Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: How did this happen
Sean was on his way to his desk when he caught sight of Lilac heading to her office.

“Need help?” he asked, but she instantly flinched back.

“No need. I’m already done with the pampering. Just let me be,” Lilac replied nonchalantly, making Sean chuckle.

“You’re already tired of getting pampered by your man? What will happen when he goes all in, showing you a side that’ll leave you speechless?” Sean winked, sharing a knowing look with her.

Lilac rolled her eyes. “That’s for the future. But for now, I’m already done with him. He’s like a shadow, always lurking around.” She shivered slightly at the thought of Stanley.

“Okay, I can agree with that. But didn’t you want this? Him wrapped around your pinky finger? Guess God finally heard you. See? Praying works.” Sean smirked.

Lilac shot him a glare before smoothly changing the subject.

“Anyway, is Brother in his office?”

Sean nodded but immediately noticed the shift in her expression.

“Is everything okay? I mean, you rarely ask about the boss,” he asked, curiosity creeping into his tone.

Lilac sighed. Sean wasn’t just a friend, he was like a brother she relied on the most.

“It’s about Stanley. Does Brother know he’s back to fighting?” she asked, frustration lacing her voice.

Sean pressed his lips into a thin line, avoiding her gaze.

His reluctance was enough to set Lilac off. “So you know and yet you’re not stopping him?” she demanded sharply.

They all knew what those fights had done to Stanley, how much it had cost him. It had taken them so long to pull him out of that life only for him to go back again.

“God… now I seriously need to talk to Brother.” She turned on her heels, ready to storm into Kalix’s office, when Sean’s words stopped her in her tracks.

“Boss knows.”

Lilac shot him a look that made Sean gulp, instantly regretting saying anything.

***

“Brother! Did you allow Stanley to fight again?” Lilac barged into Kalix’s office unannounced, demanding an answer.

Kalix, calm as ever, leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze darting toward Sean, who had followed closely behind.

Sean shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Kalix’s stare.

“Sean, get back to work.” His voice was clipped, brooking no argument. Then, turning to Lilac, he gestured toward the chair opposite his desk. “And you…sit. This isn’t a courtroom where you can yell unnecessarily.”

Without another word, Sean made a hasty retreat while Lilac furiously stalked forward, settling into the chair.

Kalix studied the anger simmering in her expression before speaking. “Yes, I permitted him back into fights. Do you have a problem with that?”

Lilac glared, leaning forward as she slammed a hand on his desk. “Problem? Don’t we all know the problem? You were the one who pulled him out of that mess, Brother, and now you’re the one letting him walk back into it?”

Kalix understood her anger. It was justified. They had worked hard to pull Stanley out of that phase of his life, but this wasn’t something he could change.

The decision had been mutual, and there was nothing he could do to stop him.

“Aren’t you going to explain? Why… why did you even let him go back? Do you want him to get hurt?” Lilac demanded, her frustration boiling over at his silence.

She wasn’t just furious at Stanley. She was livid with Kalix and Sean for keeping her in the dark.

“That was a deal between me and him,” Kalix finally said, his voice firm. “And I don’t think I’m in a position to explain anything to you.”

“Deal?” Lilac echoed, confusion flashing in her eyes.

Kalix gave her a knowing look, and just like that, her anger wavered.

Her frustration dulled into uncertainty as the weight of his words settled over her.

What kind of deal did they make? she wondered, suddenly feeling more unsettled than before.

***

Sean returned to his office and sank into his chair, exhaling sharply.

Lilac finding out about Stanley returning to the underground fights was inevitable but he had dreaded this moment.

She had no idea why Stanley had stopped in the first place.

Running a hand down his face, Sean muttered under his breath, “I’m done for. Boss won’t spare me… and neither will Lilac.”

Sean was still trying to steady his racing heart when his phone vibrated in his pocket, jolting him out of his thoughts.

His eyes widened at the name flashing on the screen.

Stanley.

For a moment, he debated whether to answer. But in the end, he sighed and picked up the call.

“Make sure Lilac doesn’t walk too much,” Stanley instructed immediately. “Also, remind her to stay hydrated and rest in between. The swelling in her leg might have gone down, but I know the pain is still bothering her.”

Stanley continued listing off instructions, but when Sean didn’t interrupt or throw in a teasing remark, he frowned.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Sean was still in denial—first, that Stanley had actually spoken this much in one go, and second, the concern in his voice only reminded him of what Lilac had just dropped on him like a bomb.

“Stanley, do you think I have nothing better to do than to run errands for you?” Sean scoffed. “Just go handle your girl yourself.”

Click.

Stanley stared at his now blank screen, stunned. That was definitely not the response he had expected from Sean.

Then, as something clicked in his mind, his expression darkened.

***

Later that evening, Winter wrapped up her work and stepped out of the office. She was supposed to walk a short distance where Kalix would be waiting in his car. However, before she could take more than a few steps, another car pulled up, halting her in her tracks.

Winter’s gaze flickered to the window as it slowly rolled down revealing the last face she ever wanted to see.

Eric.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride home,” he said, his voice unnervingly calm. He was hoping she wouldn’t make a scene in public and would just get in.

More than that, he wanted to know where she was staying. Since he had lost all other means of tracking her down, this was his only shot.

Winter stared at him, utterly baffled. Had he lost his mind? After everything, after the slap she had given him, after she had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him yet he still had the audacity to show up and offer her a ride?

Was he nuts?

“Sorry, but I don’t accept help from strangers,” she said coldly, turning away without a second glance.

Eric’s jaw tensed. He hadn’t expected that.

As Winter walked off, she didn’t realize Eric had already slipped out of his car and strode toward her. Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist.

“It’s not good to be this rude, Winter,” he muttered, his patience running thin. He had already endured her slap and her accusations, but even after all that, she still treated him with nothing but hostility.

“What the hell are you doing, Eric?” Winter snapped, trying to wrench her hand free, but his grip only tightened.

Eric was already on edge from his father’s harsh words earlier, and Winter’s resistance only fueled his anger.

“I said, get in the car,” he warned, his eyes darkening. He just wanted to talk to her, to spend time with her. But she made it impossible to keep his composure.

His phone suddenly rang in his pocket, breaking the tense moment.

Winter seized the opportunity. With a sharp tug, she freed herself, shoving him back in the process.

“Bastard,” she hissed before sprinting down the pavement.

Eric gritted his teeth in frustration, watching her disappear before reluctantly reaching for his phone. Without checking the caller ID, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Eric, where are you? And what the hell took you so long to pick up?” Agnes’s sharp voice came through the line.

Eric stiffened, realizing who it was. He had no intention of telling her the truth.

“I’m on my way home,” he lied smoothly.

Without another second wasted, he turned back to his car and drove off.

Meanwhile, Winter remained hidden in a secluded spot, watching his car disappear into the distance.

Only when she was certain he was gone did she step back onto the sidewalk, resuming her walk until she spotted Kalix’s car waiting for her at the side of the road.

By the time Winter reached the car, her mind was spinning with the realization that Eric had discovered where she worked. The thought unsettled her, but the moment she stepped inside, she forced herself to mask any trace of distress.

“What took you so long?” Kalix asked, watching as she settled into her seat.

After a long day apart, he had been itching to hold her, to kiss her, but the second he reached for her hand, a sharp whimper of pain made him stop abruptly.

His eyes darkened as they dropped to her wrist.

“How did this happen?” he asked, his voice dropping dangerously low, thick with an icy edge that chilled the air inside the car.

Winter tensed under his unwavering gaze. Anxiety flickered in her eyes, but the cold fury simmering in his expression made her hesitate to respond.