The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 28. Bitten Off More Than He Could Chew.

Alaric made his way inside his house, his jaw clenching, anger swirling inside him, but beneath the rage was guilt.

He couldn’t believe he had actually extended the contract. He hated himself for it, but then again, Nicolette hadn’t made it easy for him.

Her coldness, her distance, her rejection—his inability to stand all of those had added to his decision.

He felt guilty for his action, but that wasn’t what filled him with shame.

It was the pain in her voice.

The hurt in her eyes despite her anger.

His stomach twisted, filling up with more guilt. He just hoped he hadn’t crossed a line yet.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced back at the car. Nicolette was still seated there, and the regret intensified in his chest.

Was she crying?

Was she too angry to come inside?

His guilt swelled.

Alaric entered his living room and sank into the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. As he rubbed his temples, Bagel came over and nudged him with a cold nose.

Alaric managed a smile as he pulled the dog closer. "Hey, baby. I missed you."

Bagel panted happily, wagging his tail as Alaric scratched his belly. As he relaxed while playing with Bagel, the remorse tripled in his chest when Nicolette still didn’t come in.

Panic surged through him.

Had she left?

Knowing how stubborn she could be, she might have persuaded the driver to take her away from the house. And he knew this time, he might not find her so easily.

Afraid that his statement might have pushed her, he rushed to the window, peering outside. His pulse spiked for a second.

But the car was still there.

She was still there—he could see her head in the back seat.

Sighing in relief, he turned around sharply. "Anna!"

His housekeeper appeared almost instantly. "Yes, Mr. Allens?"

"Prepare a room for my wife," he said, his voice tight with urgency. "Make it clean and calm. I want a hot bath ready, and good food—comfort food. Then book her a full-body massage."

Anna blinked, surprised by the softness in his tone, before she quickly recovered. "Of course, sir. Right away."

"And flowers," he added. "Fresh ones. Make those arrangements as quickly as you can."

"Alright sir," Anna nodded and then disappeared.

Alaric turned to the window again, satisfaction smoothing out the remorse in his chest.

He had said they would share a room when she moved in, but he did hope this small action of giving her privacy and tending to her wounds would at least make her feel a little different.

One more move to perfect this arrangement.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Stelle. "Hello."

"Hello, sir," Stelle said softly.

"I want you to connect Suzie’s call to my housekeeper’s line. Call her in—" he glanced at his wristwatch, "—ten minutes so Nicolette could speak with Suzie."

"Alright sir," Stelle said and ended the call.

Alaric sighed as he tucked the phone in his pocket. He hoped that ten minutes was enough for Nicolette to clear her head and come inside.

He looked down at Bagel, and took a breath. "Come on baby."

Bagel walked behind him as they made their way to his study.

He walked over to his mini fridge and brought out an almost empty bottle of scotch. He poured himself a drink, sank into the leather couch, and rubbed his face with both hands.

Bagel came up to him and he scratched the dog with one hand while sipping his drink with the other.

His phone buzzed and he reached for it in his front pocket. Richard was on the line.

"Hey Richy," Alaric said, dropping his glass on the table close to him.

"I didn’t hear from you, I thought Craig Walsh took your fingers," Richard joked, but beneath the tease in his voice, Alaric could hear the relief.

Alaric chuckled. "I didn’t know you loved me this much."

Richard ignored him. "How’s Nicolette?"

His heart pounded and regret filled his chest again. "She’s good. I took her away from Craig’s and brought her home."

"Good," Richard said, his voice tingling with relief. "So why was she taken?"

His brow furrowed in thought. "I don’t know. I didn’t ask, I just paid off her debts and extended... the contract."

"What?"

"I know, I know," Alaric sighed. "It was dumb of me and it was in the heat of the moment. I just... acted out."

"Oh man, what did she say?" Richard asked.

Alaric shifted on the couch, guilt building up in his chest again. "I... it did not... go so well."

"Oh." Richard’s voice dropped. "How are you going to fix that?"

"I have no idea," he admitted. "But I will think of something later."

"Uhmm, alright," Richard said softly. "Actually, I was calling you for something."

"Okay what is it?" Alaric asked, picking his glass up again.

"I... think you should see it yourself."

The hesitation in Richard’s tone got to him and he sat upright.

"What is it, Richy?" he asked, hearing the panic in his own voice.

Richard paused for a moment, before speaking again. "Ronald Voss just dropped a statement. Check it out and call me back."

Before Alaric could say anything, Richard ended the call.

What was that all about?

A part of him didn’t want to check anything, but another part of him was curious, itching to find out what happened—and he let that part win.

Alaric downed his drink before browsing the Internet on his phone. His heart pounded when he saw the first headline.

Ronald Voss announces his eldest daughter and heir to the Voss House as the future wife of Lucian Crawford.

Alaric’s blood curdled and Bagel, sensing his tension, rested on his feet. He couldn’t believe it, so he clicked on the first article.

His vision blurred as he stared at the words on the screen. He exhaled deeply, blinking several times, trying to understand what he was seeing.

Aside from the article, Ronald had also released a press conference, which he tagged: The union of the century.

It couldn’t be.

Who the hell was this Lucian Crawford?

Was Nicolette even aware of the arrangement?

Alaric’s heart squeezed as anger surged through him in small fits.

Ronald had ruined the whole plan!

Alaric couldn’t believe Ronald could do such a thing, but then again, he knew Ronald was desperate.

If Ronald could send men searching for his daughter for hours, he was clearly capable of making drastic and selfish decisions about her.

His phone rang, pulling him out of thought. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was his mother on the line. His forehead creased, his annoyance deepening.

He wasn’t picking up that call—the last thing he needed was to hear Clara mock him about his decision.

He ignored the call and dialed Richard instead.

"Hey," he said when Richard picked up.

"Hey. Seen it?" Richard asked, keeping his voice low.

Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Yes, I just did. What are we going to do now?"

Richard sighed. "Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe... it’s time to call off the contract?"

Alaric shot to his feet and Bagel whined. "Call it off? Why?"

"It is getting more complicated, Alaric. Your parents don’t want the wedding. Her father is obviously against it. Maybe it’s time to see it for what it really is—impossible."

Alaric paced around the room, his heart pounding with anger, yet he couldn’t deny Richard’s statement.

This was already getting more complicated than he had bargained for, and he was beginning to think that maybe he had bitten off more than he could chew.