I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 113: He Is My Father’s First Son

Chapter 113: He Is My Father’s First Son

The sterile scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the stark reality that had become Levi’s world. It had been ten days since Lyse had slipped into the coma, ten days of agonizing waiting, ten days of clinging to the fragile hope that she would open her eyes again.

The vibrant, sunny essence of her presence had been abruptly replaced by a suffocating silence, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines that sustained her.

Levi had left the hospital only once and he had hurried back, fearful that she would wake up and be scared to be surrounded by all the machines. He had barely left Lyse’s side since then. The small, uncomfortable chair beside her bed had become his makeshift home.

He existed in a haze of exhaustion and despair, his world shrinking to the four walls of the intensive care unit. The once impeccably dressed and groomed Levi was now a shadow of his former self. His hair was unkempt, his beard unshaven, and his clothes bore the creases of days spent in the same position. He had stopped eating properly, subsisting on the occasional cup of coffee or a hastily grabbed sandwich, his appetite lost in the overwhelming grief that consumed him.

He had also stopped going to the office. The business empire his father had painstakingly built and which he had fought to keep, the responsibility that had always been his driving force, now held no meaning for him.

The thought of attending meetings, making decisions, or even simply answering emails felt utterly pointless in the face of Lyse’s condition. His world had stopped turning the moment he saw her in the ICU, and he could not fathom the idea of moving forward without her.

His mother, Lily, had been informed of his absence from work. Initially, she had tried to be understanding, attributing his absence to understandable grief. However, as the days stretched into a week, and then into ten days, her concern grew, tinged with a growing sense of alarm.

It was especially not the time to be absent from work, and Levi’s absence could have serious repercussions. Finally, driven by a sense of duty and a deep-seated fear for her son, she decided to take the trip and visit him at the hospital.

She found him exactly as she had feared: a broken man. He sat beside Lyse’s bed, his hand gently clasped in hers, his eyes fixed on her face as if willing her to wake up. He didn’t even register her presence until she spoke his name.

"Levi," she said softly, her voice filled with concern.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes dull and lifeless. "Mother," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

Lily’s heart ached at the sight of him. He looked so lost, so utterly defeated. She had never seen him like this before. She had always prayed that he would find love and it was very evident that he had, it was just unfortunate that it crippled him like this.

"Levi, you can’t stay here forever," she said gently, trying to keep the worry from her voice. "You need to take care of yourself."

He turned back to Lyse, his gaze fixed on her face. "I am not leaving her," he said firmly. "Not until she wakes up."

"I understand that, darling," Lily said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But you need to eat, you need to rest. You can’t help Lyse if you’re not taking care of yourself."

He shrugged off her hand, his eyes filled with a sudden flash of anger. "Don’t you understand?" he said, his voice rising. "Nothing else matters. Nothing! Without Lyse, there is nothing left."

Lily sighed. She knew arguing with him was pointless. He was too consumed by his grief to listen to reason. But she could not ignore the situation any longer. The company, her husband’s legacy, was at stake and Brett was lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to seize on any vulnerability.

"Levi, the company..." she began hesitantly.

"I don’t care about the company," he interrupted, his voice sharp. "I don’t care about anything except Lyse."

"But Brett..." Lily tried to say, but he cut her off again.

"Maybe he should have the company," he said, his voice laced with bitterness. "After all, he is my father’s first son. It is because of this stupid war for the company that Lyse is in this state."

Lily was at a loss. She knew she couldn’t force him to leave the hospital, but she also knew she couldn’t afford to the company fall under the hold of her husband’s illegitimate son. Since she had been unable to find a way to reach him, to make him understand the gravity of the situation, she would have to find a solution.

Later that day, Lily made a last ditch effort by calling Chris. Seeing as he was Levi’s closest friend, he was the only person who might be able to get through to him.

"Chris," she said, her voice strained, when he answered the phone. "I need your help."

"Of course ma’am, anything." Chris answered her.

"I am at a loss," she confessed, her voice trembling. "I have tried everything, but he won’t listen to me. He’s completely shut down."

Chris listened patiently, his own heart heavy with worry for his friend. He had been avoiding visiting Levi at the hospital because of a sense of guilt, and had only gone a couple of times. But that had been enough for him to see the despair etched on his face. He knew now how much Lyse meant to him, and he understood his reluctance to leave her side.

"I’ll go see him, Lily," Chris said. "I’ll try to talk to him but you know how stubborn Levi can be, I can’t give any guarantees."

"Thank you, Chris," Lily said, her voice filled with relief. "I don’t know what else to do. I might be forced to take drastic measures to protect the company, but I don’t want to do anything that will hurt Levi even more."

"What kind of drastic measures?" Chris asked, a note of concern in his voice.

Eleanor hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "I might have to consider appointing an interim CEO," she said quietly. "It’s the last thing I want to do, but if Levi continues like this, I will have no other choice. His father’s legacy is at stake, and I can’t let Brett get his hands on it."

Chris understood the weight of her words. He knew how much the company meant to Lily, how fiercely she protected her husband’s memory. He also knew how devastating it would be for Levi if he were to lose control of the company, especially in his current state.

"I will do everything that I can, Lily," Chris reassured her. "I promise."

He hung up the phone, his mind filled with worry for his friend. He knew he had to find a way to reach Levi, to pull him back from the brink of despair. In order to do that, he would have to bury his guilty conscience. He knew it would not be easy, but he had to try. For Levi’s sake, for Lyse’s sake, and for the sake of the legacy that hung in the balance.

Time was running out, and he had to act fast before Lily was forced to take the drastic measures she had spoken of. The thought of Levi losing everything he had worked for, on top of the potential loss of Lyse, was unbearable. He knew he had to be the one to pull him back from the edge, to remind him that even in the darkest of times, there was still hope, and that he wasn’t alone.

*

The insistent buzz of the doorbell sliced through the heavy silence of Brandon’s apartment. He had not left the confines of his self-imposed prison in days.

The news of his paternity had hit him like a physical blow. He was Levi’s son. Not Albert Marlowe, as he had always believed. The revelation had shattered his world, leaving him adrift in a sea of confusion and pain. He had cut off all contact, ignoring calls and texts, retreating into the darkness of his own mind.

It had been hard to come to terms with the betrayal, the man who had stolen the girl he wanted was his father. It filled him with a fury so blinding that he wanted to kill that man. He had refused to speak to his mother and remained holed up in his room, drinking all day to hide from the demons that lurked everywhere.

As the doorbell buzzed, he wondered if the person at the door was Brooke, but he had asked the security to never permit her to come in the building, along with his whore of a mother and that sick bastard Levi.

He huddled on the sofa, pulling the worn blanket tighter around himself, willing the buzzing to stop. He wasn’t ready to face anyone, not yet. He needed time to process, to understand what this seismic shift meant for his life, for his identity. But the doorbell persisted, a relentless intrusion into his solitude. Whoever was out there was sure determined.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that if he ignored it long enough, they would go away. But the buzzing continued, growing more insistent with each passing minute. A knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach. He knew he could not ignore it forever. With a heavy sigh, he dragged himself off the sofa and shuffled towards the door, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

He peered through the peephole, his heart sinking. He didn’t recognize the person standing on the other side. It was a man, good looking, middle-aged, with full hair and a serious expression. He wondered if he was paparazzi but he did not look the part, plus the paps would find it hard to gain entry into the building.

Brandon hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He wanted to pretend he wasn’t home, to retreat back into the safety of his apartment. But he knew that wouldn’t solve anything.

With a deep breath, he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"What do you want?" He demanded rudely.