The Royal Contract

It was no surprise that she lacked the energy and enthusiasm this early morning. They did arrive late last night from their weekend getaway. Then, she woke up early for work.

She was about to head back out to her desk when Dani stopped her by calling her back. “Jacky, what is wrong?”

She sensed something was off with her friend. She might have an idea. But still, it was better to ask rather than make assumptions.

“Nothing. I am just still groggy from the trip and a bit sleepy.” Jacky made her excuses. But she could see from her friend’s eyes that she was not buying it.

She stood in the middle of the room, contemplating whether she should tell her friend or just deny anything was wrong with her. But was it even a problem that she should even discuss?

“Yeah, it was an exhausting trip, but it was worth it,” Dani claimed, enjoying every minute of it up to the last minute.

.....

She remembered catching Alex and Marcus arguing in the kitchen last night about the bet. Marcus was pissed, accusing Alex that he intentionally lost in the race.

He did not believe that Thunder would lose to Storm, and she actually agreed with him. However, Alex insisted it was a fair game. In the end, they have to clean up the kitchen.

“True, I did have a great time.” She admitted except for that isolated incident, she did enjoy most of the trip.

“But?” Dani could still hear something odd in her voice. As if she had an inner struggle. “Is it something about the ring? Are you still slightly disappointed that he did not propose?”

It was the only thing she could think about that could have ruined the weekend for her. If she did not see that piece of jewelry, she might be on cloud nine at the moment.

“I guess yes and no.” Jacky was slightly unsure how to explain what she was feeling to her friend. She could see that Dani was confused by her words as she raised her eyebrow at her.

“Yes, he never proposed, and it sucked.” She could still feel the sting of waiting, but nothing happened.

“But then again, I know I should feel relieved because I believe we are both not ready for such commitment.” Jacky confided as she finally sat on the chair opposite her.

She slumped down on her seat, head down, with eyes that formed moist on its side. She was never emotional before. Never like this, growing tough on the street.

But ever since meeting and being in a relationship with Marcus, her world had been spinning uncontrollably. She had been going up and down on a roller coaster of emotions.

One day, she was on a high and felt there was no way she was going down. Then, the next thing she knew. She was plummeting down to the ground.

“I think both of you are ready, just afraid to take the next step, to dive into the unknown,” Dani told her friend, remembering her experience. She guessed almost everyone went through this kind of predicament.

“I guess you are right.” Jacky could not agree with her more. She and Marcus would just have to figure this one out. “I think I took up most of your time. You should really go.” Remembering about the meeting.

Dani rushed to her next unexpected meeting. Luckily, her morning schedule was more on paper works than meeting with clients.

“You can proceed inside since he has been waiting for you.” His secretary told her as soon as she stepped into the office floor.

“Thanks,” Dani mumbled to her as she proceeded to the room. “Good morning, Gerald.” She greeted him, knocking gently on the door before stepping further inside.

She wondered why he had called for her. It could be several things, a new case, a problem with an old one, or it might be regarding her offer to him.

“Oh, Dani. Please take a seat.” The senior partner offered, gesturing to the seat opposite him. “I am sorry if I have to ask you to come to my office. I know you might be busy too, but I need to talk to you.”

He had been thinking about what his friend, Mike, had said during their last meeting. He had made several points that he believed he should carefully consider.

“No worries. I was planning to ask for an appointment with you, so you had just saved me the trouble.” Dani disclosed, adjusting on her seat and smoothing her skirt.

“Very well. I have called you because there is an interesting case that I think you should look at. Maybe you might be interested in taking it off my hands.” Gerald offered, handing her a file that was sitting on his desk.

“Meaning work on it on my own,” Dani stated, a little surprised as she skimmed the folder for its content.

She could see from her initial assessment that it was a big case. Something that was usually handled by the Senior Partner. She was honored that he was entrusting the legal suit with her.

“Yes.” He swiftly answered, sliding his chair away from his table, standing up, and walking toward her. “I believe you are more than capable of handling this one on your own.”

He sat down on the seat next to her, watching her as her eyes glowed with excitement. She was indeed beautiful in every way. He was lucky to meet someone like her, but Mike was right.

He needed to walk away from her. There was more at stake than him obsessing about her. He was temporarily sidetracked from his mission, but now, he wanted to get back on track.

“Thanks for believing in me.” Dani always wanted a break like this, and she was grateful that Gerald had finally seen what she could do.

“I know you can handle this,” Gerald assured her, believing it was true. “Anyway, about your case. I think I am going to take it.”

He thought by working closely with the couple, he would know more about their plans. From there, he could assess more carefully how to clean up the mess he had made by involving himself in this situation.

“That is great.” She smiled at him, glad that he finally agreed. She still believed that he would be a great asset to their team against Nick.

She firmly believed that Nick should rot in jail and never have the chance to get parole. But she wondered if Gerald had heard of the underground organization involved in their abduction.

“I will do anything to be able to help,” Gerald promised her. At the same time, he would investigate more.

His immediate concern was to secure his position in the underground organization. He would eliminate everything in his path that might ruin his reputation.

He just hoped that Dani would never cross him. He liked her, but he would not hesitate to take her down if he had to. No one would stand in the way of his legacy. The destiny he was born to.