Chapter 537 - 133 Cold Strategic Proposal

Chapter 537: Chapter 133 Cold Strategic Proposal

Lila’s POV

The scalding shower did nothing to cleanse the rage burning through my veins. When I emerged into the living room with damp hair clinging to my shoulders, Katarina was setting fine china on Daniel’s dining table while he spoke in hushed tones into his encrypted phone—the kind used for family business.

"How are you holding up?" Katarina asked, her designer heels clicking against the marble as she moved with the practiced grace of someone born into our world.

Fresh tears threatened to spill. "Honestly? I feel like I’m drowning. I never thought my mother would sink this low, even for family politics."

"She’s poison, Lila," Katarina sighed, shaking her perfectly coiffed head. "But try to compose yourself. Your detective ordered from that exclusive Chinatown place—the one that only delivers to certain addresses."

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind. Daniel’s expensive cologne mingled with the faint scent of gunpowder that always clung to him—a reminder of the world we both inhabited.

"Did you take your medication, little one?" His voice carried that protective edge that made my chest tighten. When I nodded, he continued, "Your mother’s convoy is heading back to Sullivan territory now. But I still think we need to make this official through family channels."

"She’s still technically my mother, Daniel..." The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

His frustrated exhale warmed my neck as he pulled me closer. "In name only."

Katarina leaned against the custom Italian counter, her expression grim. "I’ve briefed Beckett and your father’s people. Apparently, your mother outmaneuvered the security detail your family assigned. She used one of her legitimate art gallery connections to create a diversion, then slipped past surveillance using a dealer’s vehicle. Your family’s men followed the decoy."

"We need tighter security protocols," Daniel muttered, and I could hear the unspoken implications in his tone—there were things he wasn’t telling me.

I turned to Katarina, desperation creeping into my voice. "She’s never going to stop interfering in family business, is she?"

"There is one way to remove her leverage completely," Daniel said, his jaw set with that determination I’d seen when he was working a case. His dark eyes met mine with unusual intensity.

"What’s that?" I braced myself for another lecture about involving the family’s enforcement arm.

"Marry me. Once we’re bound by family law, she loses all authority over marriage alliances. She’d have no choice but to back down."

I stared at him, certain the stress had affected my hearing. "You can’t be serious."

"I’m completely serious, little one." He captured both my hands in his larger ones. "We formalize our bond, and she becomes powerless in family negotiations."

"That’s insane, Daniel!" I pulled away from his grip.

"How is it insane? We’re already bound in everything but name. We share territory, we trust each other with our lives, we love each other. We make it official and the problem disappears." His pragmatic tone stripped away any romance from the moment.

"I refuse to enter a marriage alliance just to outmaneuver my mother’s schemes," I replied, crossing my arms defensively.

"Don’t you love me, Lila?" There was something vulnerable beneath his wounded pride.

"Of course I love you, Daniel. But I don’t want you proposing out of strategic necessity." My heart ached. I’d dreamed of becoming his wife, joining our families through love rather than politics—not like this, not as some calculated move in the endless game of power, delivered like a business merger proposal. I wanted passion, devotion, something that felt real.

"Damn it," Daniel growled. "Katarina, I have to tell her."

Confusion washed over me. "Tell me what?" I looked between them. "And Katarina, while I’m always happy to see you, why exactly are you in the city today?"

"She came for a contract signing. Running into her was pure coincidence," Daniel explained quickly.

Katarina nodded smoothly. "I had gallery business to finalize. Encountering Daniel was unexpected."

"So what do you need to tell me?" I pressed, recognizing the look they shared—the kind of glance exchanged when family secrets were about to surface.

Katarina chose her words carefully. "Lila, our intelligence network uncovered something. Your mother isn’t pushing for an alliance with Connor’s heir anymore."

"That should be good news, right?" But their grim expressions suggested otherwise.

"Not exactly, little one," Daniel said gently. "She wants to bind you to Connor himself."

The revelation hit me like a physical assault. Nausea clawed at my throat. "To Connor? Why would she...?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks as panic seized me. Connor controlled half the casino operations and smuggling networks on the East Coast. He was older than my grandfather, with a reputation for brutality that made even hardened family soldiers nervous. Stories circulated about rivals who’d crossed him, businesses that had mysteriously burned, people who’d simply vanished. The thought of being trapped in that monster’s bed was unbearable.

"It’s confirmed," Katarina squeezed my hand. "My connections in the financial sector hear everything. You need protection, and perhaps Daniel’s proposal isn’t so unreasonable after all."

"Please marry me, Lila. Let’s end this nightmare," Daniel pleaded, his voice softer now but still urgent.

I wiped my tears, finding strength despite my terror. "No, Daniel. I won’t marry you because of this."

He exhaled harshly. "It’s not just because of this, Lila! But it would solve everything. I can’t let her deliver you to that animal." His frustration boiled over. "It’s just paperwork and ceremony, for God’s sake!"

"Don’t I deserve more than a marriage of convenience?" I held my ground despite the hurt flashing across his handsome features.

We were locked in tense silence when the doorbell chimed. Daniel went to the security panel, and Zoe’s voice crackled through the intercom before she appeared.

"Where is she?" Zoe burst through the reinforced door, rushing to grip my shoulders and examine me for injuries with the efficiency of someone trained in violence. "That woman may have birthed you, but she’s not family. Real family doesn’t do this." Her voice cracked as she pulled me into a fierce hug. "That said, I’m going to track her down and personally remove each of her manicured claws with pliers."

I laughed despite everything. "I believe you would. But I’d rather you stay for lunch instead."

"Tiny Cipher, please make this official through family justice. Cut her out of your life permanently," Zoe urged.

"I can’t, Zoe. I just can’t." The truth was simple but devastating.

"What’s our next move?" Zoe looked around at everyone. "Oh—Katarina! I didn’t notice you there."

"We’re having lunch," Daniel intervened, pulling out a chair for Zoe. "That was the plan. Katarina and I collected Lila, and we were going to invite you over."

Zoe’s face brightened. "Really? Well then, let’s eat. Afterward, we’ll have a girls’ afternoon. And you, detective, can return to your precinct work, unless you want to end up with painted nails, hair ribbons, and false eyelashes."

"Hard pass," Daniel grimaced, making us all laugh.

"How did you find out what happened?" I asked Zoe.

"I called to schedule something for Dominic, and Sybilla filled me in on everything," she explained.

After our meal, Katarina gifted Zoe the designer handbag she’d modeled in that fashion show Zoe had attended. With Zoe keeping me company, Daniel headed back to his precinct duties, and Katarina departed with him to return to our family’s territory.

Alone with my thoughts, I wrestled with Daniel’s clumsy proposal, the terrifying news about Connor, and the persistent feeling that Katarina and Daniel were concealing something else from me—something they weren’t prepared to reveal.