The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Lila called Mark, her fingers trembling slightly.

“Hey… can you check Mr. Bjorn’s profile for me?” she asked.

“I’ll come pick you up,” Mark replied before ending the call.

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Lila waited at the flower shop, her nerves fraying. She couldn’t stay still, pacing back and forth with restless energy.

“Lila, are you okay?” Ina asked gently, noticing her agitation.

“Yeah… I think so,” Lila said, though her voice betrayed her unease.

Moments later, Mark slipped into the flower shop, blending in like any ordinary customer. Lila spotted him and guided him to their small office, away from prying eyes.

“Did you find anything?” Mark asked, settling into a chair.

“Yes,” Lila said, her voice tight. “Marlou said Eric’s wife warned him to run. She said Eric is now hunting me down.”

Mark said nothing, his expression unreadable.

“Mark… did you know this?” Lila pressed. “I remember you once warned me to stay away from Mr. Bjorn.”

“I don’t know the details,” Mark admitted cautiously. “But Damon asked me to warn you-not to trust Eric.”

Lila felt a chill run down her spine. “So it’s worse than I thought.”

Mark stared at Lila for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. Then, gently, he reached out and held her cold hand.

“Tell me honestly… why did you run away?” he asked, his voice steady but filled with concern.

Lila lowered her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I was there. I was… auctioned.”

Mark’s breath caught. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Damon was there too,” Lila continued, her hands tightening around his. “But he put his money on Maddy… and he never saved me. He never bought me.”

Mark felt his heart shatter. That damn Damon… he thought, watching helplessly as her sister-and now Lila herself-had been hurt by him again and again.

“Don’t worry,” Mark said, his grip firm and reassuring. “I’m here to protect you. Okay?”

Lila gave a small, bitter smile. “It’s okay… I never had any expectation from him,” she admitted. Then, her voice dropped lower, almost as if confessing a secret she had carried for years. “Also…. our marriage was never

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Chapter 161

real-from the start.”

Mark frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

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Lila met his eyes briefly, a mixture of pain and resignation in her gaze. “It was a contract marriage. Nothing more. It was never about love, never about us. Just… business.”

Mark’s jaw tightened. He didn’t know whether to feel anger, disbelief, or sorrow. “So… all those years, it was just a lie?”

Lila looked down again, her fingers trembling slightly. “I guess… it was never mine to call real.”

The room fell into heavy silence, broken only by the distant hum of the city outside. Mark’s mind raced-he had always known Lila carried secrets, but the truth was far darker than he had imagined.

Mark pulled Lila into a tight embrace, holding her as if he could keep the world at bay. “I promise… after this chaos, we’ll start something new. Something real,” he said softly.

“Okay,” Lila replied, her voice quiet but certain.

Across the city, a man sat in a dimly lit room, his sharp eyes fixed on the screen as lines of code and data moved rapidly before him. He was analyzing the one who had breached their network.

It wasn’t Damon.

This was something else-something extraordinary. Brilliant. Precise. And strangely… familiar.

“Boss… do you think that was your nephew?” one of his men asked cautiously.

The man leaned back, clearly impressed, and let out a soft chuckle. “No one has ever gotten this close,” he said. “Not in a network war like this.”

His gaze darkened slightly. “It almost feels like I’m fighting my own brother.”

A smirk formed on his lips as he stood. “Let’s pay him a visit. He deserves that much.”

Without another word, he walked out of the room, his presence commanding and cold.

“Damn those Blackthorne,” he muttered, his voice laced with quiet fury, “I swear… I’ll make you regret crossing us.”

His eyes were deep, unreadable-yet filled with a constant, chilling intent. The kind that didn’t need to be spoken to be understood.

Killing intent followed him like a shadow.

Night fell quietly over the city, but the calm was deceptive.

Inside the small office, Mark sat in front of a laptop, fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard. Lines of encrypted data flickered across the screen, each layer revealing fragments of something far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

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Chapter 161

Mark didn’t answer.

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For a moment, silence stretched between them-thick, suffocating.

Then the man’s gaze shifted slightly, landing on Lila.

Recognition flickered in his eyes.

“Well… this just became more interesting,” he murmured.

Lila felt her breath hitch.

The

game was no longer distant.

It had arrived.

The room felt smaller, suffocating under the weight of his presence.

Mark took a subtle step forward, shielding Lila. “State your business,” he said coldly.

The man’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Straight to the point. I like that.” He stepped further into the dim light, his polished shoes echoing softly against the floor. “I came to meet the genius bold enough to touch my

network.”

Marlou moved closer, his voice tense. “You’re trespassing.”

“And yet,” the man replied smoothly, “I’m the one in control.”

His gaze returned to Mark. “You didn’t answer my question. Who taught you?”

Mark held his stare. “No one you know.”

The man studied him for a moment, then let out a quiet chuckle. “Interesting… because the way you move through systems-it feels familiar.”

Lila’s fingers tightened at her sides. A chill crept up her spine.

“Say what you came for,” Mark said firmly.

The man’s expression shifted, turning colder. “Very well.”

He reached into his coat and placed a small device on the table. “Everything you’ve been searching for is here. Names, transactions, routes… the truth behind everything.”

Mark didn’t move. “And in return?”

The man smiled faintly, his eyes flicking between them.

“You,” he said calmly. “Both of you.”

Silence fell.

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Chapter 161

:

Lila’s breath hitched. Marlou stepped forward immediately. “No.”

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“You come with me,” the man continued, his tone almost casual. “Lila… and you,” he added, looking directly at Mark. “The mind behind this little intrusion.”

Mark’s jaw tightened. “Not happening.”

The man sighed softly, as if disappointed. “You misunderstand.”

In an instant, the air shifted-his calm demeanor turning sharp, dangerous.

“This isn’t a negotiation.”

Lila felt her heart pound. “And if we refuse?” she asked, forcing the words out.

The man’s gaze softened just slightly-but it made his next words more terrifying.

“Then everyone around you becomes collateral.”

His eyes flicked briefly to Marlou.

“To be precise… disposable.”

Marlou stiffened, anger flashing across his face.

Mark stepped forward, his voice low and controlled. “You’re threatening the wrong people.”

The man smirked. “No,” he said quietly. “I’m threatening exactly the right ones.”

Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

The choice was no longer theirs alone.

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