Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 224

Chapter 224: Chapter 224:Just make sure you’re the one watching, not being watched.

“So you’re telling me a woman killed Dianna?” Stanley asked, glancing between Kalix and Sean, his eyes narrowing as they both nodded in confirmation.

“That’s… impressive,” he muttered, a hint of amused disbelief slipping into his tone.

Sean’s expression hardened. “Impressive? What’s impressive about a ghost we can’t even track?” He snapped. “We’ve pulled every string, tapped every contact. All we’ve got are the clothes she ditched after the murder. Nothing else. No prints, no footage, no trail. It’s like she never existed.”

He exhaled sharply, the frustration etched deep into his face.

Kalix, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with tension. “Someone’s protecting her. And it’s not David.”

Stanley blinked, surprised. “If not David, then who? Dianna was about to expose everything to Winter. That puts either David or Dorothy at the top of the suspect list.”

“Exactly,” Sean added, nodding. “She reached out to Winter, tried to confess. Why else would someone silence her unless they were trying to bury the truth?”

Kalix’s gaze darkened. “That’s just it. David is impulsive. He lashes out without thinking. And Dorothy—she’s manipulative, but she wouldn’t hire a professional. This was clean, calculated. The kind of job that takes planning and precision.”

Stanley leaned forward slightly. “Then who has that kind of reach? Who else even knew what Dianna was planning?”

Kalix didn’t answer immediately. He stared out the window, lost in thought, before finally murmuring, “That’s what we need to find out. Because whoever it is… they’re two steps ahead of us.”

A tense silence followed, the weight of an unseen threat settling heavily in the room.

And that’s when Lilac walked in, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

“Damn, she’s skillful,” she muttered, eyes glued to the video playing on the laptop screen. The surveillance footage showed a flash of a woman in action—clean, fast, lethal.

Sean scoffed beside her, his patience clearly thinning. “Great. Another fan of the murderer.” He folded his arms, irritation flaring as everyone seemed too fascinated by the assassin’s expertise to focus on the fact that Dianna was dead.

Lilac arched an eyebrow at her brother, clearly amused, but Kalix’s expression remained stone-cold. Her playful smirk faded the moment she met his gaze.

“Why aren’t you at home, Lilac?” Kalix asked, voice calm but laced with a warning edge. “You do realize Grandpa won’t tolerate you getting involved in underworld matters.”

Lilac shifted in her seat, crossing her legs with feigned nonchalance, though the tension in her posture betrayed her. She shot a look toward Stanley before turning back to Kalix.

“I’m just helping my man,” she said with a smug grin, nudging Stanley’s arm affectionately. “You know, love and loyalty… the usual.”

Kalix raised a brow, unimpressed. “And helping him means getting yourself caught in a crossfire?”

Lilac shrugged, far too pleased with herself. “So what?” she said lightly. “You already taught me how to shoot. Stanley’s just helping me master it.” Her grin widened as if that solved everything.

Kalix pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming. It felt like talking to a brick wall. “Lilac,” he said, tone clipped, “this isn’t a game. Just because you can shoot doesn’t mean you belong in a war zone.”

She tilted her head, eyes bright with defiance. “Then stop training me like I do.”

Kalix exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to argue. There was no changing her mind—not when she had that look in her eyes. The same look their mother used to get right before chaos followed.

“I swear, one day I’m going to regret teaching you how to aim.”

Stanley chuckled under his breath, earning a death glare from Kalix.

“You already do,” Lilac said sweetly, then winked.

Kalix leaned back in his chair, defeated. “God help me.”

Lilac continued watching her brother, amusement fading from her face as her expression turned serious.

“How’s sister-in-law?” she asked gently. “I hope she’s holding up… after everything.”

Kalix’s jaw tightened, his gaze falling to the table for a moment before he answered.

“She’s trying. But something’s still bothering her.” His voice was lower now, more strained, and the shift in his demeanor was impossible to ignore.

Sean frowned. “But we already confirmed her suspicion. Neither David nor Dorothy were behind the attack on Dianna.”

“Yes, we did,” Kalix said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean we’ve uncovered the whole truth. Winter knows something more… something she’s not telling me.”

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, exhaling slowly. “She puts on a brave face, says she’s fine. But I know her. I can see it in her eyes—she’s carrying something she hasn’t shared.”

Lilac’s expression softened, concern replacing her earlier confidence.

Kalix leaned back, the weight of uncertainty heavy on his shoulders. “I’d argue with her if I thought it would help… but it won’t. She’s guarding it too tightly. And until she’s ready to talk, I’m stuck waiting in the dark.”

The room fell quiet for a beat, the tension thick with unspoken worries.

“Then we make sure she knows she’s not alone,” Lilac said at last, her tone steady. “Whatever she’s hiding, she’ll tell you when she’s ready. Just don’t let her face it alone.”

Kalix didn’t reply immediately, but the flicker of emotion in his eyes was enough to show he heard her.

He then glanced at the time, his expression tightening. He met Sean’s eyes, and a silent understanding passed between them.

“I need to go,” he said shortly, already turning on his heel. Without another word, he strode out of the room, his footsteps brisk and purposeful.

Stanley, who hadn’t missed the subtle exchange, turned to Sean with a raised brow. The tension in Sean’s posture told him everything.

“I know what you’re about to ask,” Stanley said, casually leaning back in his chair. “I’ve known you two long enough to read those unspoken conversations.”

Sean narrowed his eyes, cutting through the silence. “Then spill it.”

Before Stanley could speak, Lilac stepped in, her tone cool but direct. “It’s Logan. He wanted to meet Stanley.”

Sean’s attention snapped to her, then back to Stanley. “Logan? That man again? So he did find something?”

Stanley exhaled slowly, hesitating. “…Yes. But it’s nothing new—just things we already suspected.”

Sean frowned, unimpressed with the vague answer. “Care to elaborate?”

Stanley leaned back, his fingers drumming against the arm of his chair. “He’s being cautious, Sean. Or maybe… we’re the ones being overly suspicious.” He paused, remembering the exchange with Logan.

“The guy isn’t reckless. Everything he says is measured and deliberate. It’s like he’s walking a tightrope, never giving too much, never stepping too far.”

Sean’s expression remained skeptical. “Or he’s hiding something. His sudden reappearance in your life, out of nowhere, is more than a red flag. And don’t forget—he claims not to know the people your father worked for. That doesn’t sit right with me.”

Stanley nodded slowly. “I agree. It doesn’t add up. If he really was that close to my father, he’d know those names—at least a few. But every time I test him, he deflects.”

“Exactly,” Sean said sharply. “So either he’s lying about his connection to your family… or he’s hiding something much bigger.”

Stanley didn’t argue. He had felt the same unease gnawing at him since the first meeting. There was something about Logan—something calm on the surface but coiled tightly underneath.

“That’s why I’m not letting my guard down,” Stanley said finally. “Until he slips—or proves himself—I’ll keep him close but watched.”

Lilac looked between the two, tension lingering in her eyes. “Just make sure you’re the one watching, not being watched.”

***

[Penthouse]

Winter stood on the balcony of the penthouse, the cool evening breeze brushing against her skin as the city shimmered below.

Her arms were wrapped around herself—not from the chill, but from the weight of everything pressing on her shoulders. She had been waiting for Kalix, but in the silence, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The events of the day played over in her mind like a loop that refused to stop.

Dianna was gone.

And with her death, Beatrix had lost both her leverage and her last line of defense. Without Rita and now Dianna, the woman had nothing left to cling to—except grief.

Winter had no sympathy for her, but she understood too well the devastation of loss.

Still, what haunted Winter wasn’t Beatrix.

It was the mystery Dianna had left behind.

If she had truly come to warn Winter… why had she said someone was after her too?

Why hadn’t she revealed who it was?

Why wait until it was too late?

Was it just a desperate misstep?

Or had Dianna genuinely tried to protect her in her final moments?

Winter’s jaw tightened. There were too many gaps, too many unanswered questions. Every time she thought she was getting closer to the truth, another thread unraveled.

And now, with Dianna silenced, the pieces left behind didn’t fit neatly into the puzzle.

She leaned against the railing, closing her eyes as frustration and fatigue settled into her bones.

“You left me more confused than comforted, Dianna,” she murmured under her breath. “If you were trying to help… why did it feel like a trap?”

The wind carried no answers, only silence.

And just as she felt herself sinking further into the mess of doubts and shadows, she heard the soft click of the door behind her.

Kalix had arrived.