I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 75: A Woman Scorned

Chapter 75: A Woman Scorned

Bret grinned, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Did you hear the latest news, Damien? Levi has been caught red-handed, cheating on Lyse. Serves him right, the arrogant prick."

The development had left him feeling a little surprised. He wanted the marriage to fail but he had been convinced that Levi was in love with Lyse. His guts never failed him, so he had been startled to see the news.

"But there are pictures all over the internet of Levi and Lyse together, they seem to have made up already."

"That is just a farce for the public." Bret chuckled. "I can assure you that right now, the inside of that house feels like a Cold War zone."

Damien squinted and rubbed his beard then nodded in agreement with his boss.

"I have not yet done anything, yet Levi’s falsehood is already crumbling into pieces. I should invite Miss Anya Pavati to a celebratory dinner or send her jewelry as my thanks." Bret continued, his voice tinged with amusement.

"I am not too sure how possible that will be boss." Damien pointed out, "our sources tell me that she left the country already, even before the scandal broke."

"Really? Hmmm." Bret mused thoughtfully.

He felt like he was missing a key bit of the drama, there had to be something else. Why would his mistress run off immediately after such an incident? He had heard a bit about the supermodel and his expectation was that she would want to be basking in the attention of the scandal.

"So, what next boss?" Damien asked.

Bret leaned forward, his voice low and intense. "This is my golden opportunity, Damien. A fractured marriage, a weakened Levi. It will soon be time to strike, just as soon as I have all my cards in play."

"Which will not take too long." A cunning smile spread across Bret’s face as he leaned back. "By the time I am ready to make a move on him, he will have nowhere to run to and will be forced to bend to my will, to dance to my tune."

Damien nodded, understanding that his boss had something up his sleeves. "And Lyse?"

Bret’s eyes narrowed. "She is a wild card, unpredictable. But eventually, she is going to serve her purpose, willingly or not. After all, a woman scorned can be a very dangerous weapon and I intend to wield that weapon."

*

Levi groaned inwardly as he turned to look at his butler who was looking nervously at him. He had gotten one too many "I have some bad news" recently and he was sick of them, he wondered why he could not get good news instead. He would definitely prefer some good news at that moment.

"What is it?" He demanded, his tone short and impatient.

"It’s the cook sir, Mrs Evelyn." Mr Dalton said. "She appears to have gotten into an accident and will be unable to come to work for a while."

Levi frowned, "an accident? I hope it is not too serious."

"She broke a leg so she will have to heal first before returning to work." Mr Dalton explained.

"Please ensure that her hospital bills are taken care of and send half of her salary, I am sure she will need some money while she is unable to work." Levi ordered.

"Yes sir," Mr Dalton said. "I have already found a replacement for her, would you like to see her?"

"You take care of it." Levi said as he went up the stairs to his room. He was not in the mood to deal with any domestic issues.

He wondered how long Lyse would remain in her room and he decided to go to work, because staying around at a home which suddenly felt cold now that it lacked Lyse’s warm presence was depressing.

At work, all the staff were completely panicked because Levi had returned with a vengeance and a surly mood. They all hid as soon as they caught sight of him because of his stormy expression, and Ethan who had been happy to get a break now got the brunt of it.

At some point, he was ready to weep and turn in his resignation. The only thing that kept him from doing so, was the fear of a tongue lashing from Levi. He wondered how long Levi’s bad mood was going to last for.

By the time Levi, weary from a long day at work returned home, he noticed that the patio door was open and he went out, drawn by his curiosity. The sun was beginning to set and it cast long shadows across the garden.

He stepped outside to find Lyse tending to the flowerbeds. The sight of her, her back turned, her figure silhouetted against the fading light, filled him with a strange sense of peace.

"Lyse," he called out, his voice soft.

She turned, her expression neutral. "What do you want, Levi?"

He hesitated, unsure of how to approach her. He had been thinking about their relationship, the new tension between them. Even when he had forced her to accept to be his fake wife, she had not resented him as she now did.

"When are we going to see your family?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Lyse’s eyebrows raised then she turned back to her gardening. "Why? What is the point?"

He sighed. "I have been told it would be a good idea. To show the public that we are a happy couple despite the recent bump on the road."

It was a lie. No one had told him that. But he was eager to have her look at him with a smile, even if it was a fake one.

"Bump on the road?" Lyse echoed and scoffed. "A happy couple? Us? Please don’t make me laugh."

Levi persisted. "It is just for appearances, Lyse. A little effort could go a long way."

She turned back to him and stared at him for a while, as if studying him, while he held his breath. Then she said, her voice distant. "Fine. We can go. But don’t expect any miracles from me."