I Fell For My Contract Partner

"So, you asked me to come home just to sign another marriage contract with one of your business partners?" My voice echoed through the room as I stared at them coldly like a sharp blade. The entire room fell silent. None of them dared to speak. “Caleb, have you lost your mind?” The woman in front of me let out a weary sigh, tension written all over her face. “Everyone has already agreed, and tomorrow is an important day for the event.” Her voice carried a sharp edge, almost demanding. I didn’t care. No one gets to decide things for me like this. “That sounds like your problem, not mine." I shot her a death glare. “The event cannot be canceled, and you are not backing out now!” She snapped. “Tomorrow, you’ll arrive at exactly seven o’clock. Understood?” That wasn’t a request. It was an order. “Tch… annoying.” Arguing any further was pointless. I turned away and walked away with heat rising in my chest, burning. “Caleb, please don’t act like this. Don’t become like your brother.” The woman—my mother—called after me. She hurried after me for a few steps before saying something she never should have said. I stopped instantly in the middle of the room. My jaw tightened hard until I could hear my teeth grinding. “Don't you dare to talk about him like that!" I snapped as I turned back toward her. "Isn't all of this your fault? First my brother, and now me?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "Caleb, shut up!" She lost her patience and exploded. I laughed, a grin spread across my face. "What? Don't tell me you wanted me to die just like hi—" SLAP! She hit me. Hard. Right on my right face. A throbbing pain slowly spread across my cheek. Everybody gasped. I rubbed my face. Meanwhile, my mother, she was looking down at her trembling hand in disbelief. Everyone was horrified by what had just happened. My uncle stood up from his chair, fixed me with a piercing glare, and yelled, "you said too much, Caleb!" His voice sounded hoarse. And the others followed, standing up to cover my mother and put the blame itself to my brother who had run away with a man. I hate this. I scanned them one by one—faces I was supposed to call family. There's no place for me, not even inside this big house.... "I am leaving...." Without any words I turned myself quickly. "Caleb, why won't you listen to your mother!" That old man shouted in anger. I shot him a murderous glare. “From now on, stay out of my life. I'm human… not an asset you can sell.” His body froze at the moment. That was the last thing I said before walking out of the house and leaving every single one of them behind People obsessed with power. Who cared about their wealth anyway? My own business was already doing more than well enough. I grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open. Bang! I slammed it shut behind me, hard enough to shake the walls, and walked out as if I had just stepped out of a jail cell. “Heh… ridiculous. Forcing me into marriage just so they can divide the family assets afterward….” I muttered under my breath while walking down the long driveway. The guards at the gate quickly opened it the moment they noticed my presence. “Good evening, Young Master.” They bowed respectfully as I walked past them. I ignored them and continued toward the gate. Once outside, I headed straight toward the black Rolls-Royce Phantom parked not far from the gate. The moment my car roared to life, I heard some footsteps cutting through the sound of the engine behind me. “Caleb! Come back!" Haha. So she actually chased after me as if I were the future of this family along with those people. I glanced toward the gate and saw her struggling to catch her breath. One of my nephews grabbed her shoulders. “Sorry, Mom. I don’t have time to play along with your little plan,” I said with a faint smirk from behind the car window. “Caleb! Seven o’clock tomorrow night!” She shouted stubbornly. “I can’t hear you! Bye!” I waved lazily before stepping on the gas roughly. With that my car sped down on the road. Did she seriously think I’d show up? After a few minutes, my phone started ringing. “Who else, now?" I ignored it at first, but the ringing continued relentlessly. How annoying. “What the hell do you want?!” I slammed on the brakes in one motion, my body jerking forward before hitting the seat again. My eyes narrowed at the still-ringing phone and grabbed it without even checking the caller. “Who is this, and what do you want?” I asked without hiding my anger in my tone. “Caleb… it’s Dad.” His calm but firm voice made something tighten faintly inside my chest. “Did you call just to force me into that event too?” I growled low. “If you still consider me your father… though perhaps you don’t anymore—” Tch. Damn it. He really knew how to use his position against me. Just because he knew I still cared. “Fine. I’ll come,” I replied within the second. “Thank you, Caleb. I knew I could count on you,” his voice softened and sounded relieved. “Just don’t bother me again. I’m driving.” “Alright. See you tomorrow night.” The call ended. Just like that. “She definitely made Dad call me. Unbelievable.” I tightened my grip on the phone in frustration. That scheming woman… she really used my father, her own husband as a trump card. But, even if I showed up, it didn’t mean I would agree to the arranged marriage. Just wait. I’ll make them regret this. A grin slowly spread across my face as I imagined their reactions and a scenario played on my mind. I was laughing like a maniac and steered up my car back to the highway. My Rolls-Royce Phantom cruised smoothly through the city streets, passing shopping districts, karaoke bars, and clubs. A lively nightlife of the city. Crowds of people were entering the entertainment places that had sprung up along the outskirts of the city, like a swarm of ants. One place in particular caught my attention—the club I usually went to. The Macallan Club. The biggest one with the best whiskey and women with striking beauty. “Hm… it’s still early,” I muttered after glancing at the golden watch wrapped around my wrist. In the end, I decided to head there.... Well, I needed entertainment. After everything, to lighten the heavy burden hanging inside my chest. A few glasses of alcohol wouldn’t be bad at all… I smoothly steered my car into the club’s parking area. This place clearly wasn’t an ordinary club. Every vehicle parked there, from motorcycles to luxury cars, belonged to famous brands with high value. I circled the parking area for a while since the front section was already full, while my eyes were roaming around, looking for a spot. Then, at one point, I noticed a group of young men—probably around college age—surrounding someone. The guy in the middle with messy red hair was vomiting violently, his body swaying unsteadily as the others struggled to hold him upright. Probably drunk. I stopped the car and rolled down the window. “Hey! Don’t let him puke all over the street! Take him somewhere else!” I shouted to them in a warning tone. The group turned toward me with awkward smiles. “Sorry about that. We were just about to take him away,” one of them said with a small nod. “Good. Then hurry up before he causes trouble for everyone else,” I replied and looking away from the group. But something unexpected happened. “What did you say?! I’m causing trouble?!” He yelled in a hoarse voice. My brows furrowed as I looked at him, who was now staring at me with a murderous glare. That red haired guy turned his head in slow motion. His eyes flared up, as if he was ready to fight. This is gonna be bad, after I saw him shove his friends and moved closer in haste. "How troublesome...," I cursed under my breath and tried to drive my car away. Before I could move away, the drunk guy grabbed my collar and yanked me halfway out through the open window. “Damn rich people… acting like everyone else is garbage….” His words came out slurred, his breath thick with alcohol. "You're no different, Laura! You think of me like a piece of trash huh?" He leaned in dangerously close. Our faces were only inches apart. For a moment, I was hypnotized by his striking turquoise eyes. It was beautiful, to be honest. But his words snapped me back into reality. "I love you and you know that, right...?" He pulled me closer. Everything happened too fast, I didn't even have a chance to react at all when our lips brushed together. He kissed me—roughly on the spot. Damn, this was my first time kissing a guy and yet something stung in my stomach. What is this? My hand moved to his head, holding it tightly as I kissed him back instinctively, deepening our kiss until he gasped for breath and coughed. "Sean!!" His friends tried to move closer but I sent them a deathglare, making them freeze in their spot. "What the hell is that! You're not my Lau—urrp...!" He glared at me, but.... Within seconds his rage shifted. He puked all over my shirt... I froze for a moment before I exploded. “How dare you throw up on my shirt…!” My jaw tightened, veins on my neck becoming visible. “Do you know how much it costs?! Twenty million!!” I grabbed his collar and shouted at him as he lost his balance and collapsed onto me. “Twe-twenty million…?” His friends murmured, glancing at each other. Without waiting any longer, they stepped back in unison. “Sean, I think we need to go now!! See you, and call us later!!” The three of them ran off, leaving me behind with this chaotic gremlin. “Now, what should I do to you, huh…?” I looked at him, feeling annoyed.