His After The Heartbreak (BL)-Chapter 177: i Recognized Them

Chapter 185 – I Recognized Them!!

Declan’s POV

I walked straight to my damaged car.

The door made a terrible screeching sound as I opened it. I got in, slammed the door, and started the engine.

I headed straight to my private building. The one no one knows about.

They really thought they had me.

They thought stealing from me would break me.

They thought draining one of my accounts would leave me crawling on the ground, begging for help.

Idiots.

That account was just one out of many. Just one.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

My shares alone could buy their entire existence and still have change. My net worth? It’s the kind that never shows up in magazines or Forbes lists—because I don’t like being seen. I like to watch... and strike when it matters.

Let them think they won.

Let them drink and toast to their stupid little fake victory.

Let them sleep well tonight, thinking they pulled the biggest scam of the year.

Because when I strike back... they won’t even see it coming.

I smiled darkly to myself, gripping the wheel tighter.

Let them enjoy it... for now.

I was halfway to my private mansion—far away from the city, when my phone suddenly rang.

I frowned.

Not now.

I ignored it.

Whatever it was could wait. This wasn’t the time to be distracted by bloody phone calls. I needed to think and drive quietly.

But the phone rang again.

Persistent.

I hissed under my breath, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

With one hand still on the wheel, I reached out and grabbed the phone. Just one look. That’s all I needed.

Lucian.

Why was he calling me?

I narrowed my eyes. What does he want? What could be so urgent?

I didn’t get an answer, obviously.

Not like I’m some wizard who can pull answers from thin air.

Still, something told me to answer it.

So I did.

I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello, Lucian," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Declan, are you okay? Is everything alright?" he asked quickly, his voice full of worry.

"I’m okay. Why are you asking me that?" I said, confused.

Did something happen?

Why did he sound so stressed?

Lucian didn’t answer immediately. I could hear him breathe—a long breath, like he’d been holding it in. A breath of relief.

That’s when I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell was going on—

But before I could say a word, I heard a sudden rush of air. Like someone had grabbed the phone from his hand.

Then a different voice came through.

A voice that stopped my heart.

"Hello... Dad."

That voice.

That familiar, familiar voice.

I froze.

Not just because it was him.

But because of what he called me.

Dad.

My hands trembled slightly.

I don’t remember the last time he said it. Maybe never.

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening.

That one word did something that to me that had never been done in years.

It felt like a dream.

A strange, beautiful dream.

Tyler’s voice poured into my ear, soft and shaky, and I was so lost in the sound of it that I didn’t even realize he’d been talking non-stop.

He kept going...

I didn’t hear every word. My brain was stuck on just one.

"Dad."

He said it again.

Not Declan.

Not you.

Not bastard.

Just Dad.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting the word hit deep.

I’d waited for this. God knows I’d longed for this.

And then, just like that, he called me back to reality.

"Please answer me... please don’t keep quiet. You’re scaring me," he said.

His voice cracked.

"Is mom okay? Is she going to be okay?"

Just like that, the happiness in my chest dropped to my stomach.

I didn’t even know what to say.

Of course she was going to be okay. But how do you explain to your son that his mother was shot?

How do you say that out loud?

But something didn’t add up.

Wait a minute.

Wait a damn minute.

How did he even know something happened?

When Lucian called me, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t tell him what happened to Beatrice. Not even a word.

So how?

How the hell did Tyler know something was wrong?

"How did he find out?" I whispered to myself.

But no answer came. Just confusion.

I didn’t want to believe what I was thinking.

I wasn’t even sure what I was thinking anymore.

"Dad, answer me!!" Tyler’s voice suddenly screamed through the phone. "Please answer me that mom is okay! Please tell me she didn’t die! Please—just fucking answer me!"

His voice cracked again, this time filled with fear and panic. He sounded like a child again. A lost, scared child looking for someone to tell him everything would be okay.

I just felt... pity.

For him.

I cleared my throat and spoke gently, "Calm down, Tyler... son. Calm down. Your mother is going to be okay. She’s fine. She’s just recovering, that’s all."

There was a pause.

Then his voice again, softer this time.

"Are you sure?"

I could feel his hope balancing on my answer.

I took a breath, long and deep, and forced myself to speak clearly.

"Yes, Tyler. I’m sure. I’m very sure. She’s going to be okay. In fact, I just left the hospital."

And the moment those words came out... I regretted them.

Shit.

I muttered under my breath.

Why the hell did I say that?

I shouldn’t have mentioned the hospital.

Now he wouldn’t rest. Now his mind would be racing. Now the fear would double.

I heard him go quiet for a second, then he asked in a low voice—

"What happened to her, Dad?"

I could lie.

But what good would that do?

So I told him.

"We were attacked... both of us. It all happened so fast. Your mom got shot. I had to take her to the hospital. But you don’t need to be scared, Tyler. The surgery was successful. They removed the bullet. She’s just resting now. She’s going to be fine."

The other end of the line was silent.

Then I heard him breathe out—slow and heavy.

It felt like Tyler had been holding his breath since forever. Like he’d been underwater for hours, and only just found a way to come up for air.

"Dad... are you sure?" he asked me again, his voice a little shaky. "Because what I heard... what I was told... it didn’t sound like she was okay."

I closed my eyes briefly and tried to stay calm, for his sake.

"Yes, Tyler. I’m sure," I told him, my voice firm but soft. "I’m very sure your mom is going to be fine. The surgery was successful. They got the bullet out."

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then I heard a faint, "Thank you."

Then he asked another question

"Where was she going to? What happened that made you both get attacked?"

I let out a slow breath, already knowing I couldn’t avoid this one.

"Tyler," I said, "It’s a long story... but I’ll make it short."

"When your mom couldn’t find you, she lost it. She was so worried, so scared... she couldn’t stay at home doing nothing. She needed to find you."

"She begged me, and we left the house to search. We went out together to look for you."

I paused, gripping the wheel tighter.

"What we didn’t know was that the same guards—the same bloody guard who betrayed her before—had teamed up with another one of mine to finish the job."

"They attacked us while we were still searching for you. It happened so fast. One of them aimed straight at your mom and fired before I could shield her."

"That’s how she got shot, Tyler. It was them... those bastards I’m going to make pay one by one."

There was a pause... then came the guilt.

"Oh no..." he whispered. "This was my fault. It’s all my fault. I made her get shot."

"If only... if only I had stayed," his voice cracked, "if I just stayed when she begged me to..."

"No, Tyler. Don’t you say that," I cut in quickly. "Don’t you even think it."

"It’s not your fault, and it can never be your fault. You were angry... and I don’t blame you for getting angry. None of this is on you."

"But if I didn’t walk out on her... if I didn’t act like that—she wouldn’t have been out looking for me. And she wouldn’t have been shot," he said, voice broken, full of pain.

"Calm down, Tyler. Please. It’s already happened. We can’t change the past. But we can be thankful she’s still alive."

"She made it. That’s what matters right now. And she’s going to pull through."

Silence fell on the line again.

"Thank you... thank you so much for saving her."

I blinked.

This was the first time—the very first time—Tyler had ever said something nice to me without anger behind it.

I actually smiled. My cheeks hurt from how wide I smiled.

It felt like a step.

One small step toward something I thought I’d lost forever.

Maybe—just maybe—I still had a chance to be his father.

"When can we come vi—" he started to ask.

But I didn’t let him finish.

Because just then... something caught my eye.

I was still driving, and I had just reached the edge of my private compound.

My gate was right there. But my eyes narrowed as I noticed a group of people standing by the entrance.

I knew those faces.

I recognized those bastards from anywhere.