Chapter 578 - 174 Fathers Ultimate Betrayal

Chapter 578: Chapter 174 Fathers Ultimate Betrayal

Daniel’s POV

Endless days had passed with Lila lying motionless in the pristine hospital bed, surrounded by the quiet hum of machines monitoring her vital signs. The private medical facility, one Thorne family maintained for discrete care of their associates, provided the best treatment money could buy. The doctors explained that Claire had injected Lila with a powerful pharmaceutical sedative, the kind used in high-stakes operations when someone needed to disappear quietly. They assured me she had narrowly avoided a lethal overdose, but their clinical words offered little comfort. Until those beautiful amber eyes opened again, cold dread would continue to grip my chest like a vice.

My security detail maintained their posts outside the room while I kept my vigil. The soft leather chair beside Lila’s bed had become my world, every breath she took monitored, every flutter of her eyelids analyzed for signs of consciousness returning.

"Daniel, this isn’t healthy for a man in your position." Katarina appeared in the doorway, her designer heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Concern etched her elegant features as she surveyed my disheveled state. "You haven’t left this room in days. Not even for a proper meal. Come back to the estate for a few hours. I’ll stay with her personally."

I rubbed my tired eyes, feeling the weight of sleepless nights. "I appreciate the offer, Katarina, but my answer hasn’t changed since the numerous times someone suggested it. I’m not leaving until Lila does."

"And when she wakes up, she’ll find the most powerful inspector in the city collapsed from exhaustion," Jude chimed in as he entered with our other friends trailing behind him like a concerned entourage.

Zoe crossed her arms, that familiar smirk playing at her lips despite the gravity of the situation. "Inspector, if you don’t shower soon, we’ll need to call the hazmat team about the biohazard you’re becoming."

Despite my fatigue, I managed a weak smile. "Are you suggesting I smell, crazy girl?"

Ivy dramatically leaned over Lila’s bed, taking an exaggerated sniff in my direction. "Suggesting? No. Stating an undeniable fact? Absolutely."

"Such brutal honesty from my dearest friends," I laughed as the girls theatrically covered their noses with their silk scarves.

"That’s what family does," Caleb said, always quick to support his wife’s antics. "Come on, the girls want some quality time with Lila. We’ll physically drag you back to the Thorne estate if necessary."

"What if she wakes while I’m gone?" My voice betrayed the anxiety that had been eating at me for days.

Gemma pointed firmly toward the door with the authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed. "We’ll call you immediately. Now go shower before we need to declare this room a disaster zone."

Recognizing defeat against this united front of concerned friends, I approached Lila’s bedside and gently pressed my lips to her forehead. Her skin felt warm and soft, a small comfort in this sterile environment. "I’ll be back soon, little one," I whispered, hoping somewhere in her unconscious mind, she could hear the promise in my voice.

My brief respite at the Thorne estate proved shorter than anticipated. Inspector Ezekiel called my secure line, requesting my immediate presence at the downtown precinct. With my team already back in Port Harbor handling the aftermath of recent events, I assumed he needed final details for the ongoing investigation. Better to handle whatever bureaucratic matters required my attention quickly and return to Lila’s side.

The precinct buzzed with its usual activity as I navigated the familiar corridors. I found Ezekiel buried behind stacks of case files and evidence reports, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows across his weathered face.

"May I come in?"

He looked up, instantly brightening despite the late hour. "Martinez! Please, sit down. How’s Lila holding up?"

"Still unconscious," I admitted, unable to hide the worry that had become my constant companion. "The doctors say it’s concerning but not unexpected given the dosage."

"Understandable concern, but she’s stronger than most people give her credit for." He gestured toward the chair across from his cluttered desk. "Your team did exceptional work wrapping up the loose ends of this operation."

"They’re the best in the business. Though I’m still planning to steal Gideon from your department permanently."

Ezekiel laughed heartily, a welcome sound in the tense atmosphere. "The boy deserves the opportunity to work bigger cases. This quiet city doesn’t challenge someone with his analytical skills. His work tracing Lila’s family history was particularly impressive." His expression suddenly grew serious, the lightness evaporating from his features. "But that’s not why I called you down here tonight. Claire has been demanding to speak with you specifically."

My jaw tightened involuntarily. "What could that deranged woman possibly want with me?"

"She wouldn’t elaborate—just insisted it concerned information you’d find valuable." Ezekiel’s brow furrowed as he pulled out a separate file. "The strange thing is, she only started making these demands after receiving permission to make one phone call. Her high-priced lawyer somehow convinced a judge to authorize this meeting."

"Any idea who she contacted?"

"That’s what caught my attention. The area code was traced back to Greenleaf. That’s your hometown, isn’t it?"

An uneasy feeling settled deep in my stomach like ice water. "Yes... that’s an interesting coincidence."

"After that call, she became increasingly agitated and refused to provide her complete statement until speaking with you personally."

I steeled myself for whatever game Claire intended to play. "Let’s get this over with, then."

Minutes later, Claire sat across from me in the sterile interrogation room, that infuriating smirk plastered across her face like a mask of malicious satisfaction. "Hello, Daniel! Is your precious Lila dead yet?" She laughed as if she’d delivered the most clever joke imaginable.

"Lila is recovering well," I lied smoothly, keeping my expression carefully neutral. "What exactly do you want?"

"I thought you might enjoy hearing about the delightful day I met your distinguished father." Her eyes glinted with pure malice, like a predator savoring the moment before striking.

I scoffed, masking my growing confusion behind practiced indifference. "If you’re attempting some crude manipulation, you’ve chosen poorly. You’ve never met my father."

"That’s always been your problem, Daniel. You’re so absolutely certain about things you know nothing about." With calculated, deliberate movements, Claire reached into her prison-issued pocket and slid a familiar business card across the scratched metal table.

The moment I recognized the expensive cardstock, ice flooded my veins. My father’s personal business card—something he reserved exclusively for individuals he deemed extremely important to family operations. Turning it over with trembling fingers, I saw his distinctive handwriting noting his Port Harbor hotel information and meeting times.

"How did you acquire this?" I asked, already dreading the answer that would shatter everything I thought I knew.

Claire’s smile widened with triumphant satisfaction. "Your father gave it to me personally when he proposed our mutually beneficial partnership to separate you and Lila permanently. He offered to finance the girl’s kidnapping operation." She proceeded to detail their clandestine meeting with such precise accuracy that doubt became impossible.

I listened in stunned silence, processing this ultimate betrayal. When she finished recounting every damning detail, I had only one question remaining. "If you’re such close allies, why reveal this to me?"

"Because your father abandoned our agreement at the last moment. Suddenly, he withdrew all support for our plan to separate you two lovebirds. I still don’t understand his change of heart—he seemed so determined during our initial meeting. But I warned him that betraying me wouldn’t come without consequences, and knowing you, this revelation will cause him considerable problems." Claire couldn’t possibly know that I already understood exactly why my father had suddenly accepted Lila.

I concealed my inner turmoil, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of seeing how deeply her words had cut. "Anything else you feel compelled to share?"

"That’s everything for now. But do come back and tell me how your heart-to-heart conversation with daddy dearest goes." She laughed with cruel delight. "Inspector Ezekiel, I’m ready for my lawyer now."

As the officer escorted Claire back to her cell, Ezekiel glanced at me with genuine sympathy. "That was certainly unexpected."

"Indeed it was." I sighed heavily, staring at the business card that had become evidence of my father’s ultimate betrayal. The man who raised me had conspired with the woman who nearly killed the only person I’d ever truly loved—a new low even for him. One thing was absolutely certain: I would get to the bottom of this treachery, no matter what it cost me.