Chapter 532 - 128 Dangerous Revelations

Chapter 532: Chapter 128 Dangerous Revelations

Daniel’s POV

Lila lay wrapped in peaceful sleep, her breathing soft and even against the silk sheets. I chose not to wake her after our passionate night that had stretched until dawn. Sleep remained elusive for me as my mind churned over the territorial threats closing in around us. I slipped quietly from our bedroom and made my way to the kitchen, where hushed voices drew my attention. Beckett and Katarina sat huddled over steaming coffee cups, their conversation carrying the weight of family business.

"Well, look what the famiglia dragged in," Beckett remarked when he spotted me, gesturing toward the dark circles shadowing my eyes.

"What can I say? Your sister has very high standards," I shot back with a knowing smirk. His expression immediately soured.

"Christ, spare me the details," Beckett groaned, making an exaggerated show of disgust. "Though I appreciate you two keeping the volume down last night." I couldn’t help but grin, remembering Lila’s valiant attempts to muffle her responses to my touch.

Katarina slid a ceramic mug across the marble counter toward me. "Where’s Lila now?"

"Still recovering from exhaustion," I replied, shooting Beckett a pointed look that made him huff dramatically.

"Perfect timing. We need to discuss some troubling intelligence," Katarina’s expression shifted to the serious mask she wore during family strategy sessions.

"What’s the situation?" I asked, immediately switching to my inspector’s mindset.

"My mother received some disturbing information through her network. Her housekeeper maintains connections with Connor’s domestic staff – Connor being the casino boss whose son Claire keeps pushing toward Lila," Katarina explained as I nodded, piecing together the territorial implications. "The housekeeper overheard Connor bragging to another underboss about his real intentions. He’s not planning to marry Lila to his son. He wants her for himself."

"That sick bastard!" I slammed my mug down hard enough to rattle the counter, fury blazing through my veins. Katarina quickly gestured for silence. "Has Claire completely lost her mind?"

"She’s nothing but poison, Daniel," Katarina stated coldly. "We debated whether to inform Lila directly or let you decide how to handle this family threat."

"This is absolutely insane," I growled through clenched teeth. "That woman refuses to accept defeat."

"She never has," Beckett agreed with a weary sigh. "And now she’s got serious muscle backing her plays. If Connor wants my sister that desperately, he’ll throw his entire operation behind Claire’s schemes."

"We need to end this permanently," I declared, seeing only one path that would guarantee Lila’s safety.

"Any strategic ideas?" Katarina asked, her eyes fixed intently on mine.

"Yes. I’m going to make Lila my wife," I announced.

Beckett shook his head firmly. "She’ll refuse if she thinks it’s just another arranged marriage to avoid Claire’s machinations."

"For God’s sake, Beckett, do you seriously think I’d marry your sister just to outmaneuver those vultures?" I snapped, my irritation flaring. My devotion to Lila transcended any political maneuvering or family alliance.

"I understand your motives," Beckett said calmly. "But my sister inherited our family’s stubborn streak. If she discovers Connor’s true plans beforehand, she’ll reject your proposal, convinced it’s motivated purely by strategic necessity. And if she learns about it afterward, she’ll torment herself wondering if your feelings were genuine."

"Damn it," I muttered, dragging my hand across my jaw. "I’ll find a way to convince her without revealing the immediate threat."

"Actually, we do have some promising news," Katarina interrupted, her expression brightening considerably.

"I could definitely use some," I grumbled.

"That key you recovered from the evidence room – I know exactly what it opens," Katarina said with growing excitement.

"How is that possible? The receipt only showed a street address. Our database searches turned up over a hundred and seventy streets with that name across the country, none in this territory," I reminded her.

"Because I have an identical key," Katarina explained eagerly. "It’s for a facility called The Box – a high-security storage complex near our old neighborhood. They rent or sell individual vault compartments in this massive warehouse. I purchased a large unit there for my modeling portfolio and other sensitive materials. Once you buy the space, it can’t be resold to another party, but you can return it to the company for a partial refund."

"So this key could access either a purchased or rented vault? If it was just a rental, the contents might already be gone," I worried.

"Fortunately, this is definitely for a purchased unit. You can tell by the black leather keychain – rental keys have red plastic tags," Katarina concluded triumphantly.

"Katarina, I have to admit – Zoe was right about your intelligence," I praised, earning a laugh from her. "You and Beckett should investigate whatever’s hidden in that vault."

"Consider it handled. And I’ll arrange for the DNA collection this week. Can you secure Lila’s sample without raising suspicions?" Katarina asked.

"Yes, I’ll have it ready before you head out," I confirmed.

"Actually, we’re modifying our approach," Katarina continued. "I’ll take the samples to two separate laboratories. Something’s been bothering me about our previous test."

"What concerns you?" Beckett asked, echoing my confusion.

"That clinic technician is known for her loose tongue and expensive tastes. I suspect Claire somehow discovered we were running tests," Katarina explained.

"I’m not following your logic," I admitted, noting Beckett’s equally puzzled expression.

"Consider the possibilities. If Claire learned about our DNA testing, she could have leveraged her connections to manipulate the results in her favor. That would explain the outcome we’re all questioning," Katarina theorized.

"I can’t imagine how she’d pull that off, but using two different laboratories is definitely the smart play," I conceded.

"Then we’re in agreement," Beckett concluded.

"Agreed on what?" Lila’s voice suddenly cut through our conversation as she entered the kitchen, nearly catching us mid-conspiracy.

"That Lucinda and I will stay another day," Beckett recovered smoothly. Lila’s face immediately lit up with genuine pleasure at this announcement. Unable to resist the opportunity, Beckett leaned close to his sister with narrowed, teasing eyes. "By the way, Lila, I heard you last night. Every. Single. Sound."

Lila’s face flushed deep crimson, her mortification complete as we all burst into laughter.