Her Contract Marriage To The Billionaire Alpha

Decisions

Alyssa POV

I stared down at my hands. I don't know what to do. Theodore has me well and truly trapped. If I don't go through with the wedding, the family company will fail, and I'll be the one to blame. Father has worked so hard to build it and my stepmother and stepsister rely on the money it brings in. I can feel my body trembling as I stand there, the rehearsal dinner underway, my stepmother constantly shooting me concerned glances while Dahlia remains out of the way and Theodore stands possessively beside me.

I can't breathe. I need to get out of here, I need to be alone. I can feel tears threatening to fall. I haven't been in touch with Xavier since I saw him the other day and part of me wishes I had taken him up on his offer, that I had said yes to his marriage contract, but it's too late now.

I took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm not feeling well" I whispered, turning to Theodore who was smiling widely as he sipped at a glass of champagne. "I think I need to go and lie down."

He narrows his eyes at me, even as he takes in the paleness of my complexion, the dark circles beneath my eyes, the exhaustion on my face. Since he told me the truth the other day, I haven't gotten a good night's sleep and I'm tired. Restless. I'm dreading tomorrow and what it will bring.

"Don't think of doing anything stupid, Alyssa" he warned in a low tone.

"I won't," I say back, trying not to snap, feeling like I'm on the verge of having a mental breakdown. "I just want to go and get some rest. Please, Theodore" I pleaded softly, watching as his eyes softened "I'm tired, and I have a headache", I lied.

He sips his champagne again. "Perhaps I should join you" he offers, and I see the hunger in his eyes, causing me to flinch inwardly.

"I thought you had important clients to take care of and sweet talk," I said numbly.

"That's true. I suppose if you go straight to the hotel room, then it shouldn't be a problem. I can simply catch up with you later" he murmurs.

I try not to breathe a sigh of relief. Part of me just wants to curl up in a ball and pretend tomorrow isn't going to happen. Instead, I force myself to smile at him as he makes a gesture for me to leave. I walk past Dahlia, fighting back the urge to shove her or do something unnecessarily catty. She doesn't know that I know, and Theodore wants it to remain that way. But I have no intention of keeping my silence forever. As it is, I content myself with shooting her dirty looks and making snide comments under my breath, causing her to look at me confused. I've never treated her this badly before, but I've never been so furious at her as I am right now.

I get in the elevator, keeping my eyes studiously on the floor. As I step out onto the hallway leading to my room, a hand grabs my arm, tightly, causing me to lift my head, my eyes widening as I see the last person I expected to see in the hotel, let alone on the same floor.

"Xavier". I rubbed my arm as he let go, his eyes narrowed on me. "What are you doing here?"

He ignores me, his expression condemning "Why haven't you contacted me? Don't tell me that you're still planning on marrying that lying, cheating bastard Alyssa" he growls.

I swallow hard. I flushed underneath his searching gaze. There is judgment in his eyes. His jaw is clenched, and he looks as though he's struggling to hold back his own emotions, his own anger. I avoided his gaze.

"It's complicated" I whisper, and he lets out a furious snarl.

"It's not Alyssa, it's simple. Is your self-esteem really that damaged that you would accept a husband like this? What about the contract I offered you? Are you telling me that's not anywhere near as attractive in comparison?" he demands.

I want to cry. The last few days have been stressful. I've barely eaten, unable to get Theodore's threats out of my mind. I'm emotional, slowly losing my sanity and my family has betrayed me in the worst way possible. Now I had Xavier judging me without knowing the full truth and I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as he inhaled sharply at seeing it.

He reaches out and flicks it away, a dangerous expression on his face. "What's going on Alyssa?"

I looked away. "Nothing, Xavier. I'm marrying Theodore. End of story" but my voice breaks and my lip quivers, giving me away.

I don't want to marry Theodore. I hate him. I hate the thought of becoming his wife. I could feel my body shaking as Xavier studied me.

"Come with me" was all he said.

I stare and then blindly follow behind him as he leads me to a room not far from my own, opening the door and ushering me in. He shuts and locks the door. I turned around. He glares at me.

"Tell me the truth, Alyssa. I can see you don't want to go through with this marriage."

How could I tell him that I had no choice? That my family's company hinged on me marrying his stepbrother? Xavier wouldn't understand the loyalty I felt towards my father and Karen. I looked at him miserably.

"I'm sorry Xavier, but I have to marry Theodore" I whispered as he continued to stand there, motionless, "I don't have a choice. Without it, my family's company would..."

"Go bankrupt," he supplied, growling, "I know. So Theodore threatened you with that to get you to comply?" he looked at me and something in my expression gave it away because he cursed out loud.

"Bastard. Alyssa, my offer stands" he said as I blinked. "Marry me instead."

I gave a bitter laugh "Xavier, don't you get it? If I had a choice, I would marry you in a heartbeat, but Theodore's already threatened to pull out his support of my father's company. If' I'm responsible for the company going down then...." my voice trailed off.

Xavier looked pleased by my admission, which surprised me. "You would marry me if you had the choice?" he repeated, moving closer as my heart skipped a beat.

I stared up at him, unable to deny my attraction to him, feeling flutters in my stomach as I took in the darkness of his eyes and the strength of his gaze that made me weak at the knees. One look, and he had the ability to make me swoon. Something that Theodore had never managed to accomplish the entire time we had been dating. I felt my mouth go dry.

"Yes," I admitted, throwing my hands out and damning myself. "I would marry you, Xavier". I looked him directly in the eyes. "Even though I know it would only be a contract marriage", there was the rub "it would still be a damn sight better than marrying your stepbrother Theodore tomorrow". I cried "are you happy now? Are you satisfied that you got the answer you were looking for?"

My cheeks were flushed. I bit my lip embarrassed. Xavier's lips curved into the merest smile. I almost choked. The man had no idea how handsome he was. No wonder women threw themselves at him. But right now, he only has eyes for me. I stared at him, feeling helpless.

"So do it" he growls and then before I can move, before I can speak, he grabs my chin, forcing me to look up, his lips plastering, to mine as he begins to kiss me, with a possessiveness that shocks and thrills me at the same time, causing me to gasp and then moan out loud.

He deepens the kiss, leaving me breathless. I whimper, feeling his hand grip the back of my neck, my body tingling all over. It feels as though I'm clutching at him, my body pressing against him, almost as though I'm trying to grip him tighter before he pulls away, and I pant, drawing in much-needed oxygen. His eyes are so dark they look like obsidian now as he continues to hold my chin in his hand. My eyes water as I stare up at him. I slowly lick my lips and see his eyes narrow slightly.

"Xavier" I whispered, wanting to kiss him again.

I was becoming aroused, my juices slowly beginning to drip. I swear I saw his nostrils flare slightly. His voice sounded almost strangled as he spoke again. "Do it."

Two simple words that confused me as I stared at him, not comprehending what he meant. "Do what?" I asked numbly.

He looked impatient. "Marry me."

I sighed, pulling his hand from my chin "I just told you I couldn't," I said, even as my mind began to scream out to do it, "my family". My voice shook.

"Don't deserve your loyalty, Alyssa. They sold you to Theodore. That should tell you exactly how much they care about you. Do they even care that you don't want this?"

No. They didn't. But I was never going to be able to live with myself if I walked away and put them in dire financial straits. I wavered. Xavier shook his head at me, his eyes turning slightly glacial as I recoiled.

"Fine," he said, his tone icy "If I agree to save your family's company, then will you marry me instead of Theodore?" he growled.

He would do that? Save my family's company? Just to be able to marry me? Did he want an heir that badly?

"Think of it as p*****t for the heir you will be providing" he added, as I flinched from the harshness of his tone.

He looked at me expectantly. I have a choice now. I could choose between him and Theodore. The lesser of two evils was Xavier. Without question. He had never laid a hand on me, whereas Theodore...I already knew that when he got angry he was capable of becoming violent and aggressive. But the wedding is tomorrow. How on earth was I going to get out of it, without Theodore fighting me or my parents' knowledge?

"You" the words burst out of my mouth, without thinking "I would rather marry you," I confessed, trying not to turn beet red.

Something indecipherable flashed across his eyes and his lips twisted. "Then come with me," he said, and I frowned.

"The courthouse is closed, Theodore will notice I'm missing...."

"Money can buy pretty much everything, Alyssa," he said patiently, grabbing my hand and turning me towards the door, "even certain privileges that aren't offered to the public. It's one of the benefits of being enormously wealthy," he said callously, opening the door and dragging me through it. "We get treated differently to everyone else. You'll learn that in time" he added with a growl, heading intentionally for the elevators as my heart hammered loudly in my chest. When we made it outside, I was somehow not surprised to discover he already had a limo waiting for the both of us. Theodore was going to be angry when he found out I was missing, but for the first time in a long time, I didn't care.