I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 33: No Men Allowed

Chapter 33: No Men Allowed

When Lyse stepped into her old apartment, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. She had missed it so much, the familiar scent of old books and stale air filled the room. She had spent countless hours here, laughing, crying, and dreaming and she had almost traded it for a more luxurious apartment.

And even though it was a far cry from the luxury that she had given up, this apartment with it’s worn furniture and faded rug felt safer and more like home. She did not need Levi Van Doren and all his money or even the massive bathtub in that apartment which was the only thing that she would miss now that she had moved out.

She shook her head and reminded herself that she had given up on that. The money was very tempting but she was not ready to deal with the massive ego of Levi Van Doren. Something told her the best thing she could do was stay as far away from him as possible and she was heeding that inner voice.

She quickly gathered a few of her clothes, a few cherished possessions. She made sure to hurry up with her packing before James caught wind of her decision and came looking for her.

With her belongings packed, she headed to the nearest Car rental where she got a compact little car. As she drove away, she noticed a pet store and she stopped on a whim when she looked at the animals in the display. She had always loved cats, and she thought that a furry friend would be the perfect companion and the women at the shelter would probably love it. She chose a small, fluffy ginger kitten with big, curious eyes. She named her Luna.

With Luna safely nestled in a carrier, Lyse got on her trip, feeling nervous as she drove to the suburbs. The last time that she had gone, it had been a disaster and she as she drove she kept looking in her rear view mirror several times and even took a longer route to get to her location just so that she could make sure there was no one following her with murderous intent.

When she was sure that she was not being followed, she headed straight to the shelter. She was looking forward to having fun with the ladies in the shelter. She usually volunteered there as often as she could and she figured that she might not have time to be able to do that since she was going to be occupied with hunting for a job soon.

As she walked through the door, she was greeted by a warm smile from Vanessa, the shelter’s director and her friend whose face clouded with concern when she caught sight of the plaster on Lyse’s forehead.

"Lyse, it seems like you have suddenly become accident prone" Vanessa said with concern in her voice. "How have you been?"

Lyse smiled. "I am doing okay Vanessa, just a little bump. I just needed a change of scenery."

Vanessa was never one to probe too deeply and she could see that Lyse did not want to speak on whatever it was that was bothering her so she simply nodded and assigned her a room right next to Janine who was excited to see Lyse.

Lyse was happy that Janine looked better than when she had been first brought to the shelter, she had made friends with some of the women and looked cheerful. Lyse did not tell her of the encounter she had had with her ex so that it would not scare her or make her feel guilty.

Lyse spent the next couple of days volunteering at the shelter, helping the women with their daily tasks, offering a listening ear, and providing emotional support.

She also enjoyed teaching the little children art, using painting as a form of therapy. The children responded to her kindness, their eyes lighting up as they learned to express themselves through color and creativity.

Throughout all that she kept busy doing, Lyse could not help feeling disappointed that Levi had not tried to reach her. She had her cellphone and the only person that had spoken to her was James and he had made no mention of Levi looking for her.

’Is that not what you wanted for?’

She scolded herself for thinking about Levi when she was the one who had turned him down. She told herself that she had made the right choice, the smart choice. Someone like Levi was trouble and she had already dealt with Brandon, she doubted she had the capacity for more heart ache.

With that less than comforting talk had with herself, Lyse gave herself up to the work and used it to occupy herself so much that she barely had enough time or strength to think about anything other than her immediate surroundings.

On the third day of her visit she decided to organize a group activity for all of the women in the shelter and she settled on sip and paint.

One of the ways that the shelter was able to make money to run it was by the residents making knits and they had been hard at work so Lyse decided that the women needed a break from work and instead do something that was purely fun.

She excitedly set up with some of the supplies she had brought with her, using random objects as easels then she ushered the women in and made them all sit.

She went around filling their glasses with wine or juice for some of the women who did not want to drink alcohol.

In the middle of the activity, Vanessa came in with a serious and worried look on her face.

"Lyse, there is someone at the reception who would like to see you." She said to Lyse and when Lyse looked up in surprise she continued, "Why don’t you go and I will take care of the ladies."

Lyse’s brow furrowed and she quickly went to the reception but her feet faltered when she saw the outline of a man’s back.

There were no men allowed at the shelter so why was there one? And what did he want with her?

Alerted to her presence by her footsteps, the man turned around. Lyse’s eyes widened when he turned around and she instinctively took a step back but he also took a step forward