The Contract Love

A man in a black suit and gray jacket entered a monochromatic room where another man lay, propped up by two pillows. He immediately grabbed his shirt and pulled him up.

"You have to take responsibility for what your fucking daughter did!" he shouted, glaring.

"Carlos... What do you mean?" the middle-aged man asked fearfully. "I'm sure Alexis wouldn't do anything to trouble our family," he continued, panting.

"But she did!" Carlos pushed the middle-aged man back down. "Tony, you've been enough of a burden to me all this time. I can't keep supporting you and your daughter if you bring me no benefit at all!"

Tony sighed, clutching his chest. "Did I hear right? I took you in with your wife and daughter. You're the ones who should leave this house!"

"Oh, you're kicking me out?" Carlos placed his hands on his hips. "This may not be my house, but for years I've been financing your life and your daughter's. If I hadn't done that, I could've bought this house by now. So, I'm the one with more rights here!"

Tony stared in shock, his eyes widening.

"I also did major renovations to this house two years ago, almost spending a million dollars. If you want me, my wife, and my daughter to leave, you'll have to give me five million dollars!" Carlos declared, pointing at the increasingly weakened Tony.

"Carlos... I..."

"You don't have a choice!" Carlos cut

Tony off mid-sentence. "The deadline is tomorrow morning. If your daughter doesn't give herself up to Jerry McCallum, you'll leave this house... alone. Your daughter doesn't care about you anymore; she's disappeared!"

"Where is my daughter?" Tony furrowed his brow, only to have his attention suddenly drawn to Alexis, who had just entered the room and ran to him.

"Dad!" Alexis immediately embraced Tony, holding his hand and looking at him fearfully. "What happened? Are you having trouble breathing again?"

"It's okay... I will be fine." Tony gave a faint, pained smile, then noticed Alexis's revealing appearance and much makeup. "What happened to you? What did your uncle do to you?"

"Um..."

"She's already agreed to give herself to Jerry," Carlos said with a smug smile, his hands on his hips.

Alexis instantly stood up and turned to Carlos. "You promised not to tell him!"

"He deserves to know. He needs to know that his precious daughter has agreed to sell herself."

"What?" Tony gasped, clutching his chest tighter as his breathing grew labored.

Alexis panicked, shaking her head at her father. "Dad... That's not true!"

"No..." Tony shook his head, his eyes reddening. "How could this happen? I know you love me, but I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me. I... I've already failed to be a good father to you!"

"No..."

Tony fainted. Alexis panicked while Carlos only laughed.

"Dad, wake up, please!" Alexis gently pat Tony's cheeks.

"Hmm, it'd be better if he just died. You'd be free of this burden," Carlos said nonchalantly, then walked out of the room.

"Dad..." Alexis laid her father down carefully, grabbed his phone from the table, and called the hospital for help.

Within minutes, Alexis and the medical team managed to get Tony to the hospital. She stood outside the emergency room, pacing back and forth while hugging herself.

"Dad... you have to survive. You're all I have. I'll do anything to save you without making you feel like you failed as a father," she whispered, recalling the moments before he lost consciousness.

"Marry me, And your problem is solved."

The voice of a man interrupted Alexis' thoughts. She turned to see Jerry approaching her with a thin smile, hands on his hips. She immediately averted her gaze, unwilling to look at his smug face.

"Where's your savior now? He may have saved you from me, but he can't save you from this suffering," Jerry taunted.

"I'm not suffering as long as I'm with my father. Marrying you would only add to my misery!" Alexis shot back coldly.

"Really?" Jerry shook his head, then stood in front of Alexis, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, observing her face. "You keep thinking badly about our future just because you've seen my flaws. I'm not that bad, honey. If you marry me, I won't look at another girl. Just you... I'll pay for your father's treatment. I'll—"

"No!" Alexis shouted, cutting him off. "I'll never trust you, Jerry. Everyone knows you've impregnated several women only to abandon them when you got bored. I won't be one of them!"

"Hey... That's because they were stupid. They couldn't hold on to me!" Jerry snapped.

"Enough!" Alexis replied, but Jerry suddenly grabbed her chin and pushed her against the wall.

"You don't have a choice... I'm paying dearly to have you. You can't escape me; you are mine!" Jerry hissed, his eyes glaring and jaw tightening.

Alexis gasped in pain, trying to push him away.

"Tomorrow we'll marry. Your uncle is arranging everything. You have no choice. No one can save you!"

"Let her go!" A loud voice came from the west side of the corridor.

Jerry turned, and before he could react, he was struck by a punch from none other than Greyson.

Alexis stood frozen as she watched Greyson brutally beat Jerry until he collapsed, his nose and lips bleeding.

"Hey, are you okay?" Greyson approached Alexis, cupping her face and looking into her eyes.

Alexis was stunned, mesmerized by Greyson's hazel blue eyes, recalling the offer he had made at the mansion.

'What if I agree to be his mistress? Would he help me pay for Dad's treatment? Is this the right step? Would it be worse than choosing Jerry?'

"Hey?"

"Uh..." Alexis quickly stepped away. "I'm fine."

"You'll pay for this!" Jerry shouted as he staggered away.

Greyson exhaled, then turned back to Alexis, who looked awkward.

"You might find it strange that I'm here, but I'll explain everything," he said.

She nodded.

Greyson placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at her hopefully. "This is about my offer, and I also thought you really needed my help. I had my men follow you..."

"Um... Thank you," Alexis murmured, looking down.

"I hope you accept my offer. I'll help you solve all your problems. Think of it as us helping each other. Will you agree?" Greyson offered again with a hopeful gaze.

Alexis bit her lower lip, contemplating the risks of accepting or rejecting Greyson's offer.

'It's unlikely he'd drag me into trouble if he's promising to help. Maybe he really can be trusted...' she reasoned to herself but hesitated. 'But what kind of mistress arrangement is this? He's handsome, rich, perfect... What if I fall in love? That will hurt me. He'll use me and discard me when his problems are over.'

"Miss Reed?" Greyson narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, yes!" Alexis quickly nodded with a small smile. "I think I'm willing. We'll help each other... and I hope no one gets hurt in the end!"

"Of course!" Greyson smiled in satisfaction, while Alexis' attention shifted to the doctor emerging from the emergency room.

She hurried to the doctor, followed by Greyson. "Doctor? How's my father?"

The bespectacled doctor in a white coat shook his head. "Your father's condition is very concerning. A heart transplant is urgently needed."

"A heart transplant?" Her heart raced at the thought of the risks and the exorbitant cost, knowing she didn't have a promising job.

"Do it as soon as possible," Grey instructed.

Alexis turned to him, shocked.

"Sir?" Alexis pushed him away from the doctor.

"Your father needs it," he said softly.

"But..."

"It's okay... Remember our agreement; we'll help each other. Even without that, I'd still help you to save your father," he explained, brushing her hands away and turning back to the doctor. "Doctor, give him the best care."

The doctor nodded. "Okay, we'll prepare everything," he said before heading back into the room.

Alexis stood there, speechless, staring at Greyson, who had saved her twice now and was now saving her father, despite them just meeting.

'What is this? Everything is happening so fast; I never expected any of this,' she thought.