I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 31: The Big Picture

Chapter 31: The Big Picture

"Absolutely not!" Lyse shrieked and jumped out of the seat as she glared at Levi who looked unbothered.

"Fine, we can do five months. No talk about any duties in bed." Levi negotiated.

Lyse stared warily at him then said, "We won’t have to share a bedroom."

"If we go to see my family we will have to share a bedroom but you can rest assured that I am a gentleman and I will not touch you until you beg me." He said, his voice filled with a dark promise that made Lyse narrow her eyes.

"Why would I beg you and how can I trust that you would keep your hands to yourself?" She scoffed.

"Because women fall at my feet, I never need to force them." He answered glibly, his tone smug.

"Forgive me for not believing that the man who just tried to sneak in a clause to force me to sleep with him in a fake marriage is suddenly an honest man." Lyse said hotly as she glared at Levi.

Right at that point she was feeling more and more certain that she did not want to enter into an agreement with a sly man like Levi. She would find the money she needed elsewhere, it would be hard but she would do it.

"You know what, you don’t need to sign the agreement immediately." Levi said as he stood up and straightened him suit. "You can go over the document the rest of today and Chris will be back tomorrow."

With that the two men left Lyse alone in the room to contemplate if she was going to accept his terms or not. She was tilting more towards the side of a big fat NO.

*

The car glided smoothly through the city streets, the soft hum of the engine providing a calming backdrop to the tense atmosphere. Levi sat in the backseat, his expression a mask of indifference. Beside him, Chris, his trusted lawyer and friend who was seated beside him, watched him intently.

"So, Levi," Chris began, his voice low, "what is the endgame here? Why try to extend the charade?"

Levi paused, his gaze fixed on the window. "It’s a complex situation, Chris. There are factors at play that you may not fully understand."

Levi was not one to speak in detail, he was a master strategist so most of the time the decisions he made were not just on the spur of the moment but usually connected to something more intricate.

To that end he did not like to speak on his plans until he had gotten what he wanted and everyone else could see the big picture.

Chris was still very curious and he raised an eyebrow. "I understand that you probably have some plan brewing, of course. But what about Lyse? What are your intentions towards her?"

Levi hesitated, his eyes flickering with a hidden emotion that disappeared almost immediately. "Feelings?" He scoffed, "What do feelings have to do with this? She is being paid for her role in this and that is all that should concern her."

"Really?" Chris shook his head. "It does not matter that she is being paid, she is still a human being."

When Levi kept quiet Chris continued, "if it is that important that she stay married to you then why don’t you tell her that you are actually married, would that not be easier all around."

"And have her demanding for half of my wealth?" His eyes went as hot as a furnace, "hell no!"

"I just don’t think that is the kind of woman that she is." Chris answered.

In all this time if Lyse wanted to she would have demanded for everything in sight since Levi had indicated an interest in her. Instead she did the opposite, seemingly uncomfortable with his wealth. Levi however was not willing to agree.

"That’s what they all do, pretend they don’t want anything until they have you in a vice then they demand for everything." He said painfully.

"Not every woman is that way Levi."

Levi turned to face Chris, his expression hardening. "It does not matter. What matters is that we need to maintain the facade for now and when it’s all done she can have her money and be gone and I won’t have to worry about her."

Chris sighed. "Very well. But I hope you know what you’re doing, Levi. Playing with people’s hearts is a very dangerous game."

Levi remained silent, his gaze distant. He was lost in thought, contemplating the future, the uncertain path that lay ahead. He knew that extending the time frame of the agreement was a risky move, but it was necessary. For now.

It was important that she spend that time by his side as his wife. In the end her appearance felt like timely intervention, he had been worried about how to deal with a problem but their timely marriage was going to solve that situation nicely.

As the car pulled up to the office, Levi stepped out, his mind already racing. He had an empire to rule, people to protect, and a secret to keep. The weight of his responsibilities was heavy, but he was determined to carry the burden and not let anything come between him and his legacy.

Chris would not understand and that was alright as long as he could solve whatever problems that arose.

He had a thought of Lyse refusing to agree to his terms and he frowned. He would throw anything at her to force her to accept his terms and he hoped that Ethan had gotten something that would make Lyse agree to him because he could sense that she was losing interest in the agreement and he could not have that.

When he got into his office and had just settled down there was a knock on the door and Ethan opened the door and came in holding a file which he placed before Levi.

"Boss, I have found something that you will find very interesting."

Levi pulled the file and flipped through the pages, his stony expression brightening as he read through.

"Thank you Ethan, you may leave." Levi dismissed his assistant.

’He is going to get a nice bonus’

The file that Ethan had brought was as good as gold and he knew that with it in hand there was no way that Lyse was not going to say yes to whatever terms he dictated.

He smiled cunningly as he stared at the document. He did not feel even a twinge of guilt at the thought of using something like this to force his will on Lyse, he would do whatever he had to just to secure himself.