Contracted To The Beast novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Leo pulled over in the driveway of the condo and came down to open the doors.

“Thank you,” I said as I got out of the car.

“I’ll be on standby, ma’am,” he said calmly.

I watched him walk back to the car and felt a strange mixture of gratitude and guilt. No one had ever rearranged their entir life just to keep me alive before.

“You don’t have to. I won’t be stepping out again tonight.” The least I can do is to make his job easier since he’s as adamant as Maddox.

“Okay, ma’am,” he replied.

“Good night.” I waved him goodbye, hoping he would leave.

I walked into the condo, Natalie in tow.

“Nia,” I heard an excited voice say.

I turned to see Liam. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said with a dazzling smile. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Thank-

He interrupted me by pulling me into a bear hug. Damn. This man smelled good.

“Your friend?” he asked after finally letting me go.

“Yes. This is Natalie. She’s my best friend.”

Liam turned toward her and, for the first time since I’d known him, looked momentarily speechless.

“Wow,” he said before he could stop himself.

Natalie blinked. “Wow?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. “Sorry. I meant-hi. I’m Liam.”

The pink spreading across Natalie’s cheeks was immediate.

“Natalie,” she said, offering her hand.

Instead of shaking it quickly. Liam held it for a second too long.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Natalie.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” she replied softly.

He smiled. “I doubt that.”

Natalie laughed nervously, and I swear Liam looked even more pleased by it.

I looked between them.

15:05 Thu, Jul 9 A

Chapter 77

Oh.

Oh no.

“You look familiar,” Liam said thoughtfully.

Natalie’s eyes widened. “You watched my TED Talk?”

“You gave a TED Talk?” he asked, looking genuinely impressed.

“No,” she admitted, laughing.

“Good,” he said with a grin. “Because I was about to feel really underachieving.”

She laughed again.

God help us.

“I’ll leave you ladies to it,” he said, finally releasing her hand. “But, Natalie?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m serious. You look beautiful tonight.”

Natalie looked like she had forgotten how to breathe.

“You too,” she blurted out.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Liam burst out laughing. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all week.”

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I physically had to grab Natalie’s arm and drag her toward the elevator before either of them proposed marriage.

The elevator doors closed.

Natalie stared straight ahead. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

I turned to look at her. “Oh my God,” I agreed. “You two just had a rom-com meet-cute.”

“That was the Reaper?” Natalie asked in shock as we got into my apartment, “Liam Torres. THE LIAM TORRES.”

I burst out laughing. It was easy to forget that Liam Torres wasn’t just Maddox’s annoying best friend. To the rest of the world, he was hockey royalty.

“Yes.” I answered, chuckling.

“I always knew he was fine, but seeing him in person should honestly be illegal,” she said, still in shock.

“He’s also a gentleman,” I said as we walked into my bedroom.

“Your house is very you,” Natalie said, smiling. “Are the other team members here?”

“Yeah, they are,” I replied as I took off my clothes. I needed to change into a more comfortable outfit. “You’re spending the night, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to at this point. I have work in the morning,” she replied.

“That’s true. I can have Leo take you home.” I offered.

Chapter 77

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“No, it’s alright,” she said, waving her palm. “Since we got here, I had already concluded mentally that I was staying the night.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, handing her a change of clothes. We’re almost the same size, so it was fine.

I ordered takeout as she showered. I can’t remember the last time we had a sleepover like this. It’ll have to be in/college.

I sat on the couch in my sitting room and waited for her to finish. We were going to watch Love Island USA. We are both bold fans. Natalie was the one that put me on.

I haven’t started this season yet. I’ve been looking for a day to catch up. Today’s that day.

“All done,” she said as she took a seat beside me.

“Let’s begin,” I said, handing her food over to her.

“Ooh, Thai food. Fancy, fancy,” she said excitedly. She was also a big fan of variety foods, and I loved it.

I woke up quite a bit late the next day. We slept really late because of the show we were binging. We spent a good portion of the night glued to the TV.

I had to practically wake Natalie to get ready for work so she would be out on time;

I had Leo drop her off. She was very tired. She needs at least eight hours of sleep to function.

That’s the only way she won’t wake up looking like a zombie. I’ve remastered the act of functioning on the least amount of sleep possible.

I had to pick up that habit in college. We always had a whole lot of work to do, with so little time.

I’m so glad I got to see her. I’ve been looking forward to visiting her. I’ve finally given her the things I got for her from Greece.

I packed up the rest for my girls in the office. It’ll have been so long since I last went to work.

Natalie is right. I’m really being bougie now. I think I’m changing gradually.

Or my perspective is.

A lot of things I thought weren’t possible, I can see them unfolding before my eyes. It’s such an eye-opening experience.

I’m getting more and more worried about Zara. I now understand why some celebrities and influencers never post their kids on social media.

I’m just trying to imagine if someone like Trey knew about the whereabouts of Zara or even knew I had a child. I don’t even want to imagine the endless traumatic possibilities.

A chill ran down my spine. I had spent so much time worrying about myself that I hadn’t stopped to consider the terrifying possibility that someone could use Zara to get to me. The thought alone made me feel sick.

Speaking of Trey. I haven’t heard from him since that day, and his silence is really scary. I’m hoping he doesn’t spawn out of somewhere I’ll be at. Trey isn’t the type to hide. He’s probably keeping a low profile because of the incident with Bella.

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Chapter 77

That was the problem with Trey. Silence never meant peace. It usually meant he was planning something.

I’m suspecting so, but I might as well enjoy my peaceful days. I didn’t really have the energy for drama.

What am I going to wear today?

I needed to be more serious today. I laid out a black pinstripe trouser and a silk blouse. I decided to also bring out my Louboutins and my black mini coach.

I’ll put my hair up in a slick bun. I needed to look as professional as possible. I don’t even have an attorney for myself.

I’ll invest in that soon enough. I’ll need one before the end of this contract.

I’m trying to imagine what Bella would have to say. I’m curious to hear what her defence would sound like. She owes me an explanation. And maybe an apology for her character that day.

I paced around the living room for a moment. I don’t even know if I’m mentally ready to face her.

I kept telling myself that I was going there for closure. But deep down, I knew the truth. I wanted to look Bella in the eyes and understand how someone could watch another person drown and walk away.

I don’t seem to understand why someone as prettier as her would be so vile.

I wasn’t really looking forward to today.

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