The Royal Contract

“Jacky, can you come inside for a moment,” Dani called her friend and assistant.

Jacky immediately entered the room, looking at her with curiosity as she paced around the room. She placed a few of the files she had already finished signing on the table near her friend.

Then, she took those files that still needed her attention, planning to bring them with her. She arranged to stay at the hospital with her mom and work on her other case in her spare time.

Her heart refused to accept that her father was still not out of danger, as the doctors explained. But her logical mind wanted her to prepare for the worse.

He might seem fine now, but his heart was unstable, and anything could still happen to him. The doctors feared that another unexpected attack could be fatal this time.

“Do you need anything else?” Jacky asked as she took the files ready to be distributed to the other associates. “For what it was worth, I hope your Dad gets better.”

.....

She smiled at her friend, wishing the same thing for her father. But it was now out of their hands. Even the doctor could not do anything about it.

No matter how much money and power they had, it was not enough to guarantee her father’s recovery. Even science could not help him. Only a miracle could save him now.

“I hope so, too,” Dani said, taking a deep breath as she prepared to leave. “Anyway, if there is an emergency, just call David, and he will reassign my cases to the other associates.”

David asked her to go on leave for a few days until her father was better, but she knew she could not just abandon her cases. So, she agreed to a compromise with him.

Besides, she could tell that her boss’s hands were full without Evan at his side. She suddenly remembered Lance, who was also in the hospital.

But she was glad to hear from Alex that he was getting better and expected full recovery. Still, it would not be an easy struggle for him to recuperate from that accident.

“Don’t worry about anything here. I will handle everything.” Jacky assured her as she walked out of the room, carrying the other files.

She was also about to leave, grabbing her bag, but she had to turn back, remembering she had left her phone on the table. When she turned around, Gerald was already standing by the door.

Then, Jacky stood behind him, too late to warn her about his arrival. But she did not mind if he stopped by since she wanted to talk to him.

She was curious about what he said to their Dad because when he left yesterday, her father seemed different. But her Dad kept saying that he was ok.

“I hope I did not catch you at a terrible time,” Gerald said as he continued to block her way.

She stared at the man who had quite a few similar features to their Dad if scrutinized closely enough. They might have the same blood, but she wondered if they carried the same heart.

“Well, as you can see, I was supposed to be on my way out.” Showing him her things in her hands. “But if this is important, I can give you a few minutes.”

In this office, she still considered him the boss. Although she answered directly to her other bosses, David and Evan, Gerald still had a higher position than her.

“This has nothing to do with work but had something to do with Ethan,” Gerald told her as he pointed out that it was still just as important.

She had no choice but to turn around and sit on her desk again as he occupied the empty chair before her. Besides, she was interested to hear what he had to say.

Still, it was not lost on her how Gerald had addressed their father. When there were families around, he called him Dad, but when it was just them, he reverted to Ethan.

It suddenly made her wonder if this was just a game to him. Because to her Dad, his acceptance was everything to him. His forgiveness would mean the world to her Dad.

“What is it?” Dani did not want to preempt his words by giving a statement. She wished first to know what he had planned before giving her comment on the situation.

She also wondered what it was between Gerald and her husband. She did feel the tension between them. But Gerald left early, so she did not catch what it was.

Alex seemed to be tight-lipped about it too. Her husband barely mentioned Gerald’s name in any of their family conversations. But she hoped she could get to the bottom of this before it became too late for everyone.

“Ethan, I meant our father, asked me to choose whether to tell the world about our relationship,” Gerald informed her. “But I decided to keep it within the family for now. I only want to give you a heads up.”

He adjusted his seat and made himself comfortable while looking at her. But his eyes seemed to be unsure. Something she rarely saw in him when they were working on a case.

Usually, he had everything sorted out. Mostly, he was in control of his situation. Therefore, finding a hint of hesitation in his eyes seemed extraordinary.

However, as much as she did not want to trust Gerald, he was still now family. She would still wish to give him the benefit of the doubt. She still hoped that he would change for them.

“I could not force you if that is what you wish to do.” Dani finally answered her brother. “But I wish you would reconsider that despite whatever you felt about us, we are now your family.”

Deep in her heart, she wished she could get through to him. She had no idea if that would even mean anything to this man.

A mafia man raised to have a cold heart.