I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father-Chapter 304: Daddy

Ken paced around the room, his movements restless and uneven, his heart beating far too loudly in his chest.

This this was going to be a tense meeting.

It felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to see whether he would be pulled back to safety or pushed over entirely.

The last time he had tried to do this, it had not gone well. Not at all. He had been rejected before he could even explain fully himself, and after that everything in his life had seemed to unravel at once. One misfortune after another had followed, as though fate itself had decided to punish him.

Now he was being given a second chance.

And he was terrified of ruining it.

Bella stepped into the room quietly and paused by the doorway, watching him with open amusement. The sight of Ken Stuart, confident superstar unshakable leader, man who never backed down from anything reduced to a bundle of nerves was almost unbelievable.

If anyone from the outside world could see him now, they would never believe it.

He turned suddenly and caught sight of her.

"Do you think she would like this shirt?" he asked immediately. "Should I change it?"

Bella laughed softly and walked over to him. She reached up, brushing away invisible lint from his shoulder, straightening his collar with gentle hands.

"You look perfect, Ken," she assured him with a warm smile.

"But what if she doesn’t like it?" he asked anxiously. "I want everything to be perfect for her. I don’t want to do anything that might spook her."

Before Bella could answer, he turned around abruptly and began pacing again.

"Have you gotten her favorite snacks?" he continued in a rush. "And the presents I picked out, have they been wrapped properly? Are they too much? Maybe they’re too much. Maybe I should take some of them away..."

Bella stepped behind him and placed a firm hand on his back.

"Ken."

He stopped but didn’t turn around.

She moved in front of him and gently took his face between her hands, forcing him to look down at her.

"Everything is going to be alright," she said softly, peering intently into his eyes. "Take a deep breath and believe that."

"But the other time..." he muttered sadly. "What if she..."

"Don’t overthink it," Bella interrupted gently. "Levi is bringing her. Everything will be fine."

Then she smiled teasingly. "Now relax before your bad vibes frighten the poor girl."

Ken gave a weak chuckle, though it did little to ease the knot in his chest.

He wanted to believe Bella. He truly did.

But he had already been burned once.

He understood Lyse’s hesitation. He really did. If some random young woman suddenly appeared in his life claiming to be his daughter after twenty years, he would be skeptical too. Suspicious. Guarded.

Lyse wasn’t being cruel.

She was simply reacting like any normal person would.

He had no right to be angry with her for that.

Still, knowing that didn’t stop the fear clawing at him.

Bella was right though. He needed to calm down. The last thing Lyse needed was to walk into a room and find him shaking apart like a madman.

The shrill ring of the phone cut through his thoughts.

Ken flinched.

"That’s probably them," Bella said quickly. "Let me check."

She hurried out of the room, leaving Ken standing there, more nervous than ever.

He straightened his jacket and tried to compose himself, running a hand through his hair for the hundredth time.

Bella returned a few minutes later and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"They’re here," she whispered.

The simple words made his stomach drop.

This was it.

When Lyse and Levi walked into the suite moments later, Ken straightened instinctively and forced what he hoped was a welcoming smile onto his face.

Unfortunately, it came out looking more like a nervous grimace, His teeth all out on display.

Bella wanted to facepalm at the expression, but she simply smiled brightly at the newcomers instead.

"Welcome," she said warmly. "I’ve set the table with your favorite snacks, Lyse. What would you like?"

Lyse glanced nervously at Ken, who was awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Before she could reject the offer Levi spoke up.

"She’ll have peaches. And I see you have macarons, she’ll have those as well."

Lyse opened her mouth as if to protest, then thought better of it and closed it again.

Instead, she allowed Levi to guide her to a seat, unconsciously leaning closer to him as they sat.

The movement did not escape Ken’s notice.

It stung a little, how much she clearly relied on Levi but he couldn’t blame her for that either.

"Levi says you wanted to speak to me," Lyse said quietly, without preamble.

Bella began to rise from her chair.

"I’ll just leave you to talk," she offered.

"Please stay," Ken said quickly, reaching out and grabbing her hand before she could move.

Bella froze, surprised by the desperation in his voice.

She looked at his sweaty palms wrapped around hers, then at Levi and Lyse.

"I don’t think that’s a problem," Levi said calmly, glancing at Lyse for confirmation.

Lyse gave a small nod.

Bella settled back into her seat.

Ken took a shaky breath.

"I never knew that Maeve had gotten pregnant," he began. "If I had known... if I had even suspected..."

His voice cracked slightly.

"It is the biggest regret of my life," he continued. "And I wish more than anything that I could go back in time."

He looked directly at Lyse, his eyes glistening.

"I wish I could have protected you," he said thickly. "Saved you from a life where the people who were supposed to help you only subjected you to pain."

Lyse shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Ken noticed immediately and forced himself to calm down.

"I’m not here to demand anything from you," he said more softly. "You owe me nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Bella squeezed his hand in silent encouragement.

"I just want a chance," Ken continued. "A chance to know you. To be part of your life. Even if it’s only a little."

His voice trembled.

"I will wait as long as you need. We can take this at your pace. Whatever you want, however you want it."

The room fell silent.

Lyse stared down at her hands, emotions swirling wildly inside her.

This man sitting in front of her was supposed to be a stranger.

Yet somehow, he didn’t feel like one.

She could hear the sincerity in his voice. See the genuine fear in his eyes. Feel the hope he was trying so desperately to hide.

All her life, she had longed for someone to fight for her.

And here he was.

"I don’t know how to do this," she whispered.

"That’s okay," Ken replied gently. "Neither do I."

A small, shaky laugh escaped her.

She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes.

"Daddy," Lyse cried.

Ken’s shoulders slumped in relief.

For the first time in years, he felt like he could breathe again.