“What happened between Lance and Lilah?" Matthew probed, his voice filled with worry.

Onyx fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. "Just some minor issues at work. I thought maybe you could talk to Lilah, see if she might forgive Lance."

He was sure Matthew would lend a hand.

Matthew inquired, “What do you mean by ‘minor issues'?"

His protective instincts surfaced as he thought about his daughter's safety. He wouldn't let anyone endanger her. He was no Longer indifferent to Lilah.

Caught off guard by Matthew's incisive query, Onyx hesitated but told him the whole story. He concluded, “Look, thankfully, Lilah wasn't harmed. Lance has been hospitalized. Could you just talk to her? Maybe help smooth things over?"

Matthew's mind flashed back to a recent conversation with Lilah, who had alluded to the incident. It turned out it involved Lance.

This memory sent Matthew over the edge. His voice boomed. “Minor issues? My daughter nearly ended up in the hospital, and you expect her to just forgive and forget? What were you thinking?"

Onyx was taken aback by Matthew's sudden ferocity. Was this the same Matthew who had always seemed so reserved around him?

Before, Matthew had always seemed so accommodating.

This wasn't the moment to escalate things. Onyx, struggling to maintain his composure, insisted, “Young folks tend to act on impulse; that's just how it is. I'm merely seeking a small favor."

Matthew had reached his limit. Rising to his feet, he exploded, “Onyx, your son tried to attack my daughter, and I've held back from responding. And now you have the audacity to ask for her forgiveness? Have I been too accommodating, always bending to your will? If I hear another word about you or your son troubling my daughter, expect me to react!"

“How dare you speak to me this way?" Onyx retorted, his face contorted with anger. He hadn't anticipated this pushback from Matthew. He was used to getting his way.

"You've gone too far. Leave now, and count yourself lucky my daughter is unharmed. Don't provoke me further," Matthew warned, his eyes blazing with fury.

Onyx shot Matthew a look of profound frustration. If Gerard hadn't supported Lilah, Onyx wouldn't even need to engage with Matthew.

Standing, he made one final attempt. “Matthew, you'll regret this decision!"

He stormed out of the living room, not looking back. Matthew called out to him, "Onyx, understand this. My daughter is off-limits. Threaten her, and you're declaring war!"

Meanwhile, Lilah was at work when her phone rang. Upon seeing it was Matthew calling, she picked up and asked, "What's going on?"

“Lilah, if you had told me it was Lance who nearly sent you to the hospital, I wouldn't have just stood by!" Matthew declared, his voice laden with concern.

Taken aback by his sudden reference to the incident, Lilah surmised that Onyx must have visited him. "Did they visit you?" she inquired.

With a frustrated grunt, Matthew replied, "Yeah, Onyx just left. Can you believe it? After everything they did, he still had the guts to ask me to get you to forgive Lance. It's outrageous!"

Matthew rambled on about Onyx and his crew, clearly upset.

Lilah just listened, feeling detached from the emotions that once overwhelmed her. Her heart had endured too much to recover swiftly.

Yet, in a surprising turn, the typically passive Matthew was taking a stand.