The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 57. The Surge. The Need.

"What the hell? How come?"

Alaric heard Nicolette yell as he turned to her. Her furrowed brow told him whoever she was talking to had pissed her off.

She muttered something he didn’t catch before stepping further away. His eyes dropped to her butt, and passion raced through him.

He cleared his throat, looking away as emotions stacked in his chest.

God, she was a beautiful woman.

Strong. Fierce. Determined.

And he was grateful she was on his side.

It felt good to have someone else, besides Richard, believe him.

Nicolette swirled her hand as she turned away. From the way her shoulders tensed, he could tell she was worried too.

Who had changed her mood?

His mind raced with possibilities.

Her father? Lucian Crawford? Her boyfriend?

Each name sent a wave of discomfort through him, and he shook it off. Realizing she might not be done with the conversation soon, Alaric pulled out his phone and searched for her statement.

His team had created a profile: Nicolette Voss Allens.

The name sounded sophisticated. It was a shame it would only be hers for a short while.

He opened her latest post. There were so many comments, everyone had something to say.

He had only glanced through the statement before, but now he wanted to read it properly, to while away the time.

"For some time now, false accusations and rumors have been going on about me and my personal life.

I didn’t want to address this, but when certain somebody made claims that could ruin my home and my reputation, I had to say something.

I am married to only one person: Alaric Allens.

I didn’t invite anyone to my wedding. I don’t even know this person.

My father has been making some deals behind my back, and I want to make it clear that I have nothing to do with them.

This is the 24th century. No one forces anyone to get married. I have made my choice, and no matter how strange or unsupportive my family has been, this is my decision: Alaric is my choice.

This will be the first and last time I will be addressing this. Any information that does not come from me or my husband should be discarded.

Thank you."

Not bad.

Alaric scrolled through the comments, impressed by the support she had. Though a small number of people didn’t believe it, they were far outnumbered by those who did.

"Ready?"

Nicolette’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She was smiling, but he could see the vein on her forehead, like it was ready to pop.

"Yeah," he said, opening the door for her.

As she slid in, his eyes dropped to her butt again, and his body reacted immediately.

"Are we still going to—"

"Sure," she cut in with a tight smile.

He noticed the forced expression and didn’t buy it.

"What happened?"

She sighed, pausing like she was reluctant to explain. After a few seconds, she gave in.

"Long story short, my stepsister, Hills—Hillary, she started a small dessert business. She used to bake and sell, and I helped her before I left home."

"Okay," he said, giving her his full attention.

"She gave everything to that business—her time, her money, her energy. It finally picked up, and now my father has taken all the money."

"The hell?" he exclaimed, though he wasn’t surprised. Ronald Voss always got what he wanted, even if it meant ruining his daughters.

Nicolette settled deeper into the seat, visibly distressed.

"Are you that close?" he asked gently.

"Yes," she replied. "Hillary was literally my rock in that house. She was the only one who supported me, and she would’ve continued if I had let her." She paused, her eyes gleaming with hurt. "I didn’t want her to ruin her business for me... and now my dad has ruined it for his own gain."

She clenched her fist, and Alaric could tell she was about to explode.

"But how did he even do that?" he asked, curiosity rising in his tone. "How did he get access to her business?"

"She had to register him as a co-owner to move things forward. She didn’t have a choice then."

"Oh," he sighed.

"I can’t believe him! He is just... insane at this point. The only reason he hasn’t tried to marry Hillary off is because her mother is still alive, and... she won’t take it."

Nicolette’s voice broke, and Alaric’s heart shattered. Without thinking, he reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"You’ll be fine."

She looked at their joined hands, then at him. Her cheeks turned pink and she nodded.

He left his hand there, hoping it would absorb some of her pain and anger.

He hated seeing her close to tears. Hated that it was her father behind it.

His heart surged with longing, and for a moment, he just wanted to reach out and kiss the pain out of her.

But then she pulled her hand away and looked out the window.

A smile twinkled in his chest. He wasn’t upset. He was happy. Her visible discomfort meant she felt it too.

She felt the surge.

She felt the need.

And she had run from it.

He shifted in his chair. "How do we help her?"

"What?"

"Your stepsister. How can we help her?" he repeated.

He knew it wasn’t his business, but if Hillary had made Nicolette feel this way, then Hillary was special.

And now, that made Hillary special to him too.

"Well... I... I haven’t thought about it," Nicolette stammered, clearly surprised.

"Money should help. When she gets—" he stopped when he saw her mouth twist. "What?"

"My dad still has control of the company. If he finds out you’re giving Hillary money, I... I don’t know what he’ll do," she admitted, sighing.

Alaric nodded.

He understood what she meant; he had almost become one of Ronald’s victims.

A thought crossed his mind.

Should he tell her her father tried to blackmail him?

No.

The answer came immediately. She didn’t need that weight on her right now.

"So," he said instead, "what do you suggest we do?"

"I don’t know," Nicolette replied, facing him. "Can we just go home and prepare to travel? I don’t think I want to check my gallery yet."

He understood.

"Take us home, Trainer," he ordered.

The car turned, and Nicolette finally relaxed. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I’ll call her later. We’ll talk about what she wants to do next, and I’ll let you know."

"Sounds good," he said.

They stayed quiet for the rest of the drive, with only the few glances he threw her way. When they finally arrived home, Nicolette spoke.

"Thank you. Really," she said, her eyes shining with gratitude.

Emotion welled in his chest. "You’re welcome."

They both stepped out of the car, and just as he reached for the front door, she did too.

Their hands met. Their eyes locked, before they parted.

Emotion surged through him, and he gave in.

"Nicolette..."

Her eyes widened with shock. Her cheeks flushed red.

And then she ran inside.

He stood there for a long moment, collecting his emotions, before finally stepping inside.

He went straight to his study and worked until it was time to leave.

Alaric stretched and bent over to kiss Bagel on the nose. "Be a good boy. Daddy will be home soon."

Bagel groaned like he didn’t believe him.

"I know. But don’t worry, the days will fly," he said, rubbing him.

After playing for five more minutes, he handed Bagel to Anna.

"Your wife is waiting in the car, sir, and your luggage has been loaded," Anna informed him as she took Bagel.

"Thank you, Anna," Alaric said. "Keep the house safe. Call me if you need anything. My number will be available."

"Alright, sir."

"Bye, baby," he said to Bagel, scratching behind his ears. Bagel howled in response. "Be a good boy."

Alaric smiled and made his way outside.

Nicolette was already in the car. When he entered, she sat stiffly, her shoulders tense, her fingers twitching.

"Ready?" he asked softly, trying to ease the tension.

But it only made her hunch deeper.

Alaric’s muscles stiffened as reality began to dawn on him.

Everything was already planned. Winters Island was waiting.

But was Nicolette ready for Winters Island?

Especially when they were going to share a room?