The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Damon stood.

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“Sir… the necklace,” the man said, insisting as he held it out with both hands.

Damon took it without hesitation. His fingers curled around the chain, his expression unreadable. Then he turned and walked away, leaving the family frozen in place.

The drive back to the estate was silent.

Damon sat in the back seat, gripping the necklace tightly, as though letting go would mean losing the only trace he had left.

After a moment, he pulled out his phone.

“Bryan,” he said when the call connected. “Order another necklace. Same design. Initial D. Make it for a little girl.”

“Yes, boss.”

The call ended. Silence returned.

Damon entered the study and moved straight to his desk, lowering himself into the chair.

Mark was already there, alone, seated in front of the monitors. The glow of the screens reflected in his calm, focused eyes.

“Where is Simon?” Damon asked.

“He left,” Mark replied without looking away. “He said he’ll handle the first phase.”

“Good,” Damon said.

He pulled a stack of documents toward him, running his fingers across each page, reviewing and signing with mechanical precision.

Minutes passed in silence.

Then-

“Do you have any lead on my wife’s location?” Damon asked.

Mark’s hands paused briefly over the keyboard. “Not yet. If she turns on her phone, I can track her… but she hasn’t.”

Damon didn’t respond.

Mark stood and walked toward the desk.

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Chapter 146

“Cindy took her own life,” he said quietly.

“Mm.” Damon nodded once, detached.

A pause followed.

“Maddy… she’s staying silent,” Damon added, his voice lower now.

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Mark studied him for a moment. “Then spend time with her. Make her feel she matters. Not like she’s just a source of information.”

Damon said nothing.

“I’ll head out,” Mark continued. “I need to check on Eric. He might know where Lila is.”

He turned toward the door.

Before he could reach it-

“I’ll go with you,” Damon said, standing and stepping forward.

Mark stopped. “No. Stay here. If he sees you, he might not talk.”

Damon’s eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think he’ll talk to you?”

Mark turned fully to face him. “First, Eric knows I’m Lila’s brother. Second… he knows we’re not close.”

A beat.

“And he know’s I don’t like you being….my sister’s husband.”

Damon froze.

Then, slowly-

“…I understand,” he said, returning to his desk.

“Use my private plane. You’ll reach the south faster,” Damon added without looking up.

Mark shook his head. “No: If I use your plane, he’ll suspect we’re working together. That alone could shut him down.”

“… Got it,” Damon replied.

Mark lingered at the doorway. “The staff will send food here later. Eat. And get some proper sleep.”

Damon gave a lazy nod.

“Okay?” Mark repeated.

Damon lifted his head, meeting his gaze. “Why are you treating me like a kid?”

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Chapter 146

“Because you are,” Mark answered.

Damon’s stare hardened. “What did you say?”

“I said you are,” Mark repeated, unmoved. “You’re acting like a toddler.”

Damon rose slowly, stepping toward him.

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“Oh… so you think I’m not capable of bringing back my wife and son?” His voice dropped, dangerous. “That my intelligence compares to a toddler’s?”

He stopped just inches away.

“Do you really hate me that much… dear brother-in-law?”

Mark didn’t flinch.

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “And that’s exactly why we’re in this situation.”

His voice sharpened.

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“If you were capable of protecting her, we wouldn’t be tracking my sister right now. I’d be in my room, doing something worthwhile instead of this… pathetic chase.”

Damon’s jaw tightened.

“So finding my wife and son is pathetic to you?”

Before Mark could answer-

Damon’s fist slammed into his jaw.

Mark staggered-but didn’t fall. He struck back immediately.

The hallway erupted into chaos.

Punch after punch, neither man backing down. Years of resentment, anger, and blame exploded between them.

Downstairs, Bryan had just returned when the commotion reached him.

“Sir!” a staff member rushed toward him. “Please-help! They’re fighting!”

“What?” Bryan scoffed, already running toward the stairs.

“The master and Sir Mark!”

Bryan sprinted down the hallway and into the study.

Mark had Damon pinned-

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Chapter 146

-but in the next second, Damon flipped them, driving another punch into Mark.

“Stop! Both of you!” Bryan grabbed Damon, trying to pull him back, but Damon barely budged.

“Damon-enough!”

But Damon was relentless.

Bryan struggled, unable to separate them.

Then-

“Move.”

A cold voice cut through the chaos.

Simon had returned.

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He stepped in, grabbing Mark and pulling him away with controlled force, finally breaking the fight apart.

The room fell into heavy, ragged silence-

both men breathing hard, blood and fury still burning between them.

Mark and Damon sat at a fair distance from each other, both battered, both silent.

The staff moved carefully between them, tending to bruises and cuts, their hands cautious-as if either man might erupt again at any moment.

Simon stood in front of them, arms crossed, his presence heavy and commanding. He looked like a teacher who had just caught two unruly boys in the middle of a fight-but there was nothing patient about him. Only control.

Bryan remained in the corner, watching, almost frozen.

Mr. Lee is the only real adult among the three, he thought.

When the staff finally left, the room fell into a tense, suffocating silence.

Simon’s gaze moved from one man to the other.

“So,” he said sharply, irritation still clear in his voice, “have both of you calmed down?”

No one answered.

The silence stretched.

Mark was the first to move. He stood and walked toward the door, ignoring the tension behind him.

“I have to go to South City,” he said. “I’ll try to get information about my sister’s location. Eric might know something.”

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Chapter 146

“You will not leave this room until I say so,” Simon said coldly.

Mark stopped-but didn’t turn around.

A beat passed.

“It’s my fault,” Damon said suddenly. “I threw the first punch.”

Mark glanced over his shoulder.

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“Mark… you can go. And I apologize,” Damon added, his voice quieter now, stripped of earlier aggression.

Mark studied him for a moment.

“…Yeah. I apologize too. I was being insensitive,” he admitted, then shifted his gaze to Simon. “Can I go now?”

Simon exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. “…Go.”

Mark didn’t wait. He stepped out of the room without another word.

The door closed behind him.

Damon moved slowly, as if the weight of everything had settled back onto his shoulders. He returned to his chair and sat down, pulling the documents toward him again as though nothing had happened.

Bryan hesitated, then stepped forward.

“Sir…” he said softly, placing a small velvet box on the desk. “Here is the necklace you ordered.”

Damon didn’t look up.”

“Take that,” he said, sliding a piece of paper toward Bryan, “and give it to the man at this address. The driver will take you there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Bryan took both items and left immediately, the door closing with a quiet click.

Silence filled the room once more.

Simon remained where he stood, his eyes fixed on Damon. Watching. Assessing.

Minutes passed.

Then-

“Mark is right.”

Damon’s voice was low, almost distant.

Simon didn’t interrupt.

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Chapter 146

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“If I were capable of protecting my family…” Damon continued, his fingers tightening slightly over the pen in his hand, “…we wouldn’t be here. Doing this… chasing shadows.”

He let out a faint, humorless breath.

“This lame chase.”

Simon’s expression didn’t soften-but something in his gaze shifted. Not sympathy. Something closer to understanding.

“You’re wrong,” Simon said finally.

Damon’s pen stilled.

“This isn’t a chase,” Simon continued, his tone calm but firm. “It’s a recovery.”

A pause.

“And the fact that you’re still moving-still thinking-means you haven’t failed yet.”

Damon said nothing.

But for the first time since he returned-

his grip on the necklace loosened.

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15:22 Mon, May 4