I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 76: Unexpected Guests.

Chapter 76: Unexpected Guests.

Lyse sat before her vanity mirror, the dull eyes in her reflection staring back at her. An exhausted sigh escaped her lips as she ran a brush through her hair then she put the finishing touches on her makeup. She smacked her lips and stood up before slipping on her shoes.

Today was the day that she would face her parents again, a daunting prospect. She regretted telling Levi about her father’s invitation, but she had been swayed because she wanted to show off her billionaire husband.

Now however, the thought of their judgment, their snide remarks, filled her with dread. Unless, they feared Levi enough to keep their negative comments inside.

She had thought of about a million and one excuses about why she could not go home. She even contemplated throwing herself down the stairs, in the hopes that a sprained ankle would stall the dinner.

The thought of the pain was not the deterrent, she had worried instead that Levi would insist that she still go to the dinner with whatever incapacitated limbs she might have. Obviously, keeping up the facade of a happy marriage was more important to him than anything else.

So, here she was, about to embark on this journey with Levi. He had insisted, claiming it was important to maintain appearances and sway the public into forgetting the cheating rumors.

She wondered how that would work considering that everywhere she turned to, she was confronted with the pictures of Levi and Anya kissing, or pictures of them before she came into the picture or some story about their wonderful love story.

It was like the general public could not get enough of the salacious story of their so called love triangle, They were the topic of conversation on blogs, podcasts and even television shows. And despite all of Levi’s efforts, the stories were refusing to die down.

’At least the paparazzi are no longer waiting in front of the house and I can finally return to work without being hounded.’

Everyone had an opinion and they wanted it to be heard. Some people even suggested that Lyse was the third party who had infiltrated and ruined their relationship. Lyse could not understand why Levi even bothered, it was the perfect time for them to end the farce and separate.

As she stepped out of her room, she found Levi waiting for her at the foot of the steps. He was dressed in a tailored suit, his appearance exuding an air of confidence.

For a moment, she was struck by his handsome features, his green eyes as he stared at her like he wanted to say something but then, he seemed to think better of it and kept silent.

A pang of something she could not quite name shot through her as she walked down the stairs to his side. This was the first time that she was seeing him since their confrontation at the garden, she had made care to stay away from him.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Let us get this over with."

As they walked out of the house and towards the car, a bodyguard stepped forward to open the door. But before he could, Levi intervened, his hand reaching out to open the door himself.

His fingers brushed against her waist, sending a shiver down her spine, and she wondered if he had done that on purpose. She tried to ignore the sensation, to dismiss it as a mere physical reaction. But her heart pounded in her chest, betraying her calm exterior.

Inside the car, the tension was palpable. They sat in silence, the only sound the soft hum of the engine. Lyse stared out the window, lost in thought.

Once again could not help but wonder why she had agreed to this. Was it a desperate attempt to regain her family’s approval, or was it something more? She had an inkling that the evening was not going to turn out so great.

As they arrived at her parents’ house, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. It felt like years since she had last been here, even though she had been there only over a month ago. The grand, imposing mansion, the manicured gardens, it all seemed so familiar yet so distant.

As they entered the house, they were greeted at the door by her parents dour faced house keeper, Mrs Beaty who stared dismissively at Lyse before leading them inside.

As they walked into the living room, they were met by her mother, with her icy gaze, and her father, with his patronizing smile and effusive welcome that made Lyse feel extremely suspicious.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr and Mrs Marlowe." Levi said.

"Oh no, I should be grateful that you accepted the invitation from my wife and I." Jeff thanked Levi profusely while Lottie watched Lyse closely.

"And you should call us Lottie and Jeff, we are family after all." Lottie said.

"Come on in come on in." Jeff urged and led them to the lounge where drinks were set and the all sat.

Lyse noted that Brooke was not around and she sighed in relief and hoped that by some stroke of fortune, she would not be joining them for the evening. She would rather have her unbearable sister be as far away as possible.

"I have an excellent bottle of Macallan 25 that I have kept for a special occasion and today feels like an event worthy for it." Jeff boasted and when Levi gave an approving nod, he poured a little the drink from the bottle so that Levi could taste it.

After Levi had a sip and nodded approvingly, Jeff poured some more and Levi noticed that the father did not pay any attention to his daughter. Instead, he seemed more keen to speak to him and impress him.

"Tell me, how did my daughter get the great fortune of meeting a man like you?" Lottie asked, her eyes feline and cunning.

Levi turned to glance at Lottie dismissively before looking at Lyse, the intensity in his eyes sending chills through her.

"Mrs Marlowe, I must say you are mistaken." He said slowly and took a sip from his drink. "I am the one who is lucky, not Lyse."

Lyse stared mesmerized as his Adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed.

Jeff and Lottie stared uncomfortably at the couple then Levi spoke.

"Lyse, would you like some of the whiskey or would you rather have something else?"

"Of course, you are right." Jeff said as he instantly realized his gaffe and he turned to Lyse. "Lyse darling, what would you like?"

Lyse who was still caught in Levi’s gaze blushed as she looked away and answered. "I would like some champagne."

"Lottie darling, could you please get Mrs Beaty to bring some champagne for Lyse." Jeff asked Lottie who threw dagger eyes at him but stood up and smiled demurely.

"Of course," she said, "I was going to check on the dishes anyway."

Levi left Jeff’s side and sat beside Lyse. He had noticed how Lyse’s family were treating her coldly, he had noticed that Lottie’s question had been asked in jest. He knew that they did not have a great relationship but, watching them treat her like an insignificant attachment to him, irked him badly.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a low voice. He could see how tense she was and he was beginning to doubt the wisdom of coming to see her parents.

Lyse looked at him and he wondered if she was going to ignore him then she nodded.

Soon after, the housekeeper came in with a bottle of champagne which she placed on the table before leaving.

"Let me pour that for you." Jeff said as he opened the bottle and poured some champagne in Lyse’s glass.

"You know, it is great to see you home." Jeff said, "You should come more often. Levi, you are invited as well."

"The table is set." Lottie appeared.

Jeff got up and smiled at them. "Well then, let us not waste any more time."

Levi helped Lyse up and led her into the dining room after Lottie, where he pulled out a chair and waited until she was seated comfortably before he sat down beside her.

Lottie watched the exchange between the two with barely concealed irritation. She could not understand what Levi saw in Lyse and the fact that he treated her so tenderly annoyed her a lot.

"Well, this all looks lovely Lottie, thank you." Levi said as he passed a cursory glance at the food that was set before them.

Lottie preened at his compliment and was about to speak when they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and then footsteps.

Lyse and Levi turned to look at the door at the unexpected guests.

Standing at the door with an amused smirk stood Brooke and beside her was Brandon with a sullen expression.

Before anyone could utter a word, Sutton came in with a smug calculating eye which roved around the room and landed first on Lyse before settling on Levi.