He wants her: Contract with Alpha Miller

CHAPTER THREE

Malians POV

9AM. My alarm went off. I slowly peeled one eye open, the harshness of the light striking through the curtains, causing a painful sting that made me instinctively hiss and turn my head away. It was only a moment before the relentless sound interrupted my thoughts again—a shrill, persistent ringing that felt like a hammer pounding away at my temples. Frustration bubbled up inside me. "s**t!" I muttered to myself, disbelief and irritation bubbling to the forefront of my foggy brain."Will you f*****g shut up?!" I shouted, my voice a groggy croak, as I finally threw the covers off and stood up. In a moment of sheer frustration, I swung my foot towards the offending object—my phone, which had made the mistake of being too loud for my current mental state. The impact did nothing to silence my cacophony of thoughts, but it served as a temporary distraction.My head throbbed mercilessly as I managed to shuffle over to my dressing table, where I collapsed onto the edge. I groaned, my mind racing through a fog of confusion and regret. How did I even get home last night? What on earth had transpired? The remnants of the previous evening began to claw their way back into my consciousness. Oh God, my head was screaming; it felt like I was carrying a weight heavy enough to crush me into the ground.Just then, I heard a gentle knock on my door, pulling me from the depths of my muddled thoughts. "Who is it?" I called out, my voice laced with annoyance."It’s Agatha, ma'am," came the reply from my ever-faithful handmaiden. "Oh, for crying out loud, what do you want?" I couldn't help the irritation that seeped into my tone."Are you okay, ma'am? You came back very drunk last night, more than usual," she observed, concern lining her voice."I did?" My brow furrowed in confusion. I had no recollection of the night—just blank spaces and that persistent, pounding headache. Wait—oh no. It was starting to come back to me. I had clearly overstayed my welcome after the bar closed. They had tried to kick me out, but I had insisted on staying. *"Leave? Why? Are they actually kicking me out?!"* I recalled, the panic surging through me at the thought of being abandoned in such a state. *"No one cares about me! I can’t even drink my sorrows away in peace!"* I had lamented to the bartender, who had simply gazed at me with pity in his eyes. The memory brought a wave of shame, and I full-on cringed, recalling how embarrassing it was. *"Tell me! Why did you break my heart into pieces?"* I had sung dramatically, oblivious to how pathetic I must have sounded. Looking back, I could hardly believe how low I had sunk that night. "How did I even make it home?" I mumbled, trying to piece together the puzzle."Oh, you drove yourself home, ma'am," Agatha stated as if it were the most casual fact in the world."I did?" I gasped, incredulous. The thought of driving in such a state filled me with dread. How had I not crashed the car? "Did I wreck my car?" My mind raced with the potential consequences of my reckless actions."No, your car is in perfect condition. But you, on the other hand—" Slimy little— I could practically hear the smile in her voice as she mimicked me. "You broke my heart and sang that little ditty for over an hour. It was quite the performance, but not exactly the best karaoke night. And let’s not forget the parts where you vomited everywhere and pulled your hair out in despair.""Okay, okay! I get it—shut up, please," I spat back, mortified at the memory. "How about a warm bath or some coffee? You look terrible," she suggested kindly."No, I'd prefer to be left alone, thank you," I replied, my tone sharper than I intended."Understood, ma'am. Also, if you’re wondering, Master Ryder hasn’t been home..."The mention of his name struck me like a punch to the gut. My heart sank at the thought of Ryder. "... just in case you wanted to know, ma’am.""I didn't ask, but thanks for the update. And remember, Agatha, this is our little secret. No one can know what happened last night.""Don’t worry. It was just me and David awake at that hour. Your secret is safe with us." "Good." She left my room, and I exhaled a shaky breath, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose, a habit I often turned to when overwhelmed. But today, I struggled to identify what exactly I felt amidst the chaos.As the water poured over my body in the shower, I slipped into a sea of thoughts. What does it all mean—Malian? I was hurt, undeniably so, but I refused to allow it to destroy me completely. I couldn't indulge in misery over something far out of my control.Leaning my back against the cool tile wall, I slid down slowly, the water cascading over me like a cascading waterfall. *"I can't let them win. I won't let them get away with this.*" They strolled into my life and shattered everything I had built. Now, I felt utterly isolated and hopeless.Suddenly, I heard another knock at the door. "Agatha, I said I'm fine! For Christ's sake, why can’t you take a hint and leave me alone?" I yelled, irritation lacing my voice as I spoke from the confines of the shower. Of course, I cared for Agatha, but sometimes, her persistent nature grated on my already frayed nerves."It’s me, Ryder," came his voice from the other side, and suddenly, my heart raced with an odd mix of dread and anticipation. "I didn’t tell you to come in," I shot back, annoyance spilling from my lips."Well, this is my house, and you’ve got no say in that," he countered, striding into my personal space without waiting for my permission, as was his way. "You're such an asshole, Ryder! Just leave," I shot, my voice razor-sharp with anger. "And you’ve got quite the sharp tongue today, Malian." The way he spoke made me want to slap him. "Let's discuss yesterday:""Don't f*****g bring that up!" I exploded, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around myself hurriedly. Luckily, the closed door kept my modesty intact. "You're overreacting," he chuckled, and I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. "Overreacting?" I snorted, disbelief coloring my tone. "You really have some audacity, Ryder.""Yep, and I’ve got no trouble showing it," he replied smugly. His familiar bravado, once so comforting, turned into an insufferable annoyance that I wished to swat away. "If you're here to gloat about last night, you can just leave right now. You've done enough already.""Malian, try to be reasonable," Ryder pushed back, and I rolled my eyes."Reasonable?" I hissed incredulously. "Hold on a minute." I forced myself to step out of the bathroom to see him lounging on my bed, looking worse for wear. His appearance stirred an emotion within me—a mix of concern and frustration. "Wow, you look terrible," I teased, despite the truth of his state."And you look equally awful," he retorted, crossing his arms."Who caused it?!" I snapped back, my emotions flaring once again."Look, just… don’t shout. My head is pounding right now," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in a way that mirrored my own stress."I hope it feels like torture." The words slipped out, fueled by emotions I was struggling to manage. "Why did you come into my life, Ryder? Why did you have to turn it into this twisted mess? I gave you my all, welcomed you into my world, hoping you’d fill the emptiness inside me. Why would you do this?" Tears began to streak down my cheeks, but I forcefully wiped them away—Ryder didn’t deserve my pain."You are useless, Malian." The words rolled off his tongue with a casualness that sent my heart crashing down. How could he smile while delivering such bitterness? "You are just—let me put it this way: you're a good girl, but I'm tired of it all," he sneered."And how does my exhaustion equate to my worth?" I retorted angrily."I don’t know, it just seemed fitting to say. Besides, isn’t that what your mother always said?""This isn’t the man I love; you’re an absolute monster," I cried out, my voice thick with emotion."No, Malian. The truth is, you were simply blind to what has been real all along," he said coolly. "You’ve known all along things were amiss. You just chose to overlook it.""Maybe that’s true, but I don’t deserve this!" I shouted."Hmm," he drawled, inching closer. "And what exactly do you plan to do about it?""Make you pay for everything you’ve done," I declared, feeling a newfound determination rising within me. Everything was on the line, and I was ready to fight back against the turmoil that had engulfed my heart.