The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 179
Johanna stared blankly at the document thrust before her. It was briefly outlined as follows:
This contract is an independent addendum to the existing contract.
The term of this contract is extended indefinitely, and neither party may unilaterally terminate it. Both parties hereby agree and sign below.
“…….”
Johanna’s hand trembled as she clutched the crumpled document. Indefinite extension…? She wanted to ask why he was doing this to her.
Was it because she was the only Omega who didn’t trigger any repulsion in him? Because he’d already tasted pleasure and didn’t want to hold any other Omega? Or was it really because he needed more than three heirs?
…She didn’t know. Whatever it was, Johanna had no desire to linger at his side for years, pretending to be a false wife. Her heart was already eroding, so how could she endure this any longer?
Even now, disregarded and mistreated by this man, she felt so frustrated that tears welled up in her eyes.
The only hope, the single escape from this miserable situation surrounding her, was the belief that bearing just one of his heirs could free her from this prison.
But an indefinite extension? Only someone with a bullet through their head would accept that. After all, theirs was merely a marriage in name, while in reality it was like…
Johanna bit down hard on her lower lip. A moment later, her voice, trembling beyond concealment, managed to ask,
“Are you saying you want me to be your mistress, my lord?”
“It’s not so bad, is it? The mistress of the Marquis of Neubitz and future Duchess of Elderique.”
He answered as if the question were trivial, with an air of indifference that made it clear he hadn’t considered Johanna’s emotions or thoughts in the slightest.
Johanna felt the familiar surge of humiliation and despair. The impulse to drop everything and flee overwhelmed her, but it was nothing more than an unachievable fantasy.
There was still a debt to be repaid. If she failed to secure the funds, even Daniel might be put in jeopardy. After all, Ilian Rediess… he wasn’t the type of man to easily abandon his attempts to drag her into ruin.
As if reading Johanna’s very thoughts, Leonid coaxed her in a soothing tone.
“You still have that debt to pay, don’t you? Where could you possibly get that kind of money? Just sign, and I’ll take care of everything—your debt, everything.”
It was a proposal that sounded sweet at first. But Johanna knew all too well that it was a poisoned trap. In this world, there is no kindness without strings attached. And one does not sign a contract lightly.
She was already bound by a contract, with ample payment promised once she repaid her debt. There was no reason whatsoever to sign this absurd addendum for an indefinite extension.
Thus… she refused without hesitation.
“I absolutely won’t. No addendum, nothing.”
She tore the document in her hand and tossed the shreds in front of him. The white pieces of paper drifted lazily in the air like feathers before slowly settling down.
Leonid’s expression hardened, his face growing cold as he watched. His sunset-colored eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, and his voice, sharp enough to send a chill down one’s spine, slipped from his lips.
“Think carefully. About what’s best.”
“This is what’s best. I have no reason to remain by your side for years under some addendum.”
“Damn it.”
He let out a hollow laugh, cursing as he roughly ran a hand through his jet-black hair. Turning abruptly, he strode to the table in the center of the bedroom and poured water from the crystal decanter until the cup nearly overflowed.
As if trying to quell his anger, he drained the glass in one go, then stood there, breathing heavily. Suddenly, without warning, he hurled the glass against the wall, shattering it into pieces.
Crash!
The loud noise echoed as the shards scattered in all directions. Johanna flinched, her whole body recoiling as she cast a sideways glance toward the door, rising cautiously from the bed. She wanted nothing more than to escape this stifling space. Between the overpowering pheromones of a raging alpha and the suffocating despair pressing down on her, she felt like she would suffocate.
“…Where do you think you’re going?”
But before she could take more than a few steps toward the door, Leonid turned his gaze her way, catching her.
He approached, eyes blazing with a wild glint, and seized her arm with a grip so firm it hurt. A faint groan escaped her lips as his hold dug in.
“Why, thinking of running away?”
“Tonight… I don’t want this. Let me return to my room.”
“And who gave you that freedom? I’m your employer.”
Without warning, he lifted her effortlessly and laid her back down on the bed. As Johanna struggled, he took his tie and bound her wrists tightly to the headboard. She panted, unable to believe the situation she found herself in.
“Don’t… please, don’t do this…”
“And if I don’t? Will you finally get that child you so desperately want?”
“……”
