The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 49. Crying Over Spilled Milk.

"Fuck!" Nicolette gasped as she entered the bathroom.

What had she done?

She had let her body lead. She had let desire take over her. Like a sex-starved human, she had begged him to fuck her.

She slammed her head gently on the bathroom door, her heart pounding from the lovemaking, her body relaxed from it.

God, she wanted to regret her actions.

She wanted to regret doing that with him.

But the truth was she couldn’t. As horrifying as it was, she couldn’t regret sleeping with Alaric.

She had enjoyed every bit of it. She had enjoyed the way he took control, the way he respected her body and owned it.

Then why had she run? Why?

She could have just lay there with him and... what?

That was the problem. What next?

She sat on the floor, her back resting against the door. She had enjoyed this too much.

God! She had a whole year to enjoy it.

Maybe she was overthinking it.

Questions like What now? What next? It took the fun away from the moment and stripped it of its value.

Nicolette stood up and exhaled.

Don’t overthink.

Go in there and apologize.

Lay back down with him.

Enjoy the moment.

No overthinking.

She exhaled again. Here goes nothing.

She opened the door. "Alaric, I—"

She gasped.

The bed was empty. The room was empty. Alaric was gone, and so were his clothes.

"Damn!" she cursed, punching the air.

Of course he was going to leave. She had left first. She had run out the door like a child, and she had been expecting him to wait on her like a princess.

Regret danced inside her, and she bit her lip. Yet, her body was still basking in the remembrance of their lovemaking.

The universe had already made a decision for her, now she just had to deal with it.

With a heavy sigh, she went back to the bathroom and cleaned up. There was no point saving the hair and makeup—they were already ruined from the turning and twisting, ruined by the sweat of pleasure.

So she washed everything off, going back to the bare, plain Nicolette. When she was done, she returned to the room and arranged it, cleaning all evidence that Alaric had been there and that he had made mad love to her.

Her heart sank with regret over her words, but she shook it off.

No point crying over spilled milk, yeah?

What next?

She couldn’t wear the black gown again, so she slipped into a casual blouse and blue jeans.

So off.

She had moved from a proper wedding gown, to a semi-appropriate gown, and then to this.

She blamed Alaric for not making a proper plan. The day had started bad, and judging by all this, she knew it was about to get worse.

She packed her black hair into a bun, picked up her phone, and stepped out. In the hallway, she saw Anna.

"Hello, Mrs. Allens."

She winced at the reminder. "Let’s just go with Nicolette or Lettie for now," she said, forcing a smile.

Anna blinked. "Alright, ma’am."

"Can you help me clean up the room? Thanks."

Without waiting for Anna’s response, she dashed down the hallway. Her nerves were all over the place as she got closer to the venue.

She sighed, her stomach suddenly tightening as she entered.

Luckily for her, there were almost no guests around. Just a few strangers. All of Alaric’s family had left.

Suzie saw her and ran up to her. "Lettie? Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you."

Nicolette’s cheeks turned pink, and she smiled at Suzie, guilt ripping through her. She had left her best friend to go and smash a man.

Ruin that part. Ruin this part.

Just great, Nicolette.

"Sorry, I... got busy..." she replied.

Suzie gave her a hug, her voice soft with concern. "Are you okay? I know the past few days have been hell."

"It has," she admitted, melting into Suzie’s arms. "I fucked Alaric."

Suzie straightened up. "Girl! You couldn’t even wait?" she exclaimed, but she was laughing.

Suzie’s laughter eased some of the tension in her chest. She shrugged. "It just happened."

"For the first time ever, I don’t want details," Suzie teased, and they both laughed. "Well, congratulations on taking this to the next level. I do hope you enjoy it."

"Yes," Nicolette replied.

She couldn’t possibly tell Suzie that things were already turning sour before they even had a chance to begin.

Suzie squeezed her thigh. "I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so terrified when I saw Lucian Crawford and then I didn’t see you."

Nicolette’s mind drifted to Lucian, and anger coiled inside her.

That bastard.

"He had some nerves getting in here. Did Alaric see him?" Suzie asked.

"No," Nicolette lied.

She didn’t want to go into details. Telling the truth would mean diving into how all that had led to her lovemaking with Alaric. And she didn’t want regret and pain to cloud the sweetness of what remained.

She shrugged at her thoughts and wrapped her arms around herself.

Suzie squeezed her thigh again. "I’m sorry, Lettie."

She nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

"I think you should tell Mr. Allens. If Lucian Crawford could come into the premises, you guys might not be safe." Suzie’s voice dropped with concern.

Nicolette nodded. "Yes, I will."

They sat in silence until Suzie spoke again.

"But I really have to say... this wedding was off."

Nicolette chuckled at Suzie’s tone.

"I’m sorry, but I just have to say it."

"And I agree," Nicolette smiled.

"The setting was off. You guys didn’t dance. Your mother-in-law didn’t even stay for the wedding. It was just too much..." Suzie said.

"And then the dress, the reporters. Lucian," Nicolette added.

This wedding had been a disaster. This wasn’t what she had envisioned for her happy day.

This was supposed to be the best day of her life—like other women say. But instead, she couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Suzie leaned forward, her eyes soft. "Do you think—" She paused when Alaric entered.

Nicolette shifted on the chair, her mind instantly flooding with memories of their lovemaking. The way his fingers and tongue had skillfully satisfied her. The way he had made love to her, like he knew her body before now.

When their eyes met, Alaric’s were shining with delight, before it was quickly hidden behind a cold gaze.

Her stomach turned at the look. She could almost feel the disgust behind it.

His eyes left hers before they darted around the place. "Thank you for coming. The party is over," his voice was cold, flat—like he didn’t mean anything he said.

He walked to Nicolette and Suzie. He nodded briefly at Suzie before facing Nicolette. "Family dinner by 8."

Nicolette swallowed at his sharp tone. "Okay, do—"

"It is not a request. It’s an order," he interrupted with a huff, and walked away without looking back.

Nicolette blinked, her heart curling with hurt. She wasn’t even arguing, she just wanted to ask a question.

Suzie leaned in. "What’s wrong with him? He looks so upset."

She clutched a hand to her chest as if to nurse the pain. Oh, she knew very well why he was mad.

But before she could respond, her phone rang.

She picked it up, surprised to see an unknown number on the screen.

Even though her content in the old phone had been linked to this one, she knew it couldn’t have kept everything.

She narrowed her eyes at the number. It looked very familiar.

So she picked up. "Hello?" she said softly.

"Hey baby. Congratulations on your wedding. I’m in your apartment and all your mother’s drawings are with me. Come get them, baby."

Anger surged through Nicolette.

It was fucking Robert.