The Royal Contract

She decided that while she was here, she might as well deal with promoting some of her charitable programs lined up on her agenda.

The driver assisted her inside the car and returned to the driver’s side. “Where to, Ms. Amelia?” Then, he turned to her, asking for direction as he started the engine.

“Just drive me back to the hotel.” She tiredly responded, yawning a bit, feeling the exhaustion of her body. She could not wait to reach her room and hit the bed.

At least she felt she accomplished something today, suddenly missing going back to work. Maybe it was time she left and went back to the place she had considered home for the last three years.

She looked at the view outside of her window, thinking that she used to call this place home, but now, she felt there was nothing else that would anchor her down to this place. it was time to leave for good.

“Yes, Mam.” Her driver responded, quickly glancing her way before focusing his eyes on the road.

.....

Amelia leaned her body on the backrest in the backseat of the car, closing her eyes, expecting it would take around thirty minutes before arriving at her hotel.

Then, her mind finally relaxed, allowing her body to enjoy the steady movement of the car as if it was humming her to sleep. Fortunately, she did not have to deal with traffic when it was this late.

But tonight was not the case as the driver informed her that they had to take the longer route because of heavy traffic ahead. It was either an accident happened or a construction.

Anyway, she had no choice but to be patient as the car turned around, away from the shorter path toward her hotel. She decided to rest her eyes, closing them as she rested her back in a more comfortable position.

“Excuse me, Miss Amelia.” The driver’s voice woke her up. She did not even realize that she had dozed off. But she was glad. She needed it after a few nights of restless sleep.

She looked out the window, finally comprehending that the driver was telling her that they had reached their destination. She smiled at him and thanked him for his service.

Once inside the hotel room, she removed her shoes, dropping her bag with her phone on the lone chair in the middle of the massive space. Then she tumbled down on the bed just like she had imagined in the car.

For the first time, all she wanted was to close her eyes. She smiled at herself, looking forward to a dreamless sleep. “Tomorrow.” She mumbled in her sleep. “I am leaving tomorrow.” Finally, deciding that she had enough.

But what was she running away from this time? Was it her past or the present? As her mind conjured up the image of a man that was not her prince charming, but a man that looked like a pirate, ready to steal her virtue.

Soon, she was floating in dreamland, but instead of running away, she was with the man on the sandy shore, frolicking under the sun, smiling at whatever he was saying.

Then, she abruptly woke up, bothered by her dream. “No.” She said to herself, unable to accept that she was still thinking about him.

Suddenly, she felt thirsty and hungry, remembering she barely ate much during all her meetings. Now, her stomach was demanding sustenance.

She rummaged in the mini-fridge, finding a can of juice and some chips on the cabinets. Better to eat than think about that man.

Once satisfied with what she found, she settled on the sofa and opened the television to entertain herself. Maybe a late movie after eating would lull her back to sleep.

As she scanned the remote, looking for something interesting, her fingers accidentally stopped at a news channel before deciding to take a bathroom break.

Then, when she came out of the bathroom and returned to her seat, the news finally caught her attention. Usually, she would skip anything about road accidents, but something about it made her watch.

“A man was found almost lifeless inside his car. After a car collision on the empty street in the middle of downtown.” The reporter said. The screen showed a flash of the car and the occupant, who had his blood over his face.

She tried to look closely at the screen, wondering why he seemed familiar, maybe because she had seen that sports car before. Someone close to her owned that car, but that could not be him. He was always careful in the street.

Then, displayed on the screen, written in bold letters, was something she would never expect to see in the news, as the reporter confirmed his identity.

PRINCE LANCE WELLINGTON WAS INVOLVED IN A DEADLY ACCIDENT.

She dropped the food she held in her hands, letting it fall on the floor as her mind swirled with the terrible news. She could not fathom how that could even be possible. It sounded so surreal.

She listened some more, hoping to get more information about his condition, but just like her, the reporter was still clueless about where the ambulance took the prince.

She quickly stood up and ran to her bathroom, fixing herself, realizing that she had been crying while watching the news. Then, she grabbed some new pair of clothes and changed. Not caring about putting a makeup, she rushed back to the room.

“Please, Lance. Fight.” She mumbled, hoping that he was ok. Praying that by some miracle, he had survived that collision.

She ran to the chair where she had left her things earlier and searched her bag, looking for her phone. With a quick dial, she called the one person who might have the information she needed.

But it took her several rings before someone finally answered her. “Eida, where is he?” She demanded on the line. She had to know where they had taken him.

All sleep and tiredness had gone out of her system. She was wide awake and ready to run to wherever Lance was. She did not care what time it was.

Despite what happened, Lance might not love her the way she wanted, but he still loved her as a friend. And she would be there for him as his friend.

But the other line remained silent. “Eida, are you there?” But she could hear someone moving and breathing on the other end. “Eida, where is Lance?”

“He... is... not... here.” Finally, Eida answered her, slurring her words. From the way she sounded, either she only woke up, or she was drunk. But she was leaning on the latter. But why?

“Eida, do you know where he is?” She tried again to get through to her. It seemed that, in this incident, she was the one with the clear head between the two of them.

“Probably, in hell.” She shouted at her. This time, it was much clearer as her voice echoed in her ears, making her move the phone away from her face.

“What happened to you, Eida?” Suddenly, she felt sorry for her friend, realizing that what happened to her and Lance might be connected to his accident.

She sat back down at the seat, waiting for Eida to answer her question. She could not leave until she got to the bottom of the problem. She knew Eida knew the answer to that.

“I...” Then, she started crying uncontrollably. She had never heard of or seen her friend in this condition, especially not because of a man. “I... dumped him.” She finally repeated after calming down.

She now knew that her friends truly loved each other. She had no reason to be mad at them because love was not a feeling that anyone could control.

But the question remained, where was Lance. But she also could not leave her in her current state. Eida also needed her right now. After all, she was her best friend.