I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 65: Rejection

Chapter 65: Rejection

Brooke paced around the room in frustration then she slammed her fist down on the sleek, ebony desk, wishing that the desk was Lyse so that she could beat out her frustration.

A surge of frustration coursing through her veins. Lyse seemed to have just vanished without a trace.

Her father was also looking for her desperately but so far he he’d had no success but that did not affect Brooke in the least, all that was on her mind was the effort she had put into destroying Lyse.

She had hoped that her calculated plan to dismantle Lyse’s life and to strip her of everything she held dear would drag her into the mud and have her coming on her knees, begging for mercy but that was not happening.

Instead it appeared that Lyse had thrown her phone away and hidden under a rock. There was no trace of her anywhere. Brooke had been so excited about blackmailing Lyse but what good was all that evidence of there was no Lyse to be blackmailed?

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by her desk phone ringing.

"What?!" She spat into the phone, angry at being interrupted while doing nothing.

"There is someone here to see you, they say that they already have an appointment. Are you expecting someone?" The receptionist asked.

"Send them up immediately!" Brooke said, then glanced at the time.

’Right on time.’

Brooke hoped that this time she would be getting some positive feedback because she was sick of how all of her plans were just falling apart. Even Brandon would not see her and not for a lack of trying on her part.

Soon her door opened and a slight person with a black hoodie pulled over their head despite the heat of the day. As soon as he entered and shut the door, he was pulling the hoodie off.

He was Kim, one of Lyse’s fashion assistants. What Lyse did not know, was that he was also working for Brooke after she offered him some money to spy on Lyse.

"What do you have for me?" Brooke demanded before the young man had fully settled in the seat opposite.

"She has not been in the office for a week, so work has been at a standstill." he reported, his voice filled with uncertainty. "No one knows where she is. It is as if she has just vanished."

Brooke’s heart pounded with a mix of anger and fear. Lyse, always so meticulous, so organized, had simply disappeared? It did not make sense. Brooke did not know how she was supposed to cope if Lyse disappeared while she still needed her.

"And her husband?" Brooke asked, "has he said anything?" and the young man scrunched his face in confusion.

"How would i know?"

Brooke glared at him angrily as if it was his fault that Lyse disappeared and he did not have any further knowledge.

"Well, do you have anything useful for me then?" She snapped.

He reached in the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a roll of papers which he handed to Brooke.

"These are the sketches that she was working on before she stopped coming to work. I thought you might want to see them."

Brooke skimmed through the designs, her eyes narrowing. They were breathtaking, a testament to Lyse’s unparalleled talent.

A wave of envy washed over her. How could someone be so gifted? That was why Lyse had not hesitated to destroy her previous work, because she knew that she could always make more designs even better than the previous ones.

She had to find Lyse. Not out of concern, but out of a perverse need to control her, to break her spirit once and for all. Only then would she be satisfied.

Brooke looked up at Kim, her voice cold and calculating. "I need to know everything. Every detail, no matter how small and insignificant. Most especially her entry for the competition. When she comes back let me know immediately. Kim, I will reward you handsomely."

His eyes lit up with greed. "I will do whatever it takes, Ms. Brooke. Just keeping the money train moving."

With a renewed sense of purpose, Brooke delved into the task of working on the sketches Kim had brought. She poured herself into the work, determined to prove that she was the superior designer. But as she worked, a nagging doubt crept into her mind. Could she truly ever fill Lyse’s shoes?

At least now she had an excuse to see Brandon. She would show him these as the work she had done so far and get the chance to speak with him, and hopefully get him to see reason and continue with their engagement.

Brooke thought of how much better her life would be if there was no Lyse in the picture.

*

The wind howled outside, a relentless beast beating at the windowpanes. Inside, the light from the bedside lamp cast a soft glow, painting the room in dancing shadows.

Lyse and Levi were nestled together on the bed, so comfortable skin against skin. Their bodies intertwined, so much that they resembled a slumbering beast.

With the mood such as it was, Lyse was almost overwhelmed by her feelings. All her negative feelings towards Levi had been swept under the carpet with his actions towards her, no one had tried to protect her like he did.

She had never felt as protected and cared for as she did right in the moment as she felt his warm breath against her face.

Her heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, she leaned in closer, her lips gently brushing against Levi’s. He stiffened, a subtle resistance that sent a shiver of rejection down her spine. She paused, her eyes searching his, unsure of what to make of his reaction.

’Am I that undesireable that he can’t even stand to kiss me? Or do I look nothing like the models he prefers?’

"Levi," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roaring wind and her thumping heart. "Is there something wrong?"