I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 37: Mrs Van Doren

Chapter 37: Mrs Van Doren

The morning sun kissed the small neighborhood as Lyse prepared to leave the women’s shelter. A bittersweet feeling filled her heart. She was grateful for the love and support she had received from the women there for the past couple of days and she hated to leave.

As she hugged each woman goodbye, tears welled up in their eyes. "We are going to miss you, Lyse,"

"I will miss you so much." Janine said and hugged Lyse, refusing to let her go.

Lyse smiled, her voice thick with emotion. "I’ll miss you too, And all of you. Thank you for everything."

Vanessa said. "You have been a true blessing to me and i don’t know how I am going to cope with the kids when you are gone."

"You are going to manage just fine Vanessa." Lyse said as she hugged her friend.

"And thank you for the gifts," Rosa one of the other women added, a wide smile on her face. "Levi is a very generous man and you are so lucky."

"Ask him if he has other friends." Another of the women called out and they chuckled.

The women made nosies of agreement with what Rosa had said. They spent the entirety of the previous day talking about how lucky Lyse was to have Levi, so much that she was ready to barf at the mere mention of his name.

They had been in awe by how good looking he was and to add the icing on the cake he had brought a lot of gifts with him. Sanitary items, chocolate, groceries, snacks and even toys for the children, everyone except Lyse was impressed. The gifts felt like a bribe and she was still smarting over the fact that he had bullied her into accepting his offer.

It felt manipulative because these women who did not have a lot were excited to receive so much but it had just been a chess move for him.

When she walked out of the door, Joel, her imposing bodyguard, stepped forward and took her bag.

"Is that all you have with you Mrs Van Doren?"

Lyse nodded, a sense of unease settling over her. She knew that her new life would be filled with challenges, but she was determined to face them head-on at least until she was done and could throw a big divorce party.

As they drove away from the shelter, Lyse could not help but feel a pang of sadness. It felt like she was leaving behind a part of herself, lying to those women had not been easy and she felt miserable knowing that she would have to continue that lie to the rest of the world.

When they arrived back at her new apartment, Lyse was stunned once more by its opulence. Even though she was not seeing it for the first time, it still managed to stun her into silence. She craved the simplicity of the shelter or her old apartment.

Shortly after, Chris, arrived with a stack of documents. "Here is the revised post-nuptial agreement, Lyse," he said, handing her the papers.

He spoke about the changes that had been made to the original agreement and Lyse listened with half an ear, wishing she was anywhere but there.

And when he was finished Lyse sighed. She knew she had no choice but to sign it. After all, she had made a deal with the devil.

As soon as she signed the agreement, Chris left her alone then to her surprise Joel stepped in and informed her that Levi had sent some people over.

He let in a team of stylists, a hair stylist and a fashion consultant, both experts in their field, were ready to transform her into the perfect Mrs Van Doren. They worked tirelessly, styling her hair, giving her a spa treatment, and selecting the most exquisite clothing.

When the hairstylist had suggested that she cut her hair into a bob and lighten it blonde, Lyse almost incinerated her with her eyes.

She was allowing Levi to change her clothes and even change her life temporarily but she would never let him turn her into one of those blonde bimbos who worked for him.

By the time they were finished, Lyse was unrecognizable. She looked elegant, sophisticated, and utterly breathtaking. She was no longer the girl in baggy paint splattered jeans and oversized Tshirts, she was Mrs. Levi Van Doren, a powerful woman who commanded respect.

After the stylists left Lyse was too exhausted for anything and she collapsed on the couch when her phone rang.

"Prepare, we will be going on a trip next tomorrow." Levi’s voice came over the phone and before she could protest or even say a word he had already ended the call.

Lyse clenched her fist and wished that Levi was standing in front of her so that she could plant the fist in the middle of his smug face. How dare he order her around like one of his employees.

’But that is what you are.’ A small voice whispered in her head.

*

"Showing you this was a mistake." Brooke said and she stood up and snatched the phone out of Lottie’s hands. "I want you out of my room."

"Wait, you don’t understand." Lottie said as she realized that Brooke had misunderstood her.

"Get out! I want you out! " Brooke screamed hysterically , her feelings hurt.

Even though Lottie was not her mother, she had treated her better than she treated Lyse. Because of that they were both very close and many people assumed that they were mother and daughter until they got to realize that they were not.

So the fact that Lottie was taking Lyse’s side all of a sudden hurt her feelings badly.

"Look at that picture properly, Lyse has a ring on!" Lottie screeched at last, getting Brooke’s attention.

Brooke stopped and looked down at the picture which Lottie had zoomed out and sure enough on Lyse’s ring finger there was a wedding band.

Brooke’s head snapped up and her eyes met Lottie, "What does this mean?" She asked.

Lottie’s eyes narrowed calculatingly. "I do not know but I suspect it might be something important."