I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 54: Half Brother

Chapter 54: Half Brother

"Boss, Lyse is just having coffee with James." Jose’s voice came over the phone.

"Fine, remember to keep some distance away from her. Don’t let her see you." Levi said and ended the call.

"Did you just say that Bret is in town?" He queried, his voice laced with surprise and a hint of unease as he looked at the man seated across his desk. "What on earth is he doing here?"

Bret was his half brother and he was a man he’d had a long-standing feud with. Their relationship had always been strained, marked by jealousy and competition. Bret, a man of questionable morals, was always scheming, always plotting his next move.

His chief security officer, a seasoned professional named Alex, nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir. Our intel suggests he has been looking at apartments in the Chrysanthemum area," the security officer reported. "It is unusual, given that he does not typically reside here."

Levi’s mind raced in different directions. Bret’s sudden appearance in the city was perplexing, to say the least. What could he possibly be up to? Could he be planning something nefarious?

First he had appeared at the party for him and Lyse unannounced and now he was propping up in his city? Levi knew that it was a serious cause for concern.

"Where is he currently?"

"At the Grand Salazar hotel sir."

"Keep a close eye on him," Levi instructed. "Monitor his every move and report to me immediately. If he is up to no good then we need to be ready for whatever he might throw at us."

The security officer nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I will make sure to keep you updated, sir."

"What about the other thing." Levi asked as he looked at Alex meaningfully.

"It is proving more difficult to gain any evidence, it seems that they are aware of our plan and no one is willing to step forward with any useful information."

"Dig harder, I want results!" Levi demanded as he clenched his fist in frustration.

"Yes sir." Alex said and left the office.

Levi leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the city skyline. Bret’s presence was a potential threat to him and his family, he was a wild card that could disrupt the carefully constructed order of his life. He would not underestimate his stepbrother.

The timing of his appearance was particularly suspicious. Levi was certain that Bret’s being in the city had something to do with their father’s will. It seemed that Levi would have to keep pursuing his alternate plan if he wanted to keep Bret’s hands off everything that he and his father had worked so hard on.

*

"I am convinced," Bret muttered, his eyes fixed on the city skyline outside his hotel window. "Levi’s marriage to Lyse is a sham, a desperate ploy to secure his inheritance."

His right-hand man, a cunning and ruthless individual with a weasel like face named Damien, leaned forward, intrigued. "A sham, you say? How can you be so sure boss?"

Bret smirked. "It is quite simple, my dear Damien. Our father’s will stipulated that if Levi was not married five years after his death, the majority of the estate would go to me. Suddenly, Levi finds a wife? It is all too convenient, too suspicious."

He turned again to look outside his window, "As charming as my baby brother can be, I am sure that he is incapable of keeping a wife. That marriage must be a contract between them."

Damien pondered this for a moment. "So, what do you plan to do about it boss?"

Bret’s eyes narrowed. "I need to know the truth. I need to know what game Levi is playing. And to do that, I need a spy, someone who can infiltrate his inner circle."

Damien’s face lit up. "A spy, huh? That is a brilliant idea. But where are you going to find someone he trusts, someone who can get close to him?"

"I have already set plans in motion, very soon thanks to my mole I will know exactly what my little brother is up to."

He took a sip of the amber colored liquid in the glass he held and muttered. "He must think that I am stupid enough to buy that fake marriage and I will make sure he pays for trying to make me a fool."

"Why not go straight for the kill boss? If he needs a marriage to take away what belongs to you then you simply kill off his bride, problem solved." Damien said excitedly.

"You simple fool," Bret turned to him with displeasure on his face, "not every problem can be solved by killing and Levi would immediately come to me."

Damien looked chastised and he stared at his feet in shame. His boss was the master manipulator, the planner. When he killed he had a good reason for it, while he was just more or less a gun for hire.

He shook his head. "No, Damien. Killing Lyse would be too easy, too obvious. Besides, I have other plans for her." His eyes glinted with pleasure.

Damien’s curiosity was piqued. "Oh? What kind of plans boss?"

Bret leaned towards Damien and smiled a chilling smile, his voice low and menacing. "Plans Damien, Plans that will make her wish she had never met Levi Van Doren."

The thought of taking away Levi’s woman and doing whatever he wanted to her sent a burst of pleasure coursing through his veins. He could imagine tears spilling out of those brown doe eyes, Nothing made him happier than taking away things from Levi.

He had held a grudge since he had been forced to grow up in the dirt without a father while Levi had lived a very sheltered and lavish life. Damien was a very wealthy man and he had no need for the Van Doren fortune but he was determined to take away everything good from Levi.

In his world, when someone wronged you. You did not rest until you had your revenge, and he would not rest until he had his revenge.