Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: She doesn’t stands a chance
Kalix and Winter were still locked in their silent stare-off when an unexpected phone call interrupted them.

Kalix withdrew first, fishing his phone out of his pocket. However, he froze upon seeing the caller ID.

His eyes cautiously darted toward Winter, who immediately picked up on the shift in his demeanor. She tensed, sensing the weight of the situation as she watched him answer.

“Yes, Sean?” he said, and Winter held her breath.

She observed Kalix’s expression darken as he listened, his jaw tightening. It was clear this had something to do with the issue from the night before.

“Okay. Keep looking for more details and update me,” Kalix said before ending the call.

Winter didn’t question him right away, knowing that Seren was still with them. But the moment they arrived home and their daughter was out of sight, she seized the opportunity.

She stepped into his path, stopping him in the hallway.

“Did Sean find something?” she asked, watching him nod.

“The driver who was supposed to pick you up said something that you won’t want to hear,” Kalix said, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.

Winter felt her stomach drop.

Kalix had already suspected that the man who came to pick her up last night wasn’t the original driver she booked. During the investigation, he’d been looking into whether the replacement had any connections to something bigger. But what he discovered was far worse than expected.

Winter’s mind raced, skeptical but knowing that Kalix wouldn’t bring it up unless it was serious.

“What did he say?” she asked, her voice steady but filled with anticipation.

The words that left Kalix’s lips made her blood run cold, her nerves wrecked with fury.

Winter’s eyes turned cold, her expression void of emotion as Kalix revealed Agnes’s involvement. However, a troubling thought struck her.

“But how did she know where I was?” Winter asked, staring at Kalix curiously.

For days, her whereabouts had been kept hidden from her family. Kalix had ensured that no one got even the slightest hint of her location. So how had Agnes found out?

“Maybe someone is helping her?” Winter speculated, her voice firm with certainty. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known about me visiting the site.”

Kalix’s expression darkened, rage simmering beneath the surface. The thought of someone from the company betraying them, leaking Winter’s details to Agnes, made his blood boil.

But then, realization struck him like a thunderbolt. No one from the company knew of Winter’s true connection to him, except…

“Dianna. It’s her,” Kalix announced, his tone sharp.

Winter’s eyes widened in shock.

“Dianna? But how does she even know Agnes?” Winter asked, confusion evident in her voice.

“I don’t know. We can investigate, but my instincts tell me it’s her,” Kalix said confidently.

Winter rolled her eyes, though the annoyance in her tone remained sharp.

“This admirer of yours just won’t let me work in peace. She’s so desperate to have you that she wants me gone in every possible way,” she muttered before pausing, then narrowing her eyes at him.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t go this far unless you gave her a hint.”

“…”

Kalix blinked at her, baffled.

Yes, she had complained about Dianna before, making it clear how much she disliked her. But this time, there was something different, something lethal in the way she spoke.

Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind. His lips curled into a smirk.

“You know, she’s quite the obsessive one,” Kalix mused.

Winter’s eyes widened in shock as she watched him chuckle.

“But don’t worry,” he added smoothly, his voice dipping into that dangerously charming tone. “I’m all yours, and she doesn’t stand a chance no matter what she feels.”

Winter’s heart skipped a beat.

Kalix was the cold, ruthless mafia lord feared by many, yet when it came to her, he was a smooth talker who could effortlessly sweep her off her feet.

***

Lilac wrapped up her work and stepped out of the office building, only to halt in her tracks at the sight of Stanley standing beside his car, waiting for her.

Her mind replayed their recent conversations, and her initial surprise faded into a neutral expression as she slowly approached him.

Stanley noticed her immediately and moved toward her, but something unexpected caught her eye.

Hanging around his neck was the peace locket she had given him.

For years, Lilac had assumed that Stanley never truly appreciated the gifts she carefully picked out for him on his birthdays. She had even thought he might have discarded them.

But now, seeing him wear the locket she had given him, all her doubts faded away.

“I told you, I can manage. You don’t have to follow Grandpa’s orders,” Lilac said as she walked toward his car.

“And I said I’d be here on time to pick you up,” Stanley replied, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

Lilac froze, staring at him in astonishment.

Seeing Stanley smile was like witnessing a once in a blue-moon event. But lately, he had been surprising her over and over again by flashing that rare, charming smile as if it were second nature.

Opening the car door, Stanley watched as Lilac stepped inside, his gaze holding a meaningful intensity.

His thoughts drifted back to the night she had gotten drunk and accidentally confessed the truth about her and Damien’s fake relationship.

At first, he had been upset. But then, an unexpected sense of relief had washed over him.

Despite his usual reluctance to acknowledge his feelings, Stanley had always wanted Lilac to stay by his side.

He knew it was selfish, but watching her with Damien had always left a bitter feeling in his heart. He had recognized the pretense in her actions, yet he also knew Damien’s family was genuinely invested in solidifying their alliance.

And the thought of losing Lilac, of watching her slip away for good, terrified him to his very core.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Stanley started the car and drove off.

Darting her eyes from the road, Lilac looked to the side and her eyes narrowed as she noticed a small cut on his lip.

“Did you get into a fight again?” she asked, concern laced in her voice.

Stanley glanced at her, amusement flickering in his gaze. Touching the cut absentmindedly, he simply smiled.

Lilac’s temper flared.

“I thought you stopped getting into illegal fights. So why the hell did you go back?” she demanded, clearly frustrated by his recklessness.

Stanley stole a glance at her, his heart swelling with emotions that were quickly overshadowed by her concern.

“It gives me peace,” he said.

She scoffed, looking away. “And also broken bones,” she shot back, glancing at him just in time to see him chuckle.

“I wonder if my brother knows about it. I’m sure it would piss him off,” she muttered.

Stanley remained silent, simply listening. He liked when she scolded him, reassuring him that she still cared.

Soon, they arrived at Rosewood Mansion. Lilac turned to leave, but Stanley caught her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

“I met Damien the other day,” he said. “He told me about your fake relationship.”

Lilac’s lips parted slightly, her mind momentarily freezing. The weight of his words settled over her, and she chewed her bottom lip in hesitation.

“Though I already knew you were up to something, faking a relationship was the stupidest stunt you could’ve pulled, Lilac,” he mused.

This time, she shot him a baffled look, only to catch the smirk curling at his lips.

“You’ve been shooing away every person your grandfather set you up with. But when he gave you an ultimatum, you came up with this?” He suddenly leaned in, his face mere inches from hers, his eyes scanning the soft pink hue dusting her cheeks.

“Tell me something, Lilac,” Stanley murmured, pinching her chin gently and tilting her face up to meet his gaze.

“Why can’t you forget me?”

He watched as a shimmering tear welled in her eyes, his chest tightening at the sight.

“I’ve been nothing but cruel to you, yet you keep holding on. Why?” His voice softened, laced with something unspoken, as the weight of her unshed tears settled heavily in his heart.

Lilac had never expected Stanley to confront her like this. But now that he had, should she hold back?

Instead, she met his gaze head-on, her voice steady despite the storm inside her.

“Let me ask you instead, Stanley. Whatever happened between us…did it really mean nothing?”

She had asked him this countless times before, and each time, his rejection shattered her heart a little more.

But tonight, she wasn’t sure if she could bear hearing it again.

Her lips trembled when he didn’t say a word, simply staring at her in silence. The longer it stretched, the more it felt like an answer…a cruel, crushing one.

Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Maybe she should have spared herself the pain of reliving this heartbreak all over again.

Just as she tried to pull away, his hand slid to the nape of her neck, holding her in place.

And in the next second, he claimed her lips.

“…”