The Contract Lover He Couldn't Keep

Vol.1 Was there anything more heartbreaking than personally delivering condoms to the man you loved and his fiancée? Yes. There was. What was worse was being misunderstood, being forced to swallow the hurt because of outside pressure, and then being blamed by the person she loved. She stood outside the second-floor master bedroom. Through the half-open door, she saw Vanessa Langley, Julian's official fiancée, sitting at the edge of the bed in the master bedroom. Vanessa had Julian's usual dark gray cashmere blanket draped over her. Beneath it, a pair of smooth, slender legs showed. In the warm air and soft light, her skin had an ivory glow. She crossed one foot over the other. Nude-pink polish covered her toenails, and her foot swung idly. "Claire?" Vanessa suddenly turned and met her eyes through the c***k in the door. Her cool, elegant face held a faint, unreadable smile. "Why are you standing there? Come in." Claire's fingers tightened. Suddenly, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. When Vanessa turned, Claire saw the red mark on her neck. The glaring pink spread ambiguously across her fair skin. Between adults, it was a silent declaration of possession, wordless but tense. Claire froze for a second. Her lips pressed together without her realizing it. She was only the daughter of a Prescott housekeeper. Evelyn Sinclair, Julian's mother, had sent her here to keep Julian company while he studied. Claire had neither the position nor the status to tell Vanessa to get off the bed she had shared with Julian. Claire took a quiet, deep breath. She tried to keep her face calm, pushed the door open, and walked in. The master bedroom on the second floor had originally been where she and Julian lived together. She had spent almost every night in this bed for 3 years, willingly taking whatever his restless desire demanded from her. She sniffed and held back the tears rising in her chest. Vanessa tilted her head and looked at Claire. There was no surprise in her eyes, only the proud arrogance of someone who already believed she had won. "I heard Mrs. Prescott mention you before. She said you went with Julian to study on the East Coast of Ardenia. Too bad I spent the years after high school flying back and forth between Newbridge and Lavenne. I only reunited with Julian at the party tonight." Just then, the bathroom door in the master bedroom opened. Vanessa turned at the sound and smiled sweetly at the tall figure walking out. Julian simply walked over, step by step. A black silk robe draped over him, the belt tied loosely around his waist and revealing a small stretch of firm chest. His black eyes were fixed on the box of condoms in her palm. "What are you doing in here?" Julian asked. His voice was cold and deep, with no warmth at all. Claire froze for a second. Only then did she remember her task. She lifted her hand and held the box out to him. In a low voice, she said, "Mr. Prescott, your mother said she doesn't want you getting anyone pregnant while you are studying abroad." Claire lowered her eyes. The moment the words left her mouth, she clearly saw Julian's expression change out of the corner of her eye. After tonight, she would fulfill the contract she had made with Evelyn, board a flight back home, and say goodbye forever to the man she had been bound to for 12 years. Julian's gaze fell on the box of condoms. His eyes were so dark that she couldn't see the emotions moving beneath them. It was the same 0.03 mm ultra-thin kind he always used. This very box was from the pile they had bought together at the supermarket just last weekend, when she had clung to his arm and insisted he go with her. 'Great. Just great.' He suddenly gave a low laugh. The smile never reached his eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved with cold mockery. "Claire Bennett, you really are getting more and more obedient." Claire stood where she was and didn't move. She watched him walk toward her step by step. His long fingers took the box, but his jaw suddenly tightened. Without warning, Julian leaned close and lifted his hand to grip her chin. His grip was so strong it felt as if he wanted to crush her bones. "Obedient enough to bring me this without even asking?" Claire was forced to lift her head and meet those bottomless eyes. In those dark eyes, there was anger, violence, and a kind of grievance and pain she couldn't understand, as if he were the one who had been abandoned and betrayed. "I thought you needed it..." She heard the tremor in her own voice. Tears edged into it before she could stop them. "After all, Miss Langley is here." "So you brought it?" Julian's fingers tightened further. "Claire Bennett, what do you take me for? What do you take yourself for?" He kept his voice very low, almost only loud enough for the two of them to hear. His gaze locked on her, so dark it seemed ready to swallow her whole until nothing was left. "Ahem." Behind them, Vanessa gave a soft cough. That soft cough sounded like a warning. It instantly pulled Julian back from the edge of losing control. As if burned, he abruptly released Claire's chin. He grabbed the box of condoms and, in front of Vanessa, hurled it hard at the door behind Claire. "Get out." With a dark expression, Julian slammed the door shut in front of her. The surrounding walls seemed to shake. She came back to herself, took a deep breath, bent down, picked up the crushed box of condoms, and gently placed it on the side cabinet at the corner of the hall. So this was how their last meeting ended. That was fine. It was a fitting ending.