I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father-Chapter 338: You Were A Poision

Lyse’s grip tightened on the phone, her knuckles white. "What do you want, Ophelia?"

"Want? Oh, I have what I want. I have a lovely new friend. She’s a little shy, but we’re getting to know each other. Do you want to say hello to my friend?"

There was a muffled sound, a whimper, then a small, terrified voice. "I want my mommy."

A wave of nausea washed over Lyse. Lily.

"You monster," Lyse breathed, the words barely a whisper.

"Monster?" Ophelia laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "I’m the victim here, Lyse. You and your lover... you took everything from me. So I’m going to take something from him. I’m going to take his hope. And then, I’m going to make sure your father regrets everything he has ever done."

The line went dead.

Lyse sank onto the plush sofa, the phone slipping from her numb fingers and clattering onto the marble floor.

She did not know what to do, she hated being locked up here, unable to do anything, not knowing anything.

That little girl was in trouble because of her and here she was, sitting in the lap of luxury while an innocent suffered. Her mind kept playing Ophelia’s words and Lily’s small terrified voice over and over. She could not stay put any longer.

She stood up and walked towards the two guards by the door. The two men tensed.

"Ma’am, you need to stay here." The older guard said. "It’s for your own safety."

"I don’t care," she said. "I need to see Levi immediately."

"Mr Van Doren gave us strict orders not to let you leave." The other guard added. "I’m afraid we don’t have a choice than to stop you from leaving with force if we have to."

Lyse’s jaw tightened. She looked from one hard face to the other, the frustration and fear a burning knot in her stomach.

She stood for a moment, thinking, a desperate plan forming in her mind.

"Fine," she said, her voice suddenly soft. "I understand."

She turned and walked towards the kitchen, the guards’ eyes following her. She opened the massive, stainless-steel refrigerator, pretending to look for something.

The younger guard, seeing that she had calmed down, relaxed a little, his attention drifting to the older guard.

****

Ophelia smiled at the phone after she ended the call.

She loved being in power, loved being the puppet master who would pull strings and have people do exactly as she wanted.

She had Lyse, Ken and Levi all running around like scared mice, trying to figure out what she was going to do next.

But she would make sure that she was always several steps ahead of them.

She looked at Lily who was now huddled in a corner, trembling and clutching the pink teddy bear.

The little girl had been so brave, trying not to cry but failing miserably.

She had been so scared when the man had given her the teddy bear, her eyes wide with terror.

But the girl had no idea that the bear was not a toy. It was a listening device, a tiny, high-tech microphone that would transmit every sound in the room to Ophelia’s phone.She knew Lyse would try to leave, it was only a matter of time.

She had to get Lyse alone and away from all her protection if she wanted to get her revenge.

They had beaten her down to the ground and thought they had won, but she had a few more tricks up her sleeve.

And everyone who had had anything to do with her downfall would surely pay. Ken, Levi and Lyse.

"Jon." Ophelia called out. "Keep an eye on the brat, I will be back soon." She said to the masked man who was standing in the corner.

He just nodded.

She smiled, a predator’s smile. The game was just getting started. She had a call to make.

******

Ken stood with Bella outside the community shelter, the chaotic scene from earlier now a frozen portrait of police cars and grim-faced officers. The children had been reunited with their frantic parents, all except one.

Lily’s mother was inside, being comforted by a social worker, her sobs a constant, heartbreaking accompaniment to the city’s distant sirens.

Ken watched Bella’s face, a mask of fury and sorrow. He knew what she was thinking.

"Levi will get her back," Bella said, her voice tight. "He has to."

"Levi is walking into a trap," Ken countered, his voice grim. "Ophelia is playing chess, and we’re all just pawns on her board."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen. Unknown number.

He answered, putting it to his ear without a word.

"Hello, Kenny."

Ophelia. The voice was like a splash of acid on an open wound.

"You’ve made a terrible mistake," Ken said, his voice dangerously low. "I will never allow you hurt my daughter."

"Your daughter? Oh, you mean Maeve’s little girl. She’s not yours, Ken. She never was. You were just the placeholder, the safe, boring option while she was waiting for a real man."

The words were designed to hurt, and they did, striking deep, old wounds he thought had scarred over. He fought to keep his breathing even.

"What do you want?" he ground out.

"I want you to remember," Ophelia’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "I want you to remember what you took from me. I was happy. I was in love. And you and that sanctimonious bitch... you couldn’t stand to see it. You had to ruin it."

"I never loved you back," Ken shot back. "You were a poison."

"I was in love!" she shrieked, the mask slipping for a moment before the silken purr returned. "And I’m going to get it back. But first, a little reminder. A little insurance policy. Check your email, Kenneth. I’ve sent you a present."

The line went dead.

Ken’s hands trembled as he pulled out his phone. Bella was watching him, her expression questioning. He ignored her, opening the email app. A new message sat at the top, from a scrambled address.