Chapter 1 · No Free Ride For His First Crush

Chapter 1

I woke up trapped inside a love hate romance novel, cast as the disposable wife of the billionaire protagonist, Holden Albright.

In this twisted plot, I, Alice Merritt, was a mere substitute whose sole purpose was to supply blood for his first love, Winnie Blackwell.

The original Alice Merritt had been bled dry, suffered a miscarriage, and was treated like a spare parts bin for Winnie. She ended up dead on an operating table while Holden squeezed out a few performative tears.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. These elite scumbags acted like the law didn't apply to them.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Holden pressuring me to give blood to Winnie.

Well, it looked like my chance had finally arrived.

I pulled out my phone and sent Holden a bank account number, saying, "You want my blood for her? Fine. But this isn't a favor; it's a hazardous medical procedure.

"I want a flat fee of $150,000 for medical expenses, lost time, and emotional trauma. Wire the funds now, or the needle stays out."

I was eager to see which would happen first—Winnie's blood running out, or my bank notification popping up.

*****

The smell of disinfectant hit me like a punch to the face.

I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Holden Albright's handsome face looming over me, looking seriously annoyed.

Holden, the lawless male lead from this old-school love hate romance novel, was gripping my wrist with a vice-like grip.

"Alice, stop pretending. Winnie's lost too much blood. You both have rare blood types. Go donate to her right now," he said.

His voice exploded in my ear, making my brain ache.

I hadn't even had a chance to get used to this body, still weak from a recent miscarriage, when he yanked me out of the hospital room.

Outside, a few doctors and nurses stood there, looking uneasy, but none of them dared to stop Holden, the man who ran Hidorand like his personal kingdom.

If it were Alice, she'd be sobbing and begging him to stop, only to get tossed into the blood draw room and squeezed for every last drop she was worth.

But I was not her.

I was a former HR director at a Fortune 500 company, known as the "layoff queen", the kind of person even ghosts would avoid.

In my world, feelings didn't exist, only contracts, KPIs, and compensation packages.

Right as Holden tried to shove me into the blood draw room, I snapped my hand out and gripped the doorframe.

"Wait." I was gasping for breath, my mind spinning at full speed.

This wasn't some twisted love story; it was straight-up workplace bullying, unlawful employment practices, and a serious breach of workplace safety laws.

Holden whipped around, his gaze sharp and menacing. "What kind of stunt are you trying to pull now? Winnie's still waiting on the operating table."

I steadied myself, my other hand darting into the pocket of my hospital gown.

Thank goodness, the phone was still there.

I swiped open the screen, fired up the calculator, and started tapping away. [150 grand.]

I shoved the phone screen right under Holden's nose. "Mr. Albright, according to our prenuptial agreement, my official role is your wife.

"My job is to show up at galas, deal with your relatives, and keep up appearances. But donating blood? That falls under 'biological resources,' and it's definitely not in my contract."

Holden froze, staring at me.

I didn't give him a second to process. "Considering I just had a miscarriage, my body's basically out for repairs right now.

"Forcing me to do this is against the rules. You want my blood? Fine. Pay up. I'm charging hazard pay, pain and suffering, and a specialized nutrition fee. One-time flat fee: 150 grand. Net, not gross."

The nurses nearby all sucked in a sharp breath.

Holden's face turned as dark as a thundercloud. "Alice, is money all you care about? Winnie's dying, and you're still haggling over cash?"

I pulled up my payment code. "Don't want to pay? Suit yourself."

I pointed at the red light above the operating room. "That's your precious baby, not mine. I'm not in a rush. Let's see if she is. Keep stalling, and she might just pass out for real instead of faking it."

Holden's face twisted with rage, veins popping on his forehead as he raised his hand, about to hit me.

I shoved my face closer, taunting him. "Go ahead. Do it! One slap counts as workplace assault. I won't even bother getting up for less than 6 grand.

"I'll get the doctors to check me out and call the cops. You'll be cooling your heels in a cell. Hold up Winnie's rescue, and you're basically a killer."

Holden's hand froze in mid-air.

He might be clueless about the law, but he was not stupid.

Just then, Winnie Blackwell's assistant burst out of the operating room, her voice trembling with panic. "Mr. Albright, Ms. Blackwell's heart rate is dropping."

Holden clenched his jaw, shot me a death glare, then whipped out his phone and transferred the money to my bank card.

I received a text notification confirming the deposit.

Once the money hit my account, I stuffed my phone away, straightened out my messy hospital gown, and yelled at the nurse's station, "Help!

"There's a man here trying to illegally harvest human blood! He's attempting to coerce me into a forced procedure. Call 911!"

My shout cut through the air like a siren.

Holden, who was about to drag me off for a blood draw, nearly tripped over his own feet.

The doctors and nurses had been sick of Holden's tyrannical routine for ages, but his power kept them silent. Now that the victim herself was calling him out, their inner justice warriors came out swinging.

"Sir, please calm down. Forcing someone to donate blood is illegal," a nurse said.

"Security. Where's security?" another chimed in.

Chaos erupted instantly.

Holden found himself surrounded by a pack of white coats, all bombarding him with legal jargon. His face went absolutely livid.

While the chaos was still raging, I slipped back into my hospital room, locked the door behind me, and flopped onto the bed, feeling pretty pleased with myself as I checked my new balance.

He thought he could freeload off me? Not in this lifetime.

Chapter 1

I woke up trapped inside a love hate romance novel, cast as the disposable wife of the billionaire protagonist, Holden Albright.

In this twisted plot, I, Alice Merritt, was a mere substitute whose sole purpose was to supply blood for his first love, Winnie Blackwell.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. These elite scumbags acted like the law didn't apply to them.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Holden pressuring me to give blood to Winnie.

Well, it looked like my chance had finally arrived.

I pulled out my phone and sent Holden a bank account number, saying, "You want my blood for her? Fine. But this isn't a favor; it's a hazardous medical procedure.

"I want a flat fee of $150,000 for medical expenses, lost time, and emotional trauma. Wire the funds now, or the needle stays out."

I was eager to see which would happen first—Winnie's blood running out, or my bank notification popping up.

*****

The smell of disinfectant hit me like a punch to the face.

I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Holden Albright's handsome face looming over me, looking seriously annoyed.

Holden, the lawless male lead from this old-school love hate romance novel, was gripping my wrist with a vice-like grip.

"Alice, stop pretending. Winnie's lost too much blood. You both have rare blood types. Go donate to her right now," he said.

His voice exploded in my ear, making my brain ache.

I hadn't even had a chance to get used to this body, still weak from a recent miscarriage, when he yanked me out of the hospital room.

Outside, a few doctors and nurses stood there, looking uneasy, but none of them dared to stop Holden, the man who ran Hidorand like his personal kingdom.

If it were Alice, she'd be sobbing and begging him to stop, only to get tossed into the blood draw room and squeezed for every last drop she was worth.

But I was not her.

I was a former HR director at a Fortune 500 company, known as the "layoff queen", the kind of person even ghosts would avoid.

In my world, feelings didn't exist, only contracts, KPIs, and compensation packages.

Right as Holden tried to shove me into the blood draw room, I snapped my hand out and gripped the doorframe.

"Wait." I was gasping for breath, my mind spinning at full speed.

This wasn't some twisted love story; it was straight-up workplace bullying, unlawful employment practices, and a serious breach of workplace safety laws.

Holden whipped around, his gaze sharp and menacing. "What kind of stunt are you trying to pull now? Winnie's still waiting on the operating table."

I steadied myself, my other hand darting into the pocket of my hospital gown.

Thank goodness, the phone was still there.

I swiped open the screen, fired up the calculator, and started tapping away. [150 grand.]

I shoved the phone screen right under Holden's nose. "Mr. Albright, according to our prenuptial agreement, my official role is your wife.

"My job is to show up at galas, deal with your relatives, and keep up appearances. But donating blood? That falls under 'biological resources,' and it's definitely not in my contract."

Holden froze, staring at me.

I didn't give him a second to process. "Considering I just had a miscarriage, my body's basically out for repairs right now.

The nurses nearby all sucked in a sharp breath.

Holden's face turned as dark as a thundercloud. "Alice, is money all you care about? Winnie's dying, and you're still haggling over cash?"

I pulled up my payment code. "Don't want to pay? Suit yourself."

Holden's face twisted with rage, veins popping on his forehead as he raised his hand, about to hit me.

I shoved my face closer, taunting him. "Go ahead. Do it! One slap counts as workplace assault. I won't even bother getting up for less than 6 grand.

"I'll get the doctors to check me out and call the cops. You'll be cooling your heels in a cell. Hold up Winnie's rescue, and you're basically a killer."

Holden's hand froze in mid-air.

He might be clueless about the law, but he was not stupid.

Just then, Winnie Blackwell's assistant burst out of the operating room, her voice trembling with panic. "Mr. Albright, Ms. Blackwell's heart rate is dropping."

Holden clenched his jaw, shot me a death glare, then whipped out his phone and transferred the money to my bank card.

I received a text notification confirming the deposit.

Once the money hit my account, I stuffed my phone away, straightened out my messy hospital gown, and yelled at the nurse's station, "Help!

"There's a man here trying to illegally harvest human blood! He's attempting to coerce me into a forced procedure. Call 911!"

My shout cut through the air like a siren.

Holden, who was about to drag me off for a blood draw, nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Sir, please calm down. Forcing someone to donate blood is illegal," a nurse said.

"Security. Where's security?" another chimed in.

Chaos erupted instantly.

Holden found himself surrounded by a pack of white coats, all bombarding him with legal jargon. His face went absolutely livid.

While the chaos was still raging, I slipped back into my hospital room, locked the door behind me, and flopped onto the bed, feeling pretty pleased with myself as I checked my new balance.

He thought he could freeload off me? Not in this lifetime.