The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 70. The Perfect Distraction.

Before Alaric gave out the order, Nicolette already knew who those flowers came from.

Lucian.

He was getting bolder by the minute, and she could bet her father was behind it. Ronald was pushing him, encouraging him to try all of this.

The bouquets were quickly cleared by some staff members while Alaric turned to her.

His mouth twisted, and his forehead creased in anger.

"That was weird," she said, trying not to make him think about it. "Ready for food?"

Alaric nodded, but she could tell he was far from ready. His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen.

"Go on, I will join you. Let me talk to Richard. I will be in the study," he said, and gave her a kiss before leaving.

Nicolette blushed to her roots, moved by his gesture. There was something unexpectedly soft about Alaric now, and she didn’t know if to be happy or terrified by it.

Shaking the thought off, she went to her room, knowing that Alaric might not come back early to eat with her. As she got inside, she heard her phone ring. Before she could reach it, it was already off.

She ignored it and decided to arrange the bed. The room smelled like sweat and sex and the reminder that she had taken charge of the whole event.

It left her empowered. Bold.

Her body shuddered as she remembered how she had controlled him, how he had easily obeyed her, weakened by her control.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone rang again. She dropped the bedspread on the bed and walked to pick it up.

She frowned. An unknown number was calling.

She picked up the call out of curiosity, realizing the last unknown call she had had been from Detective Hector. "Hello?"

"Hey beautiful, got my flowers?"

Her body tensed, but she quickly recovered. "I don’t appreciate you sending me anything. Leave me alone, Lucian."

He chuckled. "Come on, you can’t always be this harsh to me."

She shut her eyes as memories of him touching her filled her mind. She clenched her fists, anger brewing inside her. "Don’t call me again and stop sending me anything!"

Then she hung up.

She dropped the phone on the table and walked to the closet to get a fresh bedspread. She couldn’t blame Lucian for his guts; Ronald was the one making him this bold.

When she returned to the room, she heard her phone buzzing with messages. She groaned, choosing to ignore it as she arranged the bed.

When another message came in once she was done, she reached for the phone.

There were three messages from Ronald.

"I trust that we will be seeing you this evening."

The first message sent anger through her chest.

"Lucian is a patient man. I don’t know why you’re too stupid to see that."

She clenched her jaw at the second one but proceeded to read the third.

"If you don’t come, forget about the drawings. I mean it, Nic."

Nicolette rubbed her temple. Despite the anger, fear was starting to creep in. She needed a solution, and she knew it was only Alaric who could help her.

She picked up the dirty bedspread, dropped it in the laundry basket, and took the phone as she made her way to Alaric’s study.

Just as she was about to knock, she heard Alaric’s voice. Hard and upset.

"Yes. I think I have to go back. Going back to Australia seems like the best option now."

She blinked.

Australia?

Why would he want to go back there?

She was curious, so she knocked. She waited for him to ask her to come inside.

When he saw she was the one, he quickly spoke on the phone. "I will call you later. Thank you, Richard."

Alaric ended the call and tucked the phone in his pocket. The frown lines that had been on his face eased out almost immediately.

"I was taking a little longer than expected, yeah?" he added, offering a crooked smile.

"Not really," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Come, let’s go and eat. I’m sure you’re hungry and tired," he said, opening his arms for her.

She walked into his arms, drawn to him like a magnet. She sniffed in his scent, her body instinctively melted into his body, clinging to him, seeking the comfort of his warmth.

"What’s happening in Australia?"

Alaric froze, the air between them suddenly thick with unease. His eyes darted around, as if looking for an escape.

He stepped away, dropping his hands. "Uhmmm... nothing. Just business..."

She nodded slowly, unconvinced by his words.

He cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable. "Shall we?" He turned to the door.

"Yes," she replied as she followed him.

What was that about?

What was happening in Australia?

She was curious, but she knew she was definitely not getting a reply from him. They walked quietly to the dining room with Alaric in front of her.

When they got to the room, he pulled out a chair for her and took the next one.

"Let’s hope there is something delicious to eat," he said, giving her a tight smile.

Nicolette felt uneasy at the tension in his expression, but she didn’t want to push. She didn’t want to think about it.

Because several thoughts flooded her head; thoughts she knew would ruin her good mood again.

And she didn’t need that right now.

"Work will officially start tomorrow on your new building," he said.

"Nice," she replied.

That was great news, but it looked like he had said it just to get in her good graces.

And for that, she was slightly annoyed.

"You will get to meet the designers tomorrow," he added. "You can pick however you would like the place to look like."

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile, irritated that he was trying so hard.

They sat in silence—too awkward for a couple who had just been intimate.

Thankfully, the door opened and the food came in, saving them from further humiliation.

Nicolette’s phone rang, and she reached for it. Suzie was on the line.

The perfect distraction.

She stood up, gesturing to the phone. "Suzie."

"Okay," he nodded. "I will wait for you."

Nicolette walked out of the dining room before picking up the call. "Hey girl."

"Hey Lettie. How are you?"

Suzie’s tone was strained, and there was something in her voice that made Nicolette’s stomach tighten.

"Are you alright? Is Walt okay?"

"Yes, yes," Suzie responded hurriedly. "Lettie..."

Nicolette’s stomach dropped. "What is it? What happened?"

Suzie exhaled before she replied. "Mrs. Wahlberg is suing me because of her grandson’s incident."

Nicolette remembered. "Oh God. That’s crazy."

"I know."

"Don’t worry. I will talk to Alaric about it. I am sure we can come to an agreement with Mrs. Wahlberg. Sounds good?"

"Yes," Suzie said, but she wasn’t sounding good.

Nicolette’s stomach knotted. She knew that tone. "That’s more, right?" she asked, her heart pounding swiftly.

Suzie swallowed, and then her voice cracked. "Troy is back, Lettie. I think he’s stalking me."