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, slamd the door, and started the engine.

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

They really thought they had .

They thought stealing from would break .

They thought draining one of my accounts would leave 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 ti 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 ?

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

I didn’t get an answer, obviously.

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

Still, sothing told 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 that?" I said, confused.

Did sothing happen?

Why did he sound so stressed?

Lucian didn’t answer imdiately. 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 soone had grabbed the phone from his hand.

Then a different voice ca 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 .

Dad.

My hands trembled slightly.

I don’t rember the last ti he said it. Maybe never.

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening.

That one word did sothing that to 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 back to reality.

"Please answer ... please don’t keep quiet. You’re scaring ," 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 sothing didn’t add up.

Wait a minute.

Wait a damn minute.

How did he even know sothing happened?

When Lucian called , 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 sothing was wrong?

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

But no answer ca. Just confusion.

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

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

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

His voice cracked again, this ti filled with fear and panic. He sounded like a child again. A lost, scared child looking for soone 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 ti.

"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 mont those words ca out... I regretted them.

Shit.

I muttered under my breath.

Why the hell did I say that?

I shouldn’t have ntioned 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 co up for air.

"Dad... are you sure?" he asked 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 mont. 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 ho doing nothing. She needed to find you."

"She begged , 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 sa guards—the sa bloody guard who betrayed her before—had tead 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 aid 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 ca 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 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 bla 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 . 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 ti—the very first ti—Tyler had ever said sothing nice to without anger behind it.

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

It felt like a step.

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

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

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

But I didn’t let him finish.

Because just then... sothing 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.