The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 10
Just as Johanna snapped back to her senses and tried to push him away.
“Get away from my sister!”
With a loud thud, Daniel rammed into the man with all his might, pushing him away while grunting.
“Oh, a little alpha, huh?”
The man looked down at Daniel’s round head and chuckled before backing off without resistance, as if he had no further interest. Yet, his cold, metallic silver-gray eyes remained fixed on Johanna.
“That’s strange. You’re so pretty, yet not an omega?”
He muttered as if puzzled, then let out a light laugh. His next words were as weightless as a fluttering feather.
“Since your situation is unfortunate, I won’t touch the deposit for your current house. I’m quite the gentleman, unlike other thugs.”
“…”
“My name is Ilian Rediess, young lady.”
The man who introduced himself handed Johanna a business card from his pocket.
“Contact me if you manifest as an omega. I’ll buy you at a high price.”
Johanna took it reflexively, blinking in disbelief. The casual insult delivered so effortlessly by the man felt surreal. It all seemed like a bad dream.
“See you around.”
With a graceful smile and a light wave, the man led his entourage out of the funeral hall. Johanna glared at his retreating figure until he disappeared, then lowered her gaze to the half-crumpled business card in her hand.
[Ilian Rediess]
The name was embossed in silver on a sleek, dark card. Below it were an address and a postal code. The back of the card bore the name of his business, but there were no flashy phrases like “Same-day loans” or “Interest-free for months.”
“…”
Just from the card, he seemed like a respectable businessman, which made Johanna let out a bitter laugh. She considered crumpling the card and tossing it away, but remembering she was in a church sanctuary, she sighed and put it in her pocket instead.
As she turned towards the cleaning supply closet, thinking she should clean up the cigarette butts and ashes on the floor, Daniel tugged at her clothes, his voice trembling with anger.
“Sister… That bastard just now…”
Daniel’s hand was shaking as he clutched her garment. He was visibly upset, feeling the humiliation Johanna endured as if it were his own. Johanna hugged her brother, letting him lean against her, and gently patted his small back.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I’ll take care of it.”
“But sister, our house…”
They don’t have any money, his words trailed off into a barely audible mumble. Johanna felt a pang of sorrow for Daniel, who was burdened with worries about their family’s situation at such a young age when he should be focused on studying and playing.
She had grown up the same way. From an early age, she had to work, take care of her sick mother, and manage the household chores. She was always worried about the future—monthly food expenses, living costs, her mother’s medical bills, her brother’s school fees… and her father, a habitual thief who squandered money on gambling.
She had hoped her brother would remain untouched by such hardships. She had worked hard for that. But the cruel cycle of life easily undermines even the most determined efforts.
“…It’s okay.”
Nevertheless, Johanna made a promise.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I’ll find a way.”
To Johanna Lucerne, family meant her mother and brother.
Having lost one to illness, she was determined to protect the remaining one at all costs.
Otherwise, her heart, already on the verge of collapsing like a sandcastle, wouldn’t be able to endure.
* * *
There was another letter from the old man. While Kiara tried to console her brother by saying it was a relief he wasn’t coming in person, Leonid knew all too well that the old man could show up unexpectedly at any time.
“Treating me like a stud again. Damn old man.”
The content of the letter was no different from the others. Why aren’t you married yet at your age? Find a dominant omega and get married before it’s too late. It’s harder for a hyper-dominant alpha like you to have children after thirty…
Having read the same letter over twenty times, Leonid was sick of it. Since his grandfather had a severe bout of the flu last autumn, he had been nagging Leonid as if he had received some sort of revelation. His determination to see a grandchild within the next year was almost frightening.
‘Grandfather might shove an omega into your bedroom. Or he might kidnap you and lock you up on a deserted island with an omega. He’s capable of that.’
To an outsider, it might sound like an exaggerated joke, but Leonid fully agreed with Kiara. The venerable Elderique family needed an heir. Not a beta, not an omega, but a dominant alpha. His grandfather’s obsession with this was almost pathological.
