The Royal Contract

It was her official day to be back to work, and she was playing catch up with all the cases that she left behind and missed. Several new clients also landed on her desk.

She was glad that most of her cases were already resolved and had a favorable outcome. But she wished to review those who were not so fortunate.

“I think I have rested more than enough.” Dani quipped back at her friend, not even looking up from the files on her table.

She had been in her office for more than a few hours. It was hardly overworking on her opinion. Her friend was just overreacting to her condition.

She was perfectly ok. The doctors had already given her a clean bill of health, including her therapist. Therefore, she could not see a possible reason why she could not return to work at the same rate as before.

“Let me remind you just in case you are forgetting. It is just your first day back. David said to take your time.” Jacky reiterated, worried that her friend might be overdoing it.

.....

Although her friend looked like she was doing great, Jacky still could not help but worry about her condition. She could never imagine what her friend had gone through during those times in captivity.

But she could assume that it was not full of unicorns and rainbows. If she had to guess, it might be a recipe for nightmares.

“You can tell David that I am back, and I will work hard just like before,” Dani said with a smile on her face as she finally looked up to stare at her friend.

She could not blame her family and friends for worrying about her. But it was getting frustrating, trying to constantly assure everyone that she was back to her regular self.

She wanted to shout that she was ok and ready to go back to work. Instead, she gave her friend a reassuring smile with a sharp look, saying to back away.

She loved them and understood their concerns, but if they kept smothering her, she might finally explode. At least Alex thought it was time for both of them to resume their lives.

“Fine. I am now walking away.” Jacky raised her hands, indicating that she had given up and received the message.

She quickly left the room since she had already placed the files on the top of her desk and had nothing else to do inside her office. Besides, she knew that look, and she did not like what was coming next if she kept on pestering her boss.

She was happy, even if a bit anxious, to see her friend back to her regular schedule. She had missed her, but now she could relax, knowing that she was safe, Alex, too.

“Jacky, thanks.” She shouted before Jacky was out of her sight.

She knew her friend meant well, but if she wanted her life to return to normal, she had to start doing what she had always done before the incident had happened.

Alex had offered to take her on another honeymoon, but she declined. She just wanted some form of normalcy before going on a trip again.

Besides, she wanted to be on top of the case once the hearing started. She could not afford to let Nick get away just because the case lacked evidence for a conclusive conviction or due to some technicality.

“Excuse me, Dani.” Jacky showed up at her door with an apologetic smile. “Do you mind if I take a short lunch break? Andy is just a few blocks from here and wants to see me.”

It was a rare occasion that she had a chance to see his brother, and she did not want to miss it. It might be a while before she would have an opportunity to see him again.

Besides Dani, Andy was the only family she had. She did not grow up in a regular family, but she still felt blessed because of them. She would never dream of anyone else.

“Of course, you can take as long as you need,” Dani said upon hearing that Andy was in town. “Please, tell Andy that I miss him. I will try to make up to him some other time.”

She would have come along with Jacky, but she had things to finish before the day was over. She could not neglect her responsibility, especially when she had just gotten back.

“Are you sure you will be fine on your own?” Jacky asked with a slight reluctance to leave her alone.

She swore to Alex that she would never let her out of sight. She felt guilty that she planned to go out to see Andy. But it was probably just for an hour, and then she would be back at her station to check on her.

“Hey, I am not a child. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Dani responded with a raised brow.

She was uncertain if she should be happy or angry with her friend for worrying too much. However, her friend had nothing to fret about as far as she was concerned.

“Do you need anything else before I leave?” Jacky looked at her watch and estimated that she still had several minutes to spare before she had to leave. “What about I order you lunch or something?” She continued.

She remembered that it was almost lunchtime and her boss had not arranged anything to eat yet. Usually, she handled that, but she forgot about ordering food with the sudden change in her schedule.

“Jacky, do me a favor and leave before I change my mind,” Dani threatened her friend with a tone she commonly used on the opposing team.

She stopped what she was doing and got up from her seat. She quickly dragged her friend out of her office and pushed her out the door.

“Hey, no need to be harsh,” Jacky complained, but she was not hurt in any way. She was just being melodramatic.

She suddenly missed having her around the apartment. It had been quiet living alone without her friend, staying in the next room.

She had missed her early banging on her door before she went on her morning runs. She also reminisced the long conversations she had with her over a movie. Then, they would share popcorn or an ice cream while sitting on the couch.

“Go! I don’t want you to be late and make Andy wait.” Dani intentionally closed the door on her friend, implying that their discussion was over.

She could get her own food. She did not need an assistant that would wait on her every need. Although, more often than not, Jacky did handle the food during lunch or the other things she needed in the office.

But that was an assistant’s job, Dani defended herself. She could not be expected to do all the work in an office, but she assured herself that she still could manage to take care of herself.

Her title might say that she was a princess, but she was far from one. She would never allow power, money, or a title to dictate who she was. For her, she was just another member of the working class.