The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 29. Petals And Lavender.

"Fuck!" Nicolette exhaled again, this time softer, the anger in her chest dissolving into exhaustion.

She had lost track of how long she had been seated in the car, and when she finally snapped out of it, she realized the driver was still there with her.

"I’m sorry," she apologized, watching as he drummed the steering wheel absentmindedly.

He cleared his throat as he straightened up, looking at her from the rearview mirror. "It’s okay."

She sighed and stepped out of the car. Her legs wobbled for a second, and she realized she was weaker than she thought.

She trudged into Alaric’s mansion, anger still reeling in the corner of her heart, but her senses were sharper with caution as she stepped inside.

"Hello ma’am," Anna, the housekeeper, smiled at her just as she entered.

Nicolette observed her with caution. "Hello."

"Please follow me." Without waiting for Nicolette, Anna turned towards the stairs.

With no choice, Nicolette followed her, climbing up the stairs, turning a corner, and stopping in front of a brown door.

Anna opened the door with a small key and pushed it. Nicolette followed, her breath immediately taken away by how stunning the room looked.

She had been in one of the rooms in the house before, but this one was different. It looked like a lot of care had been placed in maintaining it.

The bed was huge and neatly made. Two big windows stood at the corner of the room, filling it perfectly with air and light.

"This is your room," Anna said, a hitch of pride in her voice.

"My room?" Nicolette asked, her voice rising with surprise.

Alaric had said they were going to share a room. So what happened?

It wasn’t that she wasn’t glad or relieved by the new decision—she was just curious.

"Yes, ma’am, it is," Anna said with a smile. "What would you like to do first? Bathe or eat?"

Her stomach immediately rumbled at the sound of food, but she realized she needed to get clean first.

"A bath, please."

Anna smiled, seeming pleased with her answer. "I’ve prepared a hot bath for you, ma’am."

Gratitude swelled in her chest at the thought of soaking herself comfortably.

"Do you have any meal you would love to eat?" Anna asked.

"I... Anything nice would do," Nicolette said, her mouth watering with anticipation.

"Alright. Let’s get you clean," Anna said and then led Nicolette to an inner room.

The bathroom was huge—as big as her entire apartment! The tub was long and luxurious, and she could see herself living inside it. When she moved closer, she saw it had been filled with petals and smelled like lavender.

"After your bath, a massage is waiting for you," Anna said.

Nicolette turned to her, not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

"I’ll leave you to it, then. Your towel is on the rack. Take care, ma’am," Anna said and left the room.

When Nicolette was alone, she quickly stripped out of her gown and underwear and slipped into the tub.

"Oh," she purred as the steam of the hot water reached her skin.

She couldn’t even be mad at Alaric anymore. If this was how the entire contract would go, she would take it.

Protection and comfort.

She was definitely taking it.

She buried herself in the water, allowing it to reach and heal all the sore parts of her body.

She kicked her legs in the tub, her heart flipping with excitement.

Nobody was looking for her.

She could spend all day inside without a care in the world.

She picked the pink soap by the tub and lathered her body until she was clean. When she was sure she was clean, she stepped out of the bath and took the blue towel off the rack.

She gasped with excitement, feeling a lot better. Yes, she really needed that.

When Nicolette stepped into the room, she gasped, her heart fluttering at the sight before her.

There was a big bouquet of flowers at the foot of the bed. A massage bed had been laid out in the center of the room, surrounded by candles.

"I wasn’t sure if you wanted the massage first or the food," Anna said, standing by the door.

Even though her stomach ached for food, Nicolette knew her body needed the massage first.

"The massage, please," she said, her voice low with excitement.

"Alright, ma’am. I will call the masseuse." Anna nodded and walked out.

Clutching the towel to her chest, Nicolette walked to the flowers and sniffed them. They smelled feminine, divine—and for a moment, nothing else mattered.

Anna returned to the room with a young woman. "This is Vivian. She’ll be doing your massage."

Nicolette turned to the young woman. "Hello."

Vivian smiled. "Hi, ma’am."

"Enjoy yourself," Anna said and then left.

When they were alone, Vivian pointed to the massage bed. "Please lie on it."

Nicolette nodded as she crossed over to the bed. She lay down slowly, her stomach flipping with excitement.

She hadn’t had a massage in months, and she was hoping Vivian could smoothen out all the tension that had been sitting in her body.

From leaving her father’s home, to working her ass off to elevate the gallery, to losing it—everything.

"Is it okay with you if I drape just your bottom?" Vivian asked gingerly.

"I don’t mind lying naked if you want," Nicolette said with a laugh.

Vivian laughed as well. "If that’s alright then. After all, we are in your house."

Not her house.

But her room.

Alaric had given her that privacy, and she couldn’t be more grateful.

She sat upright, slipped out of the towel, and then rested on the bed, her breasts pressed against the cold surface.

"I’m adding oil to your back," Vivian said gently.

"Okay," Nicolette shifted in anticipation.

Seconds later, she felt the warm oil on her back before Vivian’s hands slowly came in contact with her back.

She melted under Vivian’s soft but firm touch.

She heard the door open before Anna’s voice followed.

"Hey ma’am, your friend is on the line," Anna said.

Nicolette gasped. "What? Suzie?"

"Yes, ma’am."

She jumped from the bed, excitement coursing through her. "Give me the phone," she said, and when she received it, she spoke. "Suzie!"

"Lettie, oh thank goodness!" Suzie exclaimed, relief pouring from her voice. "How are you? I miss you!"

"I’m good!" Nicolette replied and then paused, realizing she had interrupted Vivian. "Can I call you back? I’m in the middle of something."

"Alright. Don’t forget," Suzie said, laughing.

"I won’t," Nicolette laughed while hanging up. She gave Anna back the phone. "Thanks." Then she lay back down on the bed. "Sorry, Vivian."

"It’s okay," Vivian said.

"Enjoy yourself," Anna said and left.

Nicolette sighed as she lay back down on the bed. Vivian’s hands found her shoulder blades, and she sighed out of relief.

The door opened again, and she thought it was Anna—until she heard his voice.

"Leave us," Alaric said.

Vivian nodded and left.

Nicolette panicked, using her hand to cover her bare butt. "Turn around!"

Alaric chuckled, and he obeyed. "I have seen it already."

Her cheeks heated up as she quickly stood from the bed. She found her towel and wrapped it around her. Still not satisfied, she said, "Give me your jacket, please."

Alaric laughed and then slowly tossed his jacket to her. She took it, wore it, and used it to cover herself up, making sure no skin was showing except her hands.

When she was satisfied, she said, "You can look now."

When he turned, his blue eyes glinted with mischief, and her blush deepened.

"What do you want?" she asked, glaring at him—doing anything to take back control of the situation.

Alaric’s eyes settled on his jacket around her, and her breath hitched at the look in his eyes.

He chuckled, and she looked away, the intensity of his stare getting to her. When the silence stretched, making her uncomfortable, she cleared her throat.

"What do you want? I was in the middle of something important."

His amusement faded into seriousness as he took out his phone. "Your father just announced your marriage to Lucian Crawford."

Her stomach dropped. The flutters in her heart suddenly turned to panic. "What?"

She took the phone, her eyes scanning the screen.

Her father had called her the heir of the company.

Goddamn. He had never treated her like one!

She watched the video, seeing how Ronald spoke with confidence, his mouth tugged into a smirk.

Alaric folded his arms. "I didn’t expect this from your father, but I think the decision is clear now. We have to call off the contract."

"No!" Her reply was swift. "This is what he wants! He is just being selfish!"

Her chest tightened with the realization, her panic turning into anger.

Alaric frowned. "I can’t think of a better idea. This is... just too much at this point."

Nicolette’s jaw clenched.

Think!

She couldn’t let her father win. She couldn’t let him control her, and worst of all, she couldn’t marry Lucian. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her mind raced. If she gave up now, her father would win—again. She would be nothing more than his pawn, his to control.

A thought surged into her, delight spreading in her chest.

What if she flipped the script?

What if she made her own power play?

"Let’s get married publicly tomorrow," she said.

Alaric cocked his head. "What?"

She moved closer, more confident now. "He already made the announcement, but imagine if I go public by debunking it with our wedding pictures. What do you think?"