I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father-Chapter 314: Keep Her Indoors Forever

"Do you have to go?" Levi asked, his voice deceptively casual as he poured the tea.

Steam curled between them, delicate and fragrant, momentarily softening the sharp lines of his face. He moved with unhurried precision, his actions of a man who liked control in small things when the larger world refused to cooperate.

Lyse, perched across from him at the breakfast table, laughed under her breath. It was a warm sound, bright enough to shift the air in the room.

She had just informed him that she had an event she needed to plan and attend for the shelter’s residents.

Levi generally preferred when she was indoors, it was easier to keep track of her safety. But if she wanted to go outside that would be a challenge.

He wanted to keep her safe and if that meant staying indoors forever, he would do it.

"The kids have been looking forward to this for ages, we all planned and worked towards this." Lyse said, cupping her hands around her mug though she hadn’t taken a sip yet. "There is no way I’m disappointing them. Not now."

Levi’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Then why don’t you go with the security team," he said. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a conclusion already reached.

Lyse rolled her eyes.

"Those women are traumatized. You know that," she said gently, but there was steel under it. "Too many broad-shouldered, stone-faced men hovering around will create a problem. Some of them still flinch when someone raises their voice. Imagine what they’ll do if a convoy of armed guards walks in."

Levi’s gaze sharpened.

His instinct was simple: contain the risk.

With Ophelia still out there, unpredictable, cornered, and capable of desperation, he wasn’t willing to create openings. Lyse represented a vulnerability he had never anticipated having. He had enemies. He had rivals. He had debts written in blood and contracts.

But Lyse?

She was sunlight in places he had long ago allowed to harden.

And sunlight could be extinguished.

A flicker of mischief crossed Lyse’s face as she caught the look in his eyes. She knew that expression. The calculating one. The one that meant he was weighing outcomes and probabilities.

Trying his hardest to control everything.

She leaned forward slightly and winked.

"How about you join us?" she asked lightly. "We’re only going to the orphanage. You could talk to the director while we’re there."

Levi leaned back in his chair, folding one arm over the other as he studied her.

"Are you inviting me?" he asked, lifting one brow.

He hadn’t returned to the orphanage in a while.

He still funded it, yes. Every month without fail, a substantial donation left his accounts and quietly found its way into Mrs. Gable’s budget. Repairs were made. Food was purchased. School fees were paid.

But he did it from a distance.

Because it was Lyse’s place and he did not want her pressured by his presence.

"That would solve the problem of me going without extra protection," Lyse replied smoothly, holding his gaze.

Then her tone shifted. still playful, but edged with intention.

"I’m looking for the strongest, most capable man I know to keep an eye on things," she added. "And maybe, while he’s doing that, he can ask Elias about the new arrivals. The ones who came in from the eastern districts last week."

The words settled heavily between them.

The eastern districts.

A phrase that had become something close to a curse in the city. A place where law enforcement was a rumor and gang influence spread like rot beneath the surface. Human trafficking cases had quietly increased. Children had begun appearing without records. Without histories.

Without anyone looking for them.

Levi’s fingers tightened subtly around the porcelain teacup.

He didn’t react outwardly, but something in his posture changed, shoulders squaring, attention sharpening.

He set the cup down with a soft, decisive click.

"Half the security team comes," he said, rising to his feet. "And I will come along."

Lyse’s face lit up instantly.

She jumped to her feet and pressed an impulsive kiss to his cheek before he could step away.

The gesture startled him just enough that he stilled.

She didn’t notice.

Her mind was already racing ahead.

She thought of the children.

Three of them. Two boys and a girl. Thin wrists. Watchful eyes. The kind of silence that didn’t belong to children who had known safety.

Mrs. Gable had tried to be diplomatic about it over the phone, but Lyse had heard the strain in her voice.

"They don’t speak much," the older woman had said. "But they wake screaming."

Lyse had not slept well since that call.

If Levi could see them. If he could hear Elias’s suspicions firsthand. If he understood what was trickling into the city.

He had the influence to speak to someone in charge, get them to check what was going on.

"Don’t look at me like that," Lyse said now, softening as she noticed his scrutiny. "They’re just children."

His expression didn’t change.

"And Mrs. Gable is kind. Just... overwhelmed," she continued. "We lost one of our main benefactors last month. Funding’s tight. She’ll be grateful for the visit. For any help."

Levi’s eyes held hers for a long moment.

He knew this look on her face.

Compassion, yes.

But also resolve.

She wasn’t just going to hand out toys and take photos for the foundation newsletter. She was investigating. Quietly. Carefully.

He respected that about her.

Even if it terrified him.

"Fine," he said at last. "But we leave at nine. Sharp."

Lyse smiled triumphantly.

"Yes, sir."

He gave her a flat look.

She laughed and reached for her tea.

She still had a lot to do. There were tools to teach the kids artwork, she needed gifts for the winners of the games and she still needed to meet with the solicitor over her grandfather’s estate.

It was a lot to push in a week but at least when she managed to finish it all she could deal with Ophelia’s upcoming trial.