Contracted To The Beast novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91

My phone buzzed against the couch cushion.

Mom had come home less than ten minutes ago. She’d walked through the front door, kicked off her shoes, muttered something about having the longest day of her life, and disappeared upstairs without even touching the dinner I’d left out for her.

That alone told me how exhausted she was.

I flipped through Netflix for the third time and found myself rejecting the exact same shows I’d rejected twenty minutes earlier. Eventually, I gave up and switched to Crunchyroll.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to watch anime.

I just didn’t want to sit alone with my thoughts.

My legs were stretched across the couch, a glass of wine balanced carefully on the armrest beside me. A cooling face mask tightened against my skin while I half-watched an episode and half-texted Samantha and Natalie.

I was exhausted.

Not the kind of tiredness that disappears after a good night’s sleep.

The kind that settles somewhere behind your ribs and lingers there no matter how long you rest.

When Vera’s name flashed across my screen, I sat up immediately and answered.

“Hey girl,” she said as soon as I picked up.

“Hi, how are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m doing alright. What’s your plan for tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Nothing serious. Why?” I replied.

“Would you like to take a Pilates class with me, Edna, and Jamie?” she asked. “I’m sorry I’m calling this late. It was a bit impromptu. We wanted to reschedule but all the days we wanted were fully booked.”

“Yes, of course,” I replied excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to take one. I haven’t taken a class before.”

“It’s settled then. The class is at 9 a.m. I’ll send you the location,” she said. “There’s no need to worry about anything. It’s very beginner friendly.”

“Okay, thanks. Would you mind if I bring someone?” I asked, hoping to bring Natalie along.

“Of course you can. The more the merrier anyway,” she chuckled.

“See you tomorrow then,” she said and dropped the call.

I dialed Natalie immediately.

“Natalie, what’s up?” I asked.

“I’m good. You?” she muttered drowsily.

“Are you sleeping already? It’s too early for you to be asleep,” I said.

“I’m about to,” she yawned. “Is anything the matter?”

“No, everything is fine,” I reassured her.

“It’s quite unlike you to be awake by this time,” she said. “What happened to your bedtime?”

“And it’s unlike you to be sleepy by this time. You don’t even have a sleep schedule,” I sassed.

“Touché,” she said, laughing.

“What are you doing by 9 a.m. tomorrow?” I asked, getting to the point.

“Nothing,” she answered simply.

“Let’s go for Pilates,” I said.

“Okay, I’m down,” she accepted casually.

“I’ll pick you up by eight. Do not be late, please,” I begged her, because she took so much time getting ready.

“Okay,” she grumbled.

“Good night,” I said to her.

She paused to take another dramatic yawn. “See you tomorrow.”

The call disconnected before I could say anything else.

I checked the time.

11:12 p.m.

Natalie was right. I was usually asleep by now. Most nights, I was in bed before ten-thirty, partly because of work and partly because Zara considered six in the morning a perfectly reasonable time to start the day.

I turned off the TV. The sudden silence made the house feel even bigger.

Mom’s bedroom door upstairs was already closed. Zara was asleep. The dishwasher hummed softly in the kitchen.

I climbed into bed and sent Leo a quick text.

‘Please bring my car tomorrow morning!’

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

“I am, unfortunately,” I shook my head.

“Damn, that’s really crazy,” she replied. “What did your mom say when she saw this car?”

My grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

“She nearly lost her shit. I had to tell her that a portion of my salary would be deducted for the car mortgage.”

“Really?” Natalie turned to face me.

“That’s what I told her, but it isn’t though,” I confessed. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that Maddox casually got me an Audi. She hates his guts.”

“Yeah, I understand,” she said gently. “She really hates him.”

“Anyway,” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Oh please…” She blushed.

“You know what I want to ask,” I giggled. “What’s up with you and Liam?”

“Nothing. We’re just talking,” she replied.

“Girl, please,” I rolled my eyes. “I need the full tea.”

“He’s a really chill guy. He wanted to follow me on Instagram, but I told him not to. I really can’t deal with the dragging she shot me an apologetic look.

I gave a sad smile. “I understand completely.”

“He’s a really nice guy and he’s hella good looking.”

“That he is,” she said as we both laughed. “He wants us to go on a date tomorrow.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” I said, tapping the steering wheel as I pulled into the Pilates studio parking lot.

Natalie groaned. “Please don’t make me shop after exercising.”

I parked the car and looked through the windshield at the women walking into the studio carrying water bottles and yoga mats.

“Oh, we’re absolutely shopping.”

She stared at me. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

I grinned as I killed the engine.

“Absolutely.”