Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 228

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: He has a daughter

“Are you sure you want Eric getting suspicious of us?” Sean asked, his tone low and careful.

Kalix leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking beneath him. His eyes remained distant, fixed on a spot somewhere over Sean’s shoulder—as if even acknowledging the man directly required more energy than he was willing to give. After a few tense seconds, he finally gave a slow nod.

“I want him to spiral,” Kalix said, his voice calm but sharp like a blade wrapped in silk. “Let him lose sleep. Let him chase shadows. When he’s close to the edge, then I’ll show him who I am.”

Sean exhaled, offering a subtle nod. He understood. He always had. There was a quiet, unspoken language between them—one that didn’t need explanations or justifications.

Kalix wasn’t impulsive. No matter how much rage simmered beneath the surface, he was always deliberate. And right now, his restraint had only one name: Winter.

If it weren’t for her, Kalix would’ve already dismantled Eric’s world brick by brick.

Every person who had hurt her, doubted her, or tried to hurt her would have vanished without a trace. But this wasn’t about vengeance—at least, not the reckless kind.

This was about uncovering the truth.

Because if Kalix moved too soon, too brutally, the real answers—the ones buried beneath lies and legacy—might die with them.

And Kalix Andreas didn’t believe in killing the truth. He believed in exposing it. Slowly. Painfully. Irrefutably.

Silence settled between the two, thick and tense, until Sean finally broke it.

“David is losing grip with every door that shuts on him,” he said. “Investors are backing out. Even the projects in line are being quietly terminated. Do you think now’s the right time to move?”

Kalix’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something sharp crossing his expression. His lashes twitched as if brushing away an unspoken thought.

“Yes,” he said with quiet finality. “Because now… we’re his last lifeline. He’ll question us and he should but we won’t give him any room to maneuver this time. No exits. No bargaining chips. Just checkmate.”

Sean nodded slowly but hesitated before voicing the next concern. “And the lady boss? Will she go along with it?”

Kalix’s jaw tensed.

Winter would never approve. Not when it involved aligning with a man like David—the same man who had manipulated, betrayed, and hurt her more than once. She’d see this as another one of his power plays. And maybe it was.

But Kalix wasn’t doing this for David. He was doing it because of him.

To find the truth, he had to step into the same mud David had been crawling through for years. And when he emerged, it would be with every secret exposed and not a single stain on his name.

“I’ll deal with Winter,” Kalix said at last, his voice low. “She might hate me for it now. But once she sees what I uncover… she’ll understand why I had to play the game.”

Sean didn’t say a word as he fully agreed with what Kalix had planned for them. And all he had to do was to support him as always.

***

[Stanley’s Apartment]

Lilac sat cross-legged on the couch, her laptop perched on her thighs as she typed away. She’d decided to work from Stanley’s place that day, needing the quiet—and wanting to be near him. He had fallen asleep not long ago, lulled by her soft caresses and the comfort of her presence.

She was just starting to sink back into her task when a muffled sound broke the silence.

At first, she thought she’d imagined it. But then came another—a strained whimper, barely audible but unmistakably real.

Her head snapped up.

Stanley.

She quickly abandoned her laptop and rushed to the bed. Her heart clenched at the sight.

He was tangled in the sheets, his face contorted in distress. Sweat clung to his brow, his breathing growing shallower and more erratic by the second. His chest rose and fell in panicked bursts, as if he were running from something that only existed in his mind.

“Stanley,” Lilac whispered, climbing onto the edge of the bed. She gently touched his shoulder. “Stan, wake up. It’s just a dream—you’re safe.”

But before her voice could reach him, he jolted upright with a strangled gasp, eyes wide and unfocused. His entire body was trembling.

“Stanley,” she said again, this time more firmly but still softly. She cupped his face in her hands. “It’s me.” You’re okay. You were just dreaming.”

His eyes darted around the room for a moment before finally settling on hers. Recognition flickered, and his breath hitched as he leaned into her touch.

“Lilac…” he breathed, as if saying her name grounded him.

She pulled him into her arms without hesitation, holding him tightly against her chest. One hand threaded through his damp hair while the other rubbed slow, calming circles over his back.

“You are okay,” she whispered. “Everything is fine.”

He didn’t speak right away, but she felt the weight of him soften, the tension in his shoulders easing bit by bit. His breathing steadied as he clung to her like a lifeline.

And just like that, the nightmare faded—not completely, but enough for him to remember where he was.

With her.

….

Stanley finished the glass of water Lilac had brought him, the cool liquid doing little to wash away the tightness in his chest. He set the glass down on the nightstand with a soft clink, his fingers lingering at the rim before pulling back. His gaze drifted toward her—uncertain, hesitant—but never quite met her eyes.

Lilac watched him carefully, reading the tension in his shoulders and the way his jaw clenched as if holding back more than just words.

“Are you feeling better now?” Lilac asked softly, her eyes searching his face.

Stanley gave a short nod, though the shadows under his eyes hadn’t faded. His silence still carried weight.

She moved closer, the mattress dipping slightly as she sat beside him. Her hand found his shoulder—gentle, grounding. The contact made him close his eyes for a moment, as if drawing strength from her touch.

“Did you see them again?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

At that, Stanley’s eyes snapped open and locked onto hers. The sudden shift in his expression said more than words could. Pain. Fear. Guilt.

Lilac didn’t need a verbal answer.

She had come to understand Stanley in the quiet spaces—through the things he didn’t say. His silence had always spoken louder than his words ever could. And when he didn’t respond, when he simply leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly…

That told her everything.

Lilac embraced him just as fiercely, her hand stroking the back of his neck in slow, soothing motions.

“You’re safe now,” she whispered, her chin resting against his shoulder. “Whatever you saw… it’s not here.”

Stanley didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.

In her arms, for just a little while, the ghosts quieted.

As the couple remained in each other’s embrace, the world outside felt distant—muted by the comfort they found in one another. But the fragile peace shattered abruptly when Stanley’s phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, slicing through the quiet like a blade.

They pulled apart instinctively.

Stanley reached for the phone and answered without checking the caller ID, his tone immediately shifting. “What did you find?”

Lilac sat back, watching his face closely. She could see the change in his eyes almost instantly—how warmth gave way to grim focus. He didn’t speak further, just listened, jaw tightening with every word spoken on the other end of the line.

The room grew still again, but this time with a different kind of tension.

When the call finally ended, Stanley lowered the phone slowly and set it on the table. He stared blankly at the surface for a long moment, his thoughts clearly spiraling.

“Stanley?” Lilac asked gently.

He didn’t respond right away. His hands clenched slightly, the only sign of the storm gathering beneath his calm exterior.

“Can you tell me what it is?” Lilac asked gently, her voice breaking through the heavy silence that had settled between them. Her nerves were starting to rise, the stillness in Stanley was unnerving.

This time, he moved.

Stanley looked up, meeting her eyes with a seriousness that made her heart skip. There was no hesitation in his gaze now. Only the weight of something unexpected.

“Logan told me he had no family,” Stanley said, his voice low. “Said he was an orphan. Alone in the world.”

He paused, and Lilac waited, sensing the shift before he said it.

“But what Ben just told me… it turns out Logan has a daughter.”

Lilac blinked, stunned. “A daughter?” she echoed, barely above a whisper.

Stanley gave a slight nod, his eyes still locked on Lilac’s.

“Why would he lie to you?” she asked softly, her brows drawing together in concern.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, shaking his head in quiet dismay. “But I need to find out.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his mind raced. Everything he thought he knew about Logan was unraveling.

He had already run a background check, pulled every thread he could. Sean’s intel had matched the official records: Logan was an orphan, raised in the system, and later got involved with small-time street gangs before disappearing into the underworld.

But what Ben, his old fighting buddy, had just uncovered painted a very different picture.

A daughter.

A hidden life.

Logan hadn’t just lied—he’d erased part of himself. And that kind of secrecy wasn’t accidental.

It was deliberate.