Brought together by their needs, Alana and Alan entered a marriage contract that's to last for a year. Alana Boyce is an eighteen year old orphan that had lost everything and has to find a way to survive and oiut a roof over her head. Alan Winters is a twenty-three year old son of a billionaire and the next CEO of his father's company. When he was placed under a condition before he could take over his father's company, he entered a contract marriage with Alana who was in dire need of cash. Will they be able to abide by the rules of their contract and split up in a year as agreed? Will Alana be able to find her place in a world where power and greed is the order of the day? Will Alan be able to overcome his fear and build a great future and an even greater company?
Chapter 1 Alone
Alana's POV
"Please, I don't have anywhere to go", I cried as the landlady threw my belongings that consisted of a knapsack and overnight bag onto the curb.
"Listen here kid, it's been four months since you gave me your last rent. I don't want to hear your sob story. Leave my house, so that people that can afford it can move in", she said to me harshly before closing the door in my face.
I tried calling Lacy for the billionth time that night to no avail. She lied to me for 6 months. I have been duped by someone I regarded as a friend and now I have nowhere to go.
I sat by the curb crying. What do I do from here on? Most importantly, where do I sleep tonight? I did not want to go back to sleeping in the restaurant where I work.
I carried my knapsack and overnight bag and started wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood.
Life has not been fair to me. I grew up in the orphanage before I was passed around foster homes. I'd been in 8 foster homes in 8 years. Things I can't even begin to recount have happened to me but I kept pushing with the hope that I'll be free once I turned 18.
I turned 18 seven months ago, and a month after, I met Lacy. Lacy was everything I did not have growing up- a friend, a sister, a confidante, she was my family.
I met her at the restaurant where I waitressed. She was a waitress too and we became friends very fast. She was sweet, caring and loving, everything I did not get growing up. Even though she was three years older than me, she treated me like we've been friends forever. I took to her and she let me sleep in her rented room since I was always sneaking back into the restaurant to sleep at night when everyone had left.
We got thrown out of the room a month later and we decided to get a cheap apartment together and split the bill. We've been living together for 5 months until I came home today from work to find my things outside and the landlady told me that we've been owing her for 4 months.
I paid my share of the bill to Lacy on time. I should have paid attention to her sudden change in behavior. She suddenly stopped coming to work and told me she got another job. She'd go out late at night and won't come back until early morning. I'd hear her talking on the phone quietly sometimes so I just thought she was going through a rough patch and would tell me when she's ready.
I guess I'd just go back to sleeping at my place of work. I cried harder as I thought about how I've trusted the wrong person and now I have to bear the consequences on my own.
I suddenly heard footsteps behind me and was reminded that I was a fragile, helpless girl walking the streets of Dallas alone at night. I hastened my footsteps but stopped abruptly when I realized I had no idea where I was.
I had been so engrossed in my thoughts, I had lost my sense of direction. Oh, God, I'm going to die.
I looked back and saw a hooded figure walking towards me, looking at me creepily and shudders ran down my spine. No, no, I can't go through this tonight. I can't go through this again.
My heart started beating rapidly and my flight or fight instinct kicked in. I ran as fast as my tiny leg and body could carry me but the load I had on me slowed me down.
Should I have thrown it? Then, I'd have been left with nothing in my pathetic life. I kept running but as my luck would have it, I tripped near a dark alleyway and the hooded figure caught up to me.
I tried to stand up to run again when I felt something hard connect with my jaw and I fell to the ground again. I tried to reign my tears in, neither did I make any noise which seems to infuriate the stranger further.
"You were trying to escape from me, b**ch? Who's going to save you now?", He laughed maniacally, his face so close to mine I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please, let me go. I'm begging you,sir, please let me go", I pleaded to him in a shaky voice hoping my body won't betray me by letting my tears spill down my cheeks.
He sent another slap to my left cheek and the impact made me hit my head on the concrete. I did not need to touch it to know that I was bleeding.
"It's too late to beg now, b**ch. You're going to get what you deserve", he said as he pulled me by my hair into the dark alleyway.
What I deserve? Why should I deserve what he's about to do to me? Why am I so unlucky? These were my thoughts as I screamed and begged him to let me go but he continued to drag me by my hair.
He pulled me up on my feet and held my hands above my head while he groped me, invoking feelings and memories I'd like to forget forever. I wasn't thinking when I raised my leg and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. He released his grip on me and that gave me the opportunity to run again.
I had not gone far when I was yanked back by my hair and slammed against the wall. I saw stars with how hard I hit my head against the wall.
I closed my eyes, expecting him to hit me again when I heard a loud noise. I opened my eyes as fast as I closed them and saw the guy in the hoodie being beaten into a pulp by another man. I covered my eyes and ears and tried to block out the noise.
When I could not hear any more noises, I opened my eyes to see the strange man squatting a safe distance from me. I tried to take in his features but I could not because of the dark alleyway.
"Are you okay, Miss?" He asked me and that was what brought me out of my trance. I bolted out of the alleyway to get my belongings that I dropped when I fell.
Then I ran like my life depended on it because it obviously did.