Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: I’m shutting you out

[Greyson Mansion]

“You must be joking, Father. How can you even ask me to accept that proposal?” David snapped, his voice sharp, his glare seething as it locked onto Byron.

The tension in the study was suffocating. Kalix’s merger proposal had landed like a bomb on David’s desk, and ever since, his mind had been spiraling. Kalix Andreas wasn’t known for generosity or goodwill. He was calculating, dangerous, and always two steps ahead.

It didn’t take long for David to realize who was behind it.

Of course. Byron.

The old man had reached out behind his back. Made his own move. And now he expected David to surrender.

Byron stood firm, unbothered by his son’s fury. “Then tell me, David—how else do you expect me to save this company? The same company you nearly ran into the ground with your arrogance and impulsive decisions?”

David’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening. “You went behind my back.”

“No,” Byron countered, his tone like a blade. “I cleaned up behind you—again.”

David turned his face away, jaw ticking, but the fury quickly returned. “Kalix isn’t trustworthy. He’ll use this deal to worm his way in—and once he does, he’ll take everything.”

Byron scoffed, the bitterness unmistakable. “He’s already taken everything, David. You just don’t want to admit it. The market follows him. The investors believe in him. He has the resources. The leverage. Winter.” His eyes narrowed. “And whether you like it or not… that makes him family.”

David’s expression faltered at the mention of Winter, but he forced his composure back. “So that’s what this is really about. Her.”

Byron didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny it.

“I’m not handing Kalix the company,” he said. “I’m giving the company a future. Something you’ve failed to do.”

David’s lips curled into something between a grimace and a smirk. “So this is what it looks like—being disowned in your own house.”

Byron took a step forward, voice low and steady. “You still have a choice. You can sign the deal, remain part of the structure and start rebuilding some of that broken trust… or you can keep resisting and watch me hand over your seat to someone who deserves it.”

Silence fell again, heavier this time.

David stared at the man who had once been his greatest supporter. His safety net. The father who had always covered for him. Forgiven him. Believed in him.

But that man was gone.

“Why are you doing this, Father?” he asked, his voice quieter now—wounded, disbelieving.

He had seen Byron weather financial storms, boardroom betrayals, and corporate warfare with grit. Never once had he needed anyone. And certainly never someone like Kalix.

“I’ve seen you survive worse,” David said, stepping closer. “You built this empire on your back. You are Greyson Enterprises. And now you’re surrendering it—to him?”

Byron’s eyes darkened. “This time, it’s not about pride—it’s about preservation.”

He walked past David, slow and deliberate, as if his next words were already chiseled in stone.

“This company was my legacy, but I built it so it would survive beyond me. I thought I could trust you with that. I was wrong.” His voice hardened. “You let greed lead you. You made enemies we can’t afford. You embarrassed this name with theft and lies. And now, the man you tried to cross is the only one strong enough to hold the weight.”

David didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Every word sank like a stone.

Byron turned to him one last time.

“You think I’m letting Kalix in?” he asked, voice low and cold. “No. I’m shutting you out.”

A flicker of something—unease, maybe even fear—crossed David’s face, but it vanished just as quickly behind a mask of cold composure. He glanced away, jaw grinding.

He understood the situation. The company was crumbling, the investors were skittish, and Kalix had every advantage.

But that didn’t mean he’d let him take it all.

Not without a fight.

“…Fine,” David said at last, voice even, emotion hidden beneath layers of restraint. “If that’s what you want.”

Byron’s brows twitched slightly in surprise, but he quickly straightened, hiding the reaction with a subtle nod.

“Good,” he replied. “That’s what I expected from you.”

David said nothing more.

He turned and walked out, his footsteps calm—but in his silence, something simmered.

Something Byron couldn’t quite place.

And as the door shut behind his son, a faint whisper of unease lingered in the air.

****

[Penthouse]

Kalix stepped out of the bathroom, steam clinging to his skin, a towel draped loosely over his shoulders. But the moment his gaze fell on Winter—standing in the center of the room, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes sharp and unreadable—he stilled.

She didn’t say a word.

She didn’t have to.

The storm in her eyes said it all.

He tossed the towel aside with a sigh, reading the tension instantly. His steps toward her were unhurried, deliberate—as if he were bracing for impact.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice calm, almost too calm.

Winter’s jaw tensed. “Did you send a proposal to Greyson International?” Her voice was clipped. “A merger with J&K?”

Kalix didn’t blink. He held her gaze with cool precision.

“So you heard,” he said.

“That’s not an answer,” she snapped, taking a step closer. “Tell me the truth.”

There was a pause—a deliberate silence that said more than words.

“Yes,” he admitted finally, his tone low and controlled. “I did.”

Winter’s breath hitched slightly. The confirmation hit harder than she expected.

She turned as he walked past her and sat on the edge of the bed, acting as though the conversation hadn’t fractured something between them. His silence was no longer distant—it felt dismissive.

A flicker of unease crawled beneath her skin.

“When were you going to tell me?” She asked again, this time softer. Not accusing. Just… hurt.

Kalix looked up at her, eyes briefly locking with hers, before he looked away and said flatly, “Soon. But you already found out.”

There was no warmth in his voice. No apology. Just cold detachment.

Winter stared at him, the chill of his words sinking deep. This wasn’t the Kalix she knew—the one who held her at night, who fought for her, who never let her walk into a room without owning it.

Now he couldn’t even look at her.

Frowning, she sat beside him on the bed, searching his profile for a crack in the mask. “Kalix, what’s going on?” she asked quietly. “Why are you shutting me out?”

He didn’t answer.

He just stared ahead, jaw tense, as if keeping something locked behind clenched teeth.

“You’ve been distant all day,” she pressed gently. “I thought maybe it was work. But now I think it’s something else.”

Still, silence.

Winter’s voice dropped, barely above a whisper. “Is it me?”