Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Chapter 255:Let go of me

Inside the canteen, Lilac sat across from Stanley, her gaze fixed on him, scrutinizing every flicker of expression.

“So, you’re telling me Brother Kalix knew everything—about Reeve and his involvement with Alexander?” she asked, her voice calm but edged with suspicion.

Stanley gave a slow, thoughtful nod.

“Then why didn’t you tell me before? Why the delay?” Lilac pressed, still unsure if Stanley had laid all his cards on the table.

Stanley met her determined stare, and somewhere deep inside, guilt coiled tight. He should have told her sooner.

“I thought you’d have figured it out,” he said finally. “Especially after the way Sean tried to reach you. But I guess you’re a little slow.”

Lilac’s lips twitched at the jab. “I am not slow, okay? It’s just… sometimes I forget to overthink.” She shot back, watching the corner of his mouth curl into a faint, amused smile.

That smile told her he’d been teasing—and that thought alone made her scoff.

“So now what? What’s the plan? Are you going to confront him?” she asked, leaning forward. Alexander wasn’t just tied to their parents’ deaths—he was also the prime suspect in the abduction of Stanley’s sister.

“No,” Stanley said flatly. “We’re not doing anything. Not yet.”

Lilac blinked at him, stunned. “Why? You’ve found him! All you need to do now is throw on that whole bad-boy look of yours and make him spill the truth.”

She thought she was being funny, but the deadpan stare she got in return told her otherwise.

“That wasn’t funny,” he said.

Lilac pouted, muttering under her breath, “I thought it was.” Then, louder: “But seriously—why not go after him? What’s stopping you?”

Stanley didn’t have an answer he liked. Truth be told, he didn’t understand Kalix’s decision to hold off either. But if there was one thing he’d learned about his boss, it was that Kalix never delayed without a reason. And as always, Stanley chose to trust him—whether or not he understood the plan.

Lilac leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “You put too much faith in him.”

Stanley arched a brow. “And you don’t put enough.”

“It’s not about faith,” she countered. “It’s about timing. Every day you wait, he gets a chance to cover his tracks. People like Alexander don’t just sit still and wait to be caught.”

He studied her, his expression unreadable, though a muscle in his jaw ticked. “You think I don’t know that?”

Lilac didn’t look away. “Then prove it. Because from where I’m sitting, it feels like you’re letting him slip through our fingers.”

For a moment, the clatter of cutlery and hum of voices around them filled the space between their stares. Then Stanley leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“Lilac, I’ve learned something in this business—you don’t pounce unless you know exactly where to bite. Go in too early, you miss the throat.”

Her brows drew together. “And in the meantime?”

“In the meantime,” he said, eyes holding hers with an intensity that made her pulse jump, “we wait. We watch. And when we strike, it won’t be a warning—it’ll be the end.”

Lilac swallowed hard, realizing that under the calm surface, there was steel in his voice. Still, she wasn’t entirely convinced.

“I hope you’re right,” she murmured. “Because if you’re wrong…” Her gaze softened for the briefest second. “…we’re going to lose more than just a chance at justice.”

Stanley didn’t answer, but his hand tightened around the coffee mug in front of him. She didn’t know if it was anger, fear, or something else entirely—but she knew one thing. Whatever was holding him back wasn’t just Kalix’s orders.

***

Meanwhile, Winter returned to her office and tried to lose herself in work. Emails, contracts, and numbers blurred together on the screen, but her mind kept circling back to her meeting with Dorothy.

She hadn’t voiced her suspicion about Eric outright, but Dorothy was sharp—sharp enough to catch the pauses in her speech, the way she’d carefully skirted around his name. By now, Dorothy had probably already started digging.

The low hum of the air conditioner filled the room until a deep, familiar voice cut through it.

“I didn’t expect my wife to be working overtime,” Kalix drawled from the doorway, one hand tucked casually in his pocket, “when her CEO husband is already ready to head home.”

Winter’s head snapped up. Her train of thought derailed instantly as her gaze locked on him—his presence filling the space as easily as the shadows stretching in from the hallway.

She arched a brow. “You could have called instead of sneaking up on me.”

Kalix’s lips curved into the faintest smirk. “And miss the look on your face? Not a chance.”

Clicking her tongue, Winter shut her laptop with a snap. “I wasn’t planning to stay late. I just… forgot to check the time.” She stood, brushing past her desk to join him.

His brows furrowed, and before she could move further, his arm slid around her waist, pulling her close. “And what exactly made you forget? I don’t recall burying you in work.”

Her steps faltered. For a moment, Dorothy’s name hovered at the edge of her mind, but she pushed it aside. “What I do recall,” she said lightly, “is that I’m starving. And you’re wasting time keeping me here.”

One brow lifted in mock challenge as her lips curved into a smile.

“Then I guess,” Kalix murmured, leaning close enough for his words to graze her ear, “we should hurry home. After all, I’m eager to have my dessert tonight.”

Her eyes widened, but as usual, he didn’t wait for her comeback—just tightened his grip and led her out of the office.

They walked through the corridor looking every bit the picture of a cozy couple, neither aware of the watchful eyes tracking their every step.

By the time they reached the car and drove off, the watcher still hadn’t moved—his expression dark, his presence lingering like a shadow that refused to fade.

Eric’s jaw tightened as the taillights disappeared from view. Their laughter—muted through the glass—burned in his ears, stoking a bitterness he couldn’t shake. That happiness… it was supposed to have been his.

Sitting in his own car, he stared through the windshield, lost in the past. He remembered the early days—how Winter’s guarded nature had made it nearly impossible to get close to her. She’d been a fortress, all steel and distance. But once he’d earned her trust, he’d discovered a softness underneath—a warmth he’d never known before.

Now, all he saw in her eyes was cold detest.

Despite constant reminders of his true mission, Eric had still fallen for the enemy’s daughter. And that was the one mistake he couldn’t undo.

Snapping himself out of the memory, he started the car and drove to his apartment, his mood souring with every passing streetlight.

The moment he stepped inside, a sharp crack split the air.

Pak!

His head snapped to the side from the force of the slap.

“Let go of me, you bastard!” Agnes screamed, striking him again and again.

Ever since she’d learned the truth about him, Agnes had been drowning in nothing but betrayal. And no matter how hard she tried to leave, Eric never let her go.

He’d threatened to kill her child if she disobeyed him, a leash she couldn’t break. But now, after weeks of being caged and worn down, Agnes had realized a painful truth—no matter how much she obeyed, he would never set her free.