The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 51. Pushing His Button.

Don’t turn.

Don’t give in so easily.

Alaric walked down the hallway, his heart pounding heavily. He was waiting for Nicolette to catch up with him and then yell or maybe argue.

He reduced his pace.

Maybe he was walking too fast?

But instead of hearing her behind him, he heard the door slam shut.

"Fucking hell," he cussed under his breath as he stopped.

Maybe he had gone too far.

God, he was furious that after such an intimate moment, she could just waltz out of the room.

He couldn’t deny it—he was still a little sore, maybe a lot sore, from her rejection. And he just wanted her to know that without actually saying it.

He exhaled as he turned towards her room. The big dress was a joke, maybe one that had gone too far.

He was only trying to prove a point.

Alaric reached Nicolette’s door and knocked. "We’ll be late," he said, making his tone as uninterested as he could.

"Go on without me, Mr. Allens," she replied, her voice sharp.

That damn formality again.

He groaned. "It’s a family dinner and I need you to be there."

Honestly, he didn’t want to go either. He was supposed to be home, making sweet love to her, getting to know her better.

He didn’t want to deal with his family. He didn’t want to face his mother. But not going meant he wouldn’t get to learn more about his father’s company—and he needed that.

Nicolette ignored him, so he knocked again. "You—"

"Leave me alone, Alaric!" she snapped, annoyance coloring her voice. "Have fun at your dinner."

Her dismissal poked him in the chest. But on the bright side, she had called his name.

Still, she doesn’t get to push him away.

He was supposed to do the pushing.

She was supposed to be remorseful for what she did—not dismissive and... hurtful.

The thought sent irritation to his chest. He wasn’t going to back down. "It is not up for debate!" he shot back.

Silence. Nothing. She said nothing.

Her silence doubled his annoyance. "Open this door or I’ll break it," he threatened.

That had worked the other time. The other time when...

Despite his irritation, his mind still found a way of flooding his head with images of their lovemaking.

How he had moved inside her. How he had pinned her to the bed. How he had...

"Nicolette!" he shouted, both to snap himself out of the thought and get her to answer.

But she didn’t.

And he left.

Somehow, he made his way to his study, his heart still brewing with her rejection.

Nobody had ever made him feel unsure of himself.

Nicolette pushed a button he didn’t even know existed. It made him mad, but it also made him conscious of his actions.

Maybe he had really gone too far with the dress.

With a groan, he reached for the home intercom and dialed Anna.

Anna picked up after a moment. "Hello, sir."

"Hey, Anna. Please send the other dress to Nicolette. Have her get ready as soon as possible."

"Alright, sir," Anna said.

Alaric dropped the phone and glanced at his wristwatch. 8:10. He was getting late for dinner.

He leaned back in his chair, eager for Nicolette’s preparation.

He had gotten two dresses for her. One was the joke, the other was real.

Was that weird? Yes.

Did he feel weird about it? No.

He was trying to make a point and he really hoped Nicolette got it and met him halfway.

He was fidgeting and didn’t even realize it until the intercom rang.

"Hello, sir," Anna said when he answered.

"Yes?"

"Your wife... rejected the dress. She didn’t even open the door," Anna’s voice trembled slightly.

Anger surged through him, but he kept his voice low. "Thank you, Anna," he said, then hung up.

He stood, frustration boiling inside him.

What the hell was Nicolette doing?

He was supposed to be the angry one here. She was the one who walked out on him. Somehow, he had put his pride aside, and she wouldn’t even meet him in the middle?

He left his study and went to her room. He knocked gently.

"Nic—" he paused when the door flung open.

She had changed into a casual outfit, and from the look on her face, it was obvious her mind was made—she wasn’t going anywhere. "What?"

Still, he had to ask.

"Why aren’t you dressed up? I sent a dress," he said softly, despite the annoyance pressing in his chest.

He wasn’t surprised at how soft his voice became. He was surprised that, despite how annoying she was, his body was still reacting to her.

"You sent me a dress," she repeated, folding her arms.

"Yes."

"Why?" Her brow furrowed. "I thought you wanted to teach me a lesson."

"I admit I crossed a line."

Her brows twitched slightly, like she wasn’t expecting him to say that.

Why was he admitting to that?

"But," he raised a hand, "I made up for it. You were supposed to meet me halfway, dress up, and follow me out."

Her eyes narrowed. "I’m not going anywhere, Mr. Allens."

"Yes, you are," he challenged. "You’ll put on that dress and come with me."

"No, I will not," she said, shaking her head. "I am not your toy that you can control."

He gritted his teeth at her stubbornness. "If you were, we wouldn’t be arguing right now."

She dropped her hand, but her eyes were still shining with anger. "Well, I’m not going anywhere. Your contract says we have to fake it in public. Your family’s house isn’t public, so I can decide not to go."

He groaned.

How was he supposed to convince the world that their union was real if he couldn’t even convince his parents?

They had just gotten married today, and they couldn’t even share a meal with family?

He had to find another way around it.

"You know what? Forget it," he said with a sigh. "Rest, do whatever." Then he turned to leave.

"I was—I am pissed," she said behind him.

He stopped and slowly turned to face her.

Her eyes softened. "I’m pissed that you think I invited Lucian Crawford."

Alaric closed his eyes, trying to shut that awful memory away. He took a step closer to her. "Since we’re talking about things we’re pissed about—"

"I was telling you about mine," she interrupted.

Anger surged through him. Was she doing this on purpose?

"And I was about to say mine, Cole," he said firmly. "You left after... you couldn’t—"

"No intimacy, Mr. Allens, remember?" she interrupted again.

He clenched his fists.

Calm down.

Don’t let her get into your head.

"You know what?, it’s fine. Going back and forth solves nothing," he said, adjusting his suit. "But one thing I won’t take is you insulting my security. I trust all of my men, and they would never have allowed an unauthorized figure to enter my house."

He watched as pain took over the anger in her eyes. She swallowed before fury replaced it again.

"Fine!" she snapped.

"Good," he replied, turning to leave.

He braced himself for a parting comment, but he didn’t get any—just the slam of the door.

Was it possible that she was telling the truth?

He heaved a sigh. Time to face his family without his new bride.

As he stepped outside, his phone buzzed. Richard was calling.

"Hey," he said flatly.

Richard didn’t seem to catch the flatness in his tone. His voice was full of excitement. "It’s done. I’ve wiped Ronald’s cameras. Now he has nothing to blackmail you with."

"Good."

He knew he was supposed to be more excited than that. Richard had solved a very important problem. Yet, he couldn’t seem to pull out the joy.

"Are you alright?" Richard asked, picking up on the tone.

"Yes. I’m sorry, Richy. I just have something on my mind," he admitted as he waited for Trainer to bring the car around.

"It’s Nicolette, right?"

"Yes," he said. "Let’s talk at dinner. I’m on my way."

"Alright. See you then," Richard said and hung up.

As Alaric slid into the car, he couldn’t shake off the memory of the pain in Nicolette’s eyes and voice.

Was she telling the truth?

Was it possible that one of his men couldn’t be trusted?

Before he could control himself, Alaric leaned forward. "Hey, Trainer. I want you to get the list of security guards who were on gate duty today."

Trainer glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Is everything alright, sir?"

"No," Alaric said, shaking his head. "We have a traitor among us, and I want you to find him."

Trainer nodded, and Alaric settled back in his seat.

If Nicolette was telling the truth, those involved were in serious trouble. And if she wasn’t...

He didn’t know what he would do to her yet.