Contract Marriage With a Ruthless Alpha Billionaire

　　The vicissitudes of life are really unpredictable. For example, Carol Snooke never expected that one day she would be invited into this house, after all she had been thrown out like garbage before.

　　In her childhood impression, it was a golden and magnificent "palace", so big and bright.

　　After twenty years, coming back here again, it still sits in the inner ring of astonishing land prices and bustling silence. The neighborhood has been around for a while now and the style and design concept of this villa are already outdated. At first glance it is still expensive and imposing, but details can no longer be scrutinized.

　　The rumors circulated online won't be groundless, the dismal stock price can't deceive people anymore, it looks like The Roy Family may really be in trouble.

　　Twice she had been here, neither of them voluntary. Today she was half "invited" into the car by the bodyguard.

　　Due to the deep impression of this house, that blood-related father made her memories blurry. This man, who was once a highly sought-after heir of a financial magnate and an Alpha with A-level pheromones, graduated from a prestigious school and was young and handsome. He married a wife who matched his family background. How glorious he was in those days, but soon he could be ruthlessly abandoned by the capital market.

　　Carol stood in front of Thomas Roy.

　　Thomas was tense, feeling uncomfortable with the unruffled gaze of Carol in the face of his Alpha and paternal authority. He had braced himself for her to scold him, tell her misfortunes or at least show obvious hostility, but the young person before him was too composed.

　　Not long after he was forced to make that decision, the child's complete profile appeared on his desk -- Carol, 27 years old, Omega female, unmarried, UCL Master of Materials Engineering and employed by the Starship Group Rare Earth Research Institute with family members being an Omega father and grandmother.

　　Twenty years ago, the shy and timid little girl had become a composed adult. Thinking of her background and what she was about to ask for, Thomas couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

　　"......You've grown up." Thomas had also gone through wind and rain, ups and downs in business, but at this moment he could only use idle talk to ease the awkwardness.

　　Carol smiled wryly: "If you had something to ask me, just say it, otherwise you wouldn't have come looking for me." Generally speaking, this kind of script where a deadbeat father comes back to look for his illegitimate child after many years is usually the last resort. But not for the Roy Family. If anything happened to their Young Master, there would be no way that news wouldn't spread.

　　Thomas had a hard time saying it: "I just want to make a deal with you."

　　"Go ahead," said Carol.

　　Thomas tapped the folder in front of him: "You owe money, seven million, that's not a small amount."

　　"Yeah, do you plan to pay me back?" Carol gave a sarcastic smile.

　　"I can pay you back."

　　Carol's pupils contracted fiercely: "What do you mean?"

　　"My son had an important engagement originally, but he can't fulfill it now. I need you to take his place and marry on behalf of the Roy Family."

　　This passage was too dramatic.

　　"Why can't he get married?"

　　"He has been marked by someone else."

　　Carol was silent. Her life and her grandmother's later years were both oppressed by this money, so if there is a way out of the quagmire by paying some price, how can she not take the gamble?

　　"What requirements for the marriage?"

　　"It depends on your future husband."

　　Carol looked at Thomas, "I want ten million."

　　Thomas squinted his eyes, not surprisingly but obviously displeased.

　　If what Thomas said is true, then her premium will definitely be accepted. The marriage proposal in the Roy family's mouth was very important, and it was related to the fate of the group and the rise and fall of the family, only that his Omega son had to pay for it, but Michael Roy was marked by someone else. This is a great humiliation for both The Roy Family and those involved in the marriage alliance. Marks can be washed away, but bite marks on glands cannot be erased by modern medicine.

　　Carol recalled Michael's clever and beautiful face active on social media. He looked smart, so why did he make such a foolish mistake? One of the most ridiculous mistakes an Omega could make in their youth was to be marked without being married. But thinking from another perspective, what if Michael deliberately resisted the marriage in this way, for example, if the other party was old, ugly, disabled, had peculiarities or violent tendencies, these risks were entirely possible.

　　She was brought in to save the day, and even if the Roy Family's stock price has been cut in half, they still have enough to come up with ten million.

　　Sure enough, Thomas simply said: "Yes."

　　But deep down in her heart she still doubted the credibility of this matter, but she hoped it was true and repaying the debt was now her most urgent wish.

　　She stood up: "Then it settles as this. You guys can figure out the rest. I have to get back to work, so I'll be going now."

　　Thomas looked at her in surprise: "You don't have any other questions?"

　　"No more, as long as you give me money."

　　".... Don't you want to ask who your future Alpha husband will be?"

　　Carol glanced at her phone, and there was another bunch of messages. Without looking back, she said indifferently: "Whatever."

　　She was young but burdened with debt and had a bleak future. She had no expectations or fantasies about marriage, so even if the other party was as bad as Michael said and he needed to take extreme measures to resist, she agreed as long as she could get back the house for her grandmother - it was worth selling herself.

　　After leaving the Roy Family, Carol rushed straight to the research institute. Although they had more freedom in doing research and didn't need to punch in a clock, it was still not good to be absent without any reason early in the morning.

　　She just graduated from university and got into the Starship Group through a talent program. This was because her mentor was in charge of one of the projects at Rare Earth Institute, and her graduate courses were mostly completed in the laboratory. In fact, her salary is high compared to other people of the same age, but facing seven million debts, she only feels distant and hopeless.

　　She had thought seriously, to turn her life around. One was to receive money from the sky, and the other was to get a patent. As someone who is not advantaged in both career and scientific research fields, nor having an exceptionally brilliant mind, she set herself up for the latter with twenty years of hard work. Unexpectedly it was the former which came true without any effort at all. Thinking of how she always believed since young that 'reading can change one's destiny', it seemed too ironic.

　　"Senior sister."

　　"Good morning, Carol."

　　When she entered the research institute, her fellow apprentices greeted her.

　　"Wow, it's already noon. We can have lunch right away if we hurry up." A teasing voice came from behind, "Carol, you're rare to be late today."

　　This is her college classmate Tracy Cox, a female Beta and long-time friend, as well as a comrade in arms with common academic aspirations.

　　Carol changed into her lab coat and looked at the clock: "I have something to do temporarily. Let's go, let's get some food."

　　The Rare Earth Research Institute has its own canteen, but they took a few extra steps today and went to the Group headquarters building's cafeteria for lunch.

　　The two of them ordered the meal and chatted while eating.

　　At this moment, there was a commotion coming from the entrance. Carol looked back and saw a group of people in suits rushing in as if they were here to inspect.

　　The cafeteria is so large that from Carol's distance, she couldn't see anyone's face clearly, but she still managed to accurately capture a superior height and beautiful silhouette at a glance.

　　"Why is the prince here in the staff cafeteria to eat today?" Tracy held her folks and craned her neck to look over there.

　　Carol's eyes silently followed the tall man surrounded by a group of people until he passed through the cafeteria and entered the private room. As from so far away, she couldn't smell his pheromones, but Carol still felt some agitation in her body.

　　Tracy asked herself again: "Maybe it's busy, just have a working meal with the customers."

　　Carol noticed that most of those people paid special attention are Omega at this time. After all, Omegas' genes are instilled with admiration for the strong. She can't escape from it either. A S-level Alpha walked past her with style and left behind a faint pheromone in the air, which really makes people daydreaming.

　　What's more, as the first heir of the Starship Group, Kris Franklin is an Alpha full of glory.

Carol finished organizing a batch of experimental data and left work early.

　　She has a single dorm in the research institute, and usually sleeps here if she stays late for overtime work, but she strives to go home once a week.

　　After her family's house was mortgaged and auctioned off, she rented a small apartment in the suburbs for her grandmother.

　　She took the subway and then a bus again, on her way home from getting off the bus she bought some meat and vegetables, as well as a bunch of pink peonies.

　　When living in the old house, Grandma had a courtyard full of all kinds of flowers. That was her paradise when she was young. Now as they moved to a small apartment, could only be able to plant a few pots on the balcony.

　　When Carol opened the door, the smell of food drifted into her nose, and she suddenly felt relaxed.

　　Grandma poked her head out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "Carol? You're right on time. I'm just about to take off this last dish."

　　Carol also showed a gentle smile: "Grandma." She put down the dish, took a vase and slanted the peony branch into it, placed it on the table.

　　Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, put them down and freed her hands to play with petals, "So fresh and lively, so beautiful."

　　Carol went to the kitchen and put all the dishes on the table. "Grandma, have a sit."

　　Grandma smiled and looked at the flowers, then glanced at Carol: "You seem to have gotten a bit pale. You should spend more time in the sun instead of staying cooped up in the laboratory all day."

　　"Don't worry."

　　The two of them ate while chatting about trivial matters in life and work. Looking at the white hair on Grandma's temples shining faintly under the light, Carol couldn't help but feel a little sad.

　　Her Grandma was born into a well-off family, although not wealthy. If it weren't for her unfortunate son who is selfish and foolish, she would now be living in a small villa with a garden, enjoying the considerable inheritance and pension she had saved up.

　　Even though she is now destitute, she remains graceful and dignified, looking for the quality and pleasure of life in difficult days. But Carol knows that her son's betrayal, the sudden change of her later years, and her physical illness have left her heart full of wounds, but she refuses to show it in front of her granddaughter.

　　If what Thomas said is true, then it would be great. She was eagerly offering sacrifices for herself as her greatest wish was to provide a comfortable and decent life for her grandmother in her old age.

　　Since she saw Thomas a week ago, Carol has not received any messages during this period.

　　On this day, she was working in the lab when her HR colleague found her with a face full of curiosity and told her that headquarters had asked for her to go over there: "Carol, are you going to transfer?"

　　"No." Carol was also puzzled.

　　"Definitely not. Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking you." The colleague pondered and said, "Headquarters doesn't usually manage personnel in our research institute. You can go first and someone at the reception will receive you."

　　"OK." Carol headed straight for the headquarters building. She hesitated whether to call her teacher and ask, but decided to see what the situation was first.

　　The Starship Group's headquarters building cost five hundred million to build, a true pillar of the sky. Carol rarely visits other office or research areas here and most of her time is spent in the canteen.

　　She walked into the lobby, and just as she passed by, a young man in a suit greeted her: "Carol, right? Nice to meet you."

　　"Hello." The two people shook hands.

　　He said, "My name is Bruce Culkin and I'm the President's assistant." He made a gesture of invitation before striding forward in a rush, saying, "Let's talk while we walk."

　　"Uh, OK." Alpha's height was generally tall, Carol had to hurry up to keep up with him. "Bruce, may I ask who I am...?"

　　"This way." Bruce swiped his employee card to open an elevator.

　　Carol went in with a puzzled look, and was about to ask something when Bruce interrupted: "I don't really know the details. I'm just here to pick you up on orders."

　　Carol had no clue what she was going to face next. Researchers usually grasp some hints and follow a hint of clues to judge, try and explore, but without any hints given at all, she really couldn't figure it out.

　　Bruce secretly gave Carol a once-over from head to toe. She was tall and slim, her skin was clean and white, she was calm and composed. Her temperament matched her appearance perfectly, one more point would make it too cold, one less point would be too worldly. As the elevator flew up quickly, Bruce felt his heart beating wildly. How come he had never heard of such an Omega in their company before?

　　The elevator went straight up to the 28th floor. As soon as the door opened, a gorgeous handmade carpet was seen stretching all the way to an office with a dark teakwood door.

　　Carol took a deep breath: "Is it the chairman who wants to see me?" Would she be promoted? But she hasn't achieved much lately.

　　Bruce regained his composure: "This way, please."

　　Carol followed him into the office and upon seeing the people in the room, she was suddenly stunned. The ebony door - she hadn't expected that.

　　"Kris, Carol is here for you." Bruce glanced at the watch, "The meeting will start in twelve minutes."

　　"OK."

　　Bruce left and took the door with him, as the person sitting on the couch looking at documents raised his head at the same time, both of them locking eyes in midair.

　　He is an incredibly handsome man. His high nose and broad forehead, with eyes like starry skies and perfect facial features gives him a relaxed air as he sat on the soft sofa, yet still had a commanding presence. He is an S-class Alpha, born with top-tier pheromones that placed him at the apex of the human food chain.

　　He is the first heir of the Starship Group--Kris Franklin.

　　Carol stared at Kris dazedly. She hadn't seen this person up close for a long time, as if she could still smell the scent of ebony wood in her memory, of course, it was probably just an illusion. It is basic etiquette to post stickers in public places and after posting them, you must get close to social distance to smell the faint aroma, but Carol was still standing at the door now.

　　She quickly calmed down and realized that there was someone else in the room, a middle-aged Alpha with glasses sitting on the other side of the sofa. Carol recognized him, he is from the legal department of the Group.

　　Kris gave Carol a measured look, his gaze calm yet unfathomable. He smiled slightly and said, "Carol, take a seat."

　　Carol walked up, gave a slight bow: "Good morning, Kris." She nodded to the executive before sitting down.

　　Her eyes swept across and she found that the file in Kris' hand was her personnel file, with her two-inch photo attached. How did Kris find her?

　　Kris tapped her file with his long fingers and pronounced her name clearly: "Carol."

　　Kris looked at Carol: "The 'accident' in the lab three years ago, has it had any negative effect on your work afterwards?"

　　Carol's face suddenly became hot: "You, you still remember."

　　"I have a good memory."

　　"At that time... thank you for helping me." Carol will never forget that day, in her life's most shameful, fearful and desperate moment, when Kris descended from the sky not only saved her but also sealed the news and solved all the trouble afterwards. Let her remember that day after trauma recovery, the deepest memory was actually she and Kris's intense pheromone entanglement, desire, scorching heat, impulse, torment, restraint, unfulfilled craving slowly precipitated in her heart.

　　Since then, whenever she saw or heard Kris, she would pay special attention to him, not knowing if it was a secret crush. She occasionally had some unrealistic fantasies, but more often than not it was admiration because this person was too high and too perfect. She never thought that after the accident there would be a chance of such close contact with him.

　　Kris said, "You are an excellent researcher of our company, which is as it should be. I called you here today for two reasons: first to formally meet each other and secondly to see if you have any requirements."

　　"......requirements?" Carol asked, puzzled. "Kris, I don't quite understand. The teacher hasn't said anything to me recently."

　　Kris raised an eyebrow and said, "What I mean is that after marriage, what are your requirements? Such as living expenses, living environment, personal habits, diet, belief, matching car level and so on. As long as it's not too much, you can put forward."

　　Carol just listened with a buzz in her head. She wasn't dumb, and could even be said to be quite smart, but she didn't respond to the statement for half a day.

　　Kris glanced at the watch without a trace, he leaned slightly and looked not impatient, just his tone was lowered a bit: "Carol, Thomas said that you promised our engagement in person. Is there any mistake in our information?"

Kris looked at her leisurely.

　　Carol was silent for a while before she spoke: "We... I don't know... It's You."

　　"You don't know it's me," Kris repeated, his lips curling slightly.

　　"Did I disappoint you?"

　　"No," Carol said hurriedly.

　　Kris said, "Let's get back to the main topic. What are your requirements after marriage?"

　　Carol took a deep breath: "What are your requirements?"

　　"This is a mutually beneficial cooperation. I need you to sign some agreements before marriage, clarifying the ownership of property and various rights. Just be a normal wife after marriage, keep it confidential, low-key, loyal and have boundaries." Kris spoke quickly and fluently, apparently these words were already fully prepared and just waiting for this moment to be laid out flatly.

　　Carol nodded.

　　Kris glanced at the lawyer next to him and said, "Karl will communicate with you about more specific terms."

　　Karl Ruck nodded with a smile.

　　"OK."

　　"So, what are your requirements? I will provide living conditions that match my wife, you don't have to feel embarrassed, this is the respect you deserve. You can also make reasonable changes to your future residence according to your habits. What are your thoughts about the things I mentioned earlier?"

　　Carol noticed Kris quickly glanced at the table. She felt dejected realizing that for Kris, this was only worth a short break between lunch and a meeting. It was like an everyday work to be handled quickly and easily.

　　Marriage is not a "big deal", it's just a "mutually beneficial cooperation" for both of us.

　　Kris is right, it was just a cooperation. She had agreed to marry a stranger in order to repay her debt, but when she found out that her fiancé was Kris, she got carried away and added unnecessary emotions into the mix.

　　Carol raised her head and looked at Kris for the first time. As an Omega, it took courage to make eye contact with a top Alpha. She asked, "Kris, where will I stay afterwards? Is it far from the company?"

　　Kris was surprised: "You still want to keep working?"

　　"Can't I continue to work?" Carol hesitated. This job was not only a good one, but also her dream. If this is the price, it's too great.

　　"Of course, it would be a loss to the company to lose an employee like you."

　　Carol suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

　　He stood up and said, "Carol, you can talk to Karl about the legal and procedural stuff. Feel free to raise any questions or grievances. I have something else to do so I'll take my leave."

　　"Sure, please go ahead." Carol also stood up.

　　Kris is too tall, like a wall casting a shadow over Carol. Carol looked up at the man in front of her and the oppressive feeling that had been there since he entered the room intensified. Despite his polite and gentle demeanor.

　　In real life, Alpha is common, but S-level Alpha is rare. The suppression of pheromone of S-level Alpha is extremely terrible. It's a virtue for Kris as an upper class to face others with a gentle attitude, which makes Carol even fond of him more.

　　Kris walked away, and Carol sighed out a breath.

　　Karl politely said, "Carol, please have a seat. We still have many details to discuss." As he spoke, he pulled out a thick stack of documents from his briefcase.

　　Carol glanced: "This is a prenuptial agreement, isn't it?"

　　"Pre-nuptial agreement is a rather general term, this contract not only covers assets but also confidentiality regulations, reputation and goodwill, post-marital rights and obligations etc. Of course, as Kris said, these are our requirements, and you can make your own requests too and I'll take charge of the communication and negotiation in between."

　　Carol picked up the contract and gave it a symbolic flip: "It's too thick."

　　"It's OK, you can take your time to read it. I will stay here with you, it is your right. But this contract cannot be taken out of this office before signing." said Karl, "Of course, if you don't want to read it, I can also summarize the key points for you briefly."

　　"Please."

　　"This marriage will last no longer than five years, with the end time determined by Kris You must keep this marriage a complete secret, and any secrets about Kris or his family that you learn during the duration of the marriage or after it ends must also be kept completely confidential. During the duration of this marriage, you are expected to fulfill your duties as a wife - such as keeping confidentiality, being low-keyed and loyal, and having boundaries (which means following Kris's arrangements wherever possible but not interfering in his private life or business).

　　Furthermore, you may need to help Thomas and Kris transfer some resources. The main purpose of this union is to integrate resources between the two companies. Your blood ties with Thomas are based on trust from Kris. All premarital assets owned by Kris and all marital assets created during the marriage have nothing to do with you. You cannot bear children for him without permission either. However, upon termination of this marriage, he will give you extra compensation if you abide by these agreements - freedom and respect due to you plus a considerable amount of alimony money."

　　Carol quietly watched Karl talk, his professionalism and logic were impeccable, but she felt a chill. She wasn't an idealist, but she couldn't treat marriage as a purely utilitarian transaction either. Yes, her marriage was a transaction, but she didn't think it should be that way, she just had no better choice. But whether it was Thomas or Kris or the person in front of her now, they all thought this was a matter of course.

　　Carol interrupted him: "I agree, let's not waste your time, just sign it."

　　Karl smiled with his signature expression, not at all surprised: "OK." He handed the pen to Carol, "All places marked with a sticker need your signature and fingerprint."

　　Carol bowed her head and started to sign. She thought of herself signing her own indenture, and she might have wanted to laugh if it weren't so inappropriate.

　　After signing, Karl checked it twice patiently and carefully: "Thank you for your cooperation."

　　"You're welcome, then I'm going back."

　　"Don't you have any requests at all?" Karl changed his tone from a formal and professional one to one that was slightly suggestive, "Kris said that you can ask for a more decent life, make some reasonable demands."

　　"As long as I don't owe anyone money, my life is quite decent. Thank you." Carol nodded in appreciation and left calmly.

　　Once back in the lab, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Carol.

　　Carol smiled: "No gossiping, nothing happened."

　　Carol is the oldest in terms of qualifications here, she was brought in by the teacher when the experiment group was just established, and she has a lot of prestige. No one dares to gossip before her. This is what Carol likes most about academic circles: it values experience and achievements more than gender.

　　But Tracy is different. They are classmates and can chat about almost anything. Except their teacher, only Tracy knows about Carol's debt.

　　As soon as Carol sat down, Tracy slid a chair next to her and whispered, "What's going on?"

　　Carol looked at her: "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I don't know how to say it."

　　"It's OK, the great scientific research can wait for me." Tracy blinked at her.

　　Carol said reluctantly, "I signed a confidentiality agreement."

　　"What? So mysterious," Tracy said, rolling her eyes. But she knew Carol's character well enough that if she didn't want to say something, there was no way to pry it out of her-like the time when she had to admit that she owed a debt for taking the blame for her father.

　　Carol gave a wry smile. "Anyway, it's a good thing."

　　"Go ahead, as long as it's a good thing." Tracy said with a smile.

　　Carol laughed too.

　　"By the way, which department did you go to at the headquarters? Did you meet the prince?"

　　"No."

　　"That's a pity."

　　"What a pity?"

　　"Don't pretend, do you think I don't know? When we accidentally met the prince, your eyes were always fixed on him."

　　Carol said softly, "Isn't it normal? He's so good-looking."

　　"That's true. Sometimes I just wonder if there is such a perfect man in the world, what kind of top-notch Omega would be worthy of him."

　　Michael was worthy of it, Carol thought. What puzzled her now was why Michael had been marked by someone else. After knowing that her betrothed was a perfect S-level Alpha, Thomas's tone didn't sound like he had suffered any violence but rather a "misfortune in the family" event, and she felt sorry for Michael.

　　Just for her to get a ten million dollar windfall and be able to marry Kris, it was like God had put a winning lottery ticket into her mouth, but she didn't feel happy because countless people before her have learned that wealth without merit brings disaster.