Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Was it for me?
As soon as Kalix left the house, Rita burst into tears, startling everyone with her reaction.

Lilac saw right through her act and let out a quiet chuckle. “Here comes another drama,” she muttered under her breath, resuming her breakfast.

Slyvester remained silent, offering no defense or rebuke. His indifference left Rita with no choice but to accept her fault.

“Grandpa, I didn’t know what I was doing!” she cried, falling to her knees, her deceptive tears streaming down her face.

Roger felt a head ache coming through.He had seen enough and could no longer stand the confrontation. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out, unable to bear the shame of his wife’s actions.

“Why aren’t you crying?” Lilac asked, her gaze shifting to Dianna. As if on cue, Dianna’s face crumpled, and she too dissolved into tears.

Lilac scoffed inwardly. She knew exactly how the sisters operated—manipulation ran in their blood. No matter how guilty Rita was, she and Dianna would find a way back into Slyvester’s good graces.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa! Please believe me. I had no intention of hurting anyone. I—I don’t even know what came over me!” Rita pleaded, spinning lie after lie. But Slyvester’s silence unnerved her.

She had always relied on her tears, wielding them like a weapon to twist the old man’s sympathies in her favor. Yet this time, his lack of response sent a ripple of doubt through her.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Slyvester spoke, his voice low and cold.

“Whatever happened today is not something I ever expected from you, Rita.”

His expression was unreadable, his eyes devoid of warmth, sending shiver down Rita’s spine.

He had always turned a blind eye to her flaws, always made excuses for her. But this time… this time felt different.

Rita hadn’t just hurt Seren—she had lied to them all.

Slyvester was a man who could overlook flaws, willing to give people the chance to change. But deception? That was something he would never tolerate.

Fixing Rita with a cold, unreadable stare, he warned. “If this happens again, it won’t be Kalix who punishes you—it will be me.”

His words sent a chill through the room. Lilac nearly choked on her food, while the color drained from both Rita’s and Dianna’s faces.

Seren wasn’t just a child—she was an Andreas his great-grand daughter. A single scratch on her existence was enough to warrant destruction, and Slyvester would make sure of it.

Rita swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his warning. Her head bobbed in a mindless nod, too stunned to respond.

Without another word, Slyvester stood up and strode out of the breakfast area, leaving behind an unsettling silence.

Rita’s heart pounded violently against her ribs as she shakily rose to her feet.But then her gaze landed on Lilac, who smirked at her with infuriating amusement.

Rita’s eyes darkened, her jaw clenching as she watched her approach.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Lilac said, her tone light but laced with warning. “You’ve been spared not just once, but twice. One more mistake, and there won’t be a next time.”

Flashing Rita one last taunting smile, Lilac grabbed her bag and walked away with effortless grace.

Her words were like a blow to Rita pride and she couldn’t stop seething at her retreating figure.

“This bitch,I will make sure you lost this attitude of yours” she muttered under her breath, her blood boiling in rage.

Dianna walked to her sister, her brows furrowed with worry. “What should we do now Rita. Kalix flipped the whole outcome. Even the old man is against us now”

Rita shot her a glare silencing her the next second and without another word she turned and storm upstairs to her room.

***

[J&K International]

Winter reached her desk and settled into her chair, her mind still tangled in the events at Kalix’s house. No matter how much she tried to push the memories away, they lingered—haunting, relentless. The image of that man’s bloodied body on the floor burned into her thoughts, but what unsettled her even more was Kalix’s eerie calmness.

How could he feel nothing after taking a life?

She shuddered, fingers tightening around the edge of her desk. She wanted to punish the man for even thinking of hurting Seren, but death? That wasn’t justice—it was a warning, a brutal display of power that she wasn’t ready to accept.

The shrill ring of the phone shattered her thoughts. Winter jumped slightly before quickly reaching for it.

“Come to my office.”

Kalix’s deep, magnetic voice sent a jolt through her, breaking through her fog. Then—silence. He had already ended the call.

Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. The thought of facing him again made her stomach knot, but if she was going to work here, she couldn’t afford to be shaken every time he summoned her.

Taking a slow, steady breath, Winter rose to her feet and made her way to his office.

Kalix sat behind his sleek desk, the air in his office thick with silence. His sharp gaze remained locked on the door, his fingers rolling a glass paperweight between them in slow, deliberate movements.

He had let Winter walk away last night without pressing her for a response, but her silence gnawed at him. The defiance in her eyes, the quiet strength she refused to let crack—he saw it all.

“Patience, Kalix. She isn’t used to this kind of bloodshed.”

Yet, the knowledge did little to ease the irritation clawing at him.

His sharp gaze remained fixed on the door, waiting. Then, after a moment, a firm knock sliced through the silence.

Winter stepped inside, her expression composed, her stride confident.

“You asked for me, sir?” she said, her voice even, almost indifferent.

Kalix’s fingers stilled on the paperweight. His piercing green eyes flicked over her, noting the professional mask she had carefully put in place. The detachment in her tone irked him, but he pushed aside the frustration and shifted his focus back to business.

“The report Diana requested—do you have it?”

Winter met his gaze, a flicker of unease passing through her stomach, though she quickly forced it down.

“I already gave it to Miss Diana,” she replied, keeping her voice neutral.

Kalix nodded. “Did you run into any problems with it?” he asked as he slowly rose from his chair.

Winter’s fingers curled slightly at her sides as he moved, circling the desk and pushing the chair aside before leaning against it, facing her.

“I did,” she admitted, willing her body to ignore the way his presence seemed to close in on her.

Kalix arched a brow, his gaze never wavering. “Go on. I’m listening,” he murmured, his fingers brushing against her hand.

A jolt ran through her at the unexpected touch. The heat of his skin against hers sent goosebumps trailing up her arm.

Winter flinched but didn’t step back. She forced herself to hold his gaze, even as her pulse pounded in her throat.

“Everything seems perfect, but—but there’s something off,” she said, her voice faltering slightly. A sharp inhale left her lips as he rolled his fingertips over her shoulder, the touch featherlight yet impossible to ignore.

“Off?” Kalix echoed, straightening. His stance shifted, subtly closing the space between them.

Winter swallowed, her breath catching as his towering frame loomed closer.

“The termination of the project led to immense losses, which have significantly impacted our annual budget,” she admitted, her resolve tightening even as her body betrayed her with its reaction to him.

Kalix’s gaze darkened, but not with surprise. It was as if he had expected her to notice. His silence stretched between them, thick and charged, making Winter’s pulse quicken.

“You looked into it,” he stated rather than asked.

Winter straightened her shoulders. “It was part of my job,” she replied, refusing to waver under his piercing stare.

Kalix let out a low hum, his fingers trailing back to his desk, but his eyes never left hers. “And what do you make of it?”

Winter hesitated, her instincts warning her that this wasn’t just about business—it was a test.

“It was a critical project. Its abrupt shutdown suggests more than just financial miscalculations,” she said carefully.

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Kalix’s gaze before he leaned in slightly. “Smart,” he murmured.

His approval unsettled her more than his closeness.

Winter closed her eyes as his breath ghosted over her skin, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

“Was it for me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kalix stilled, his sharp gaze locking onto her. “If you want, I can take down your father’s company in an instant,” he said, his tone calm, almost conversational. “But that would be too easy.”

Winter’s breath hitched, his words racing through her mind like a silent warning.

“I don’t want a quick win,” he continued, his voice darkening. “A slow, painful downfall… now that’s worth watching. Wouldn’t you agree, Angel?”

Winter held his gaze, refusing to flinch under the weight of his words.

“Then the previous two losses… were they part of your plan too?” she asked suddenly.

A slow, amused smirk curved his lips, and that alone was enough of an answer.

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel fear this time. Instead, something else stirred—curiosity.

Kalix had never lied to her. And now, as the truth unraveled before her, it didn’t terrify her. It fascinated her.

She wanted to regain control of her thoughts, but before she could, Kalix’s patience snapped. He reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him.

“You once asked me why I never came for you,” he murmured, his grip firm yet deliberate.

Winter’s heart pounded as she searched his expression. “Why?” she asked, her voice cautious.

His green eyes burned into hers.

“Because I wanted your family to suffer for what they did to you.”

Her breath caught, her lips parting in stunned silence. The sheer frankness of his confession left her shaken.