned his gaze back to Winter and Seren, his features softening slightly as he watched them. His family — his life. Whoever had dared to threaten them had no idea the hell they had just unleashed.

He reached out, wrapping his arms around both Winter and Seren, grounding himself in their presence even as a storm brewed under his skin.

“Nobody,” he said quietly but with terrifying certainty, “is ever going to get this close again.”

And from the way Kalix said it, it wasn’t a hope.

It was a promise.

Soon, the doors to the lobby swung open and Sean walked in, his expression grim.

“We lost them,” he said heavily, the weight of defeat clear in his voice.

The moment the words left his mouth, a dangerous stillness descended over the room. Kalix’s eyes darkened — darker than the deepest night — his entire body coiling with silent rage.

Sean flinched inwardly at the look Kalix gave him, but he didn’t look away. He knew the stakes. They all did.

Kalix’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles creaking under the force. His mind raced with vicious precision, every failure cutting deeper.

He already knew — he knew — who was behind this.

And the fact that he didn’t know enough about the bastard to prevent this made his blood boil.

First, they had come after Winter.

Now — his daughter. His blood.

The thought made something primal snap inside him.

The room seemed to shrink under the weight of his fury as he stepped forward, his voice a low, lethal rumble.

“No more games.”

His glare sliced toward Sean.

“Double security at every exit. I want every camera and every street within a mile combed through. I don’t care if you have to tear the city apart — find them.”

Sean gave a curt nod, already moving to carry out the command.

Kalix turned, his gaze finding Winter — still holding Seren close, her face pale but composed. She met his eyes with silent understanding.

She didn’t need him to promise her anything. She knew what would happen now.

War was coming.

And Kalix Andreas would burn down the entire world before he ever let anyone threaten what was his again.