Levi was having another one of those days, at that point it seed to have beco an everyday occurrence. He did not know how to bridge the gap between him and Lyse and it left him frustrated, and unfortunately, his staff got a piece of it.
Every minor inconvenience was magnified, every mistake seed unforgivable. He was snapping at his employees, his voice sharp and his deanor cold. As he sat in his office, frustration gnawed at him. He needed an outlet, a way to release the tension building within him.
Just as he was about to explode to Ethan, his phone rang. It was Joel, Lyse’s bodyguard. His voice was urgent, his words clipped. "Mr. Van Doren, there has been an incident. Mrs Van Doren has been... taken."
Levi’s heart pounded and he wondered why of all the won he had to end up with, he was with the one who was most danger prone. She seed to attract danger just by breathing.
"What do you an, ’taken’? Where is she?"
"She was having dinner at the ’Elysian’ restaurant, she arrived in her car but I saw her being dragged into a car by a man and she seed intoxicated."
"Why did you not stop him?" Levi exploded.
"It happened too quickly sir, I am driving right behind him." Joel said apologetically.
"Don’t lose them Joel." Levi warned in a threatening tone. "Stay on the phone and tell where you are headed."
"Yes boss."
A surge of adrenaline coursed through Levi. He did not hesitate. Grabbing his jacket, he stord out of the office, Ethan following close behind.
As Ethan drove, Levi’s mind raced. He imagined the worst-case scenarios, the fear for Lyse’s safety consuming him. He arrived at the hotel that Joel had directed him to, a sleek, modern building that exuded an air of luxury and secrecy.
He burst through the hotel doors with Ethan following him, his eyes scanning the lobby. He spotted Joel, standing near the reception desk, his face etched with worry.
"Where is she?" Levi demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
Joel quickly led him to a private room. Levi kicked the door and it splintered, then he burst in, his eyes wide with rage. The scene before him was a horrifying one. Jean-Pierre, his face twisted with lust, was in the process of tearing Lyse’s dress while she tried to fight him off her.
"What the hell happened here?" Levi roared, his voice filled with anger.
Jean was startled and he glared at the intruders then his face turned while when he recognized Levi. He tried to back away.
Levi’s blood boiled. He lunged at the man, knocking him to the ground. The man, taken aback, struggled to defend himself, but Levi was too strong. He delivered a powerful blow, knocking the man unconscious.
He turned to Lyse, his heart aching at the sight of her distress. He pulled her into his arms, comforting her. "It’s okay, Lyse. You are safe now. I am here, no one can hurt him."
Levi pulled off his jacket then he put it on Lyse who was still trembling, covering her torn clothes. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle.
Lyse nodded weakly, her eyes filled with tears. "I don’t know what happened," she whispered. "I was at the restaurant then I suddenly felt dizzy..." she looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "I only had one drink."
Levi knew what had happened. He could see the signs: the disheveled state of her clothing, the fear in her eyes. He realized that she had been drugged.
"Don’t worry," he said, his voice soothing. "We are going ho, I will take care of you."
But Lyse was not okay. The aphrodisiac was still coursing through her veins, fueling her desire. She clung to Levi, running her hands all over him as her body yearned for his touch.
Ethan and Joel realized what was happening and their faces beca red as they turned away, Lyse was acting out of character and it could only be that her drink had been spiked.
Levi, sensing her distress, knew he had to act quickly.
"Take care of this." He snarled to Ethan, "Make sure that there is no paparazzi lurking around and tell the doctor to get ho now."
Turning to Joel, he continued to issue instructions. "Get the police to pick up this vermin, get them to go to the restaurant and find out who his accomplices might be."
With that, he carried Lyse out of the hotel room and into the car. As he drove, he tried to calm her down, but she was restless and agitated, clinging to him and kissing him aggressively while he tried his hardest not to crash the car because unfortunately, her actions were arousing him.
While he knew that in her right senses, she would not be doing sothing like this, his body on the other hand did not understand any of that and he felt himself responding to her touch.
’Shit!’ He thought and grumbled as the cars in his path did not drive fast enough. And when he felt a warm tongue in his ear at the sa ti that Lyse’s hand snaked down the front of his pants, he swerved so hard that he almost hit the curb.
"No baby, you can’t do that." He said softly, trying to keep his concentration on the road.
He wished that he had the driver, it would have been easier to deal with Lyse if soone else was driving. But when the call had co in, he had been not thinking of any of that, the only thing on his mind was to get to Lyse as soon as possible.
"Whyyy?" Lyse cried and when Levi snuck a look at her, he groaned.
She was staring at him with the most tempting, sulky pout that he wanted to kiss off her face.
"Why can’t I touch you?" Lyse complained again. "You are my husband, I can do what I want with you."
*
Brooke watched from a discreet distance as Jean-Pierre led a stumbling Lyse into the hotel. A smirk played on her lips. This was it, the mont she had been waiting for. She thought of herself as a genius for orchestrating this whole scenario, from drugging Lyse to setting up the eting with Jean-Pierre. She was about to expose Lyse’s infidelity and ruin her reputation.
She followed them into the hotel, her heart pounding with excitent. She found a secluded corner and waited for the perfect mont to strike. She imagined the scandal, the public humiliation, the shattered dreams. It was a delicious thought and she grinned in satisfaction.
She tid it, she did not want to walk in too early or too late. It had to be at the right ti so that when the paparazzo she had hired entered the room and took pictures, it would be the end for Lyse.
But her plans were soon derailed, because not long after she had settled herself in a corner of the lobby, Levi and another man stord into the hotel. They both t with another man who she had not noticed and together they went up, probably to the hotel room with Lyse.
Brooke gritted her teeth and watched as her plans were ruined. She wondered how she had not noticed that man in the first place, if Levi had co just a few minutes later her plan would still have a shot at being successful.
But by now, there was no way that Jean had gotten the chance to do anything and it seed that once again, Lyse was going to escape unscathed. She quickly called the Paparazzo and told him to abort mission. If he was caught then she would be in serious trouble.
As she fled the hotel, her mind raced. She had to get away. She could not let anyone know what she had done, Levi would definitely destroy her if he knew. She drove ho, her heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. She knew she had made a terrible mistake. She had underestimated Levi’s protectiveness and Lyse’s good luck.
Back at ho, Brooke tried to calm herself and figure out the way forward. She needed to think. She could not let this ruin her life. She had to co up with a plan, a way to salvage her reputation. She thought about apologizing to Lyse, but she knew that would be pointless. Lyse would never forgive her and even if she did, Levi would never accept it.
She decided that the best thing that she could do was to disappear for a while. If Jean and the waiter pointed out to her, Levi would co after her. So, she would have to go sowhere far away, sowhere where no one knew her. She would start a new life, a life free from the consequences of her actions.
Having co to that decision, she hurriedly pulled out a couple of boxes and threw in things haphazardly. She knew that she did not have ti to dally, Levi would soon co for her, Jean was sure to throw her under the bus imdiately.
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