I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 79: Danger Looming

Chapter 79: Danger Looming

Jeff paced the room, his face flushed with anger. Lottie watched him, her heart pounding. She knew she had made a mistake, a grave mistake. She expected Jeff to be angry but not like this.

"Just what in the hell did you cook that had her so ill?" Jeff demanded.

"I did not use any nuts in my cooking, what do you want me to say?" Lottie said stubbornly.

"How could you be so careless, Lottie?" he demanded, his voice rising in frustration. "You have jeopardized everything, everything."

Lottie pouted. "I did not mean to ruin everything, Jeff. I am so sorry. I just thought it would be a good idea."

"A good idea?" he scoffed. "You thought that it would be a good idea to invite Sutton and Brandon to our house? After everything they had done to Lyse?"

He stared at his wife incredulously. He could not believe that she was trying to make excuses, it was almost like she did not understand the severity of their situation.

"How did you expect me to not invite them, they are family too." She pouted.

Started to pace about in frustration. "Did you expect Levi to take all the insults sitting quietly? Why do you always have to let your envy blind you? How do you expect us to pay Bret now?"

Lottie felt a pang of worry as she stared at her husband’s distraught face, then she waved it off, there was always something that could be done.

"You promised that you would take better control of your emotions." Jeff continued pacing. "You mess things up and then leave me to deal with everything."

"Who knew that Levi would going to care for her so much." A disgruntled Lottie complained. "Stop blaming me."

"Well, he is protective over her. And now we are screwed."

"We can still ask Lyse for help," she said, trying to sound hopeful. "There is no way that she would abandon her family, she owes us. Without us she would have been long dead."

Jeff snorted. "Lyse? After what happened tonight? She is never going to forgive us. And even if she does, she is not going to risk her own reputation to help us."

"Moreover," he continued. "It is because of her that you have every luxury that we have been enjoying."

Lottie frowned, she hated the reminder that Lyse was more or less their benefactor. Without Lyse, she would probably be on the brink of poverty, surviving on the pittance Jeff had made as a private investigator in a small town.

"It still does not change the fact that she is only alive because of us." Lottie insisted grumpily.

Jeff felt a wave of despair as he stared at Lottie’s petulant face. He knew that his chances of getting help from Levi had flown out of the window, and he could not get money anywhere.

He had been to his so called friends who proved that they were fair weather friends, the banks, he had even tried loansharks, but no one seemed willing to put up the money. Lyse had been his only hope and now that was shattered.

"I don’t know what to do, Lottie," he confessed, his voice trembling as he sat down heavily.

He did not want to admit it to his wife but he was scared. He was really worried about what Brett would do to him if he did not get the money. The thought of seeing Brett’s associate, made his knees weak.

Lottie put his arm around him, trying to comfort her husband. "We will figure something out," she said soothingly. "We always do."

She mused over the evening and realized that she had wrongly assumed that since Levi had disrespected Lyse by cheating so openly, then surely he did not care about her. That was why, when Brooke had informed her that she was going to be coming along with Brandon to the dinner, she had gotten a bright idea.

Lottie could not stand the thought of Lyse coming to the house, looking happy with a billionaire on her arm. The fact that Lyse was above her and had snagged a position at the top of society sent a rage surging through her veins.

She could not take it and she wanted to remind Lyse of her place, remind her that she was a nobody who deserved nothing good.

So she decided to invite Sutton, knowing that the woman despised Lyse. Sutton would be able to put Lyse in her place, and Lottie would not have to suffer the consequences of insulting Lyse.

Unfortunately, Levi had defended Lyse staunchly. That had disappointed her but it also showed her something, the tension between Levi and Sutton, she wondered if she was the only one who saw the hostility between them.

Lottie wondered if Sutton could be a possible ally and if she would be able to help with Brett’s loan, she was certainly wealthy enough to take care of it. She could definitely use what she knew about Lyse’s first marriage to entice Sutton.

*

Sweat beaded on Jeff’s brow as he navigated the scantily filled club. He stepped outside and pulled out a cigarette, his hands shaking as he lit it. As he walked waited for the valet to return with his keys, a figure emerged from the shadows, a hood obscuring their face. Before he could react, a bag was thrown over his head, and his arms were twisted behind his back.

He was bundled into a car, the muffled sounds of the city fading into the darkness. Fear gnawed at him as the car lurched forward, the only sound the pounding of his heart. The car finally came to a halt, and he was dragged out and forced to walk, stumbling as he walked the unfamiliar path. His captors led him into a dimly lit room, the air thick with tension.

The bag was suddenly ripped off his head, and he found himself face to face with Brett seated just a foot away from him while his associate stood behind him. Their faces were twisted with malice, their eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Well, well, well," Brett sneered, "Look who it is, my great debtor."

Jeff’s heart pounded in his chest. He did not know why Brett had brought him here, but he did not like it one bit."

"But the time you have given me is not up, I still have a few more days left." Jeff squeaked in fear.

"Damien, our friend Mr Chadwick says that he still has some time." Brett burst into deep laughter, his amusement ringing through the room.

Damien’s face did not crack in response to Brett’s laughter and Jeff’s stomach sank.

"Please," he begged, his voice trembling, "I promise that I am working hard to get the money, my daughter is married to a wealthy man."

Brett laughed coldly. "The man that drove out of your house after you poisoned her, that same man? Jeff, do you really think that Levi Van Doren is going to give you the money you need?"

Jeff felt faint. Brett had been watching his every move, it seemed that that point that he was finished.

"You see Jeff, no body is going to save you from me." He added callously.

He turned to Damien. "Give him a taste of his own medicine."

Damien nodded, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He advanced towards Jeff, his fists raised. Jeff closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable pain.

The blows rained down, each one more brutal than the last. Jeff cried out, his body wracked with pain. He begged for mercy, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Finally, the beating stopped. Damien stood back, panting. Brett smirked.

"I am not done with you yet, Jeff," he said. "I am going to make you suffer."

He turned to Damien. "Cut off his finger."

Horror filled Jeff’s eyes. He struggled against his restraints, but it was futile. Damien raised a knife, his hand steady.

"Please, no!" Jeff cried, his voice filled with terror. "I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt me."

Brett chuckled. "Anything, huh? Well, let’s see about that."

He paused, his eyes narrowing. "No, I’ve changed my mind. I will let you live this one time, but you will never forget this. When I ask you to do something, I expect it done."

With that, Damien released Jeff from his bonds. Weak and battered, Jeff stumbled to his feet and waited for whatever Brett was going to do to him next.

"Keep that in mind for the next time you think of disappointing me. Go, when I need you, I will send for you."

Realizing that he had been dismissed, Jeff fled the room, his heart pounding with fear and relief. As he ran, he vowed to never underestimate Brett again. He had learned a painful lesson, one that would forever scar him.

He wondered what Brett was going to do with him and his heart shook just imagining another meeting with him. He feared what Brett would demand for him as he walked under a cloud of danger looming.