The Royal Contract

After receiving an unexpected call from someone that she never wanted to hear from, the last thing she wanted was to listen to his voice again. But it might not be him. Maybe it was Evan, calling again, or Amelia or her work.

But she distinctly remembered that he said he would be contacting her again about the details of their meeting. She was not particularly thrilled to see him again, hence the hesitation to answer his call.

“Eida, are you alright? Why are you not answering your phone?” Angela strode into the room with Goliath and a paper bag in her arms, followed by Bea not far behind with a bag of groceries in her hand.

She watched the three move toward her, but Angela had her eyes shifting from her to her phone. After a short greeting, they proceeded to the kitchen to drop off what they had bought in the market.

“It is nothing important.” She dismissed the phone call as she left it in the living room and attended to helping Angela with their supplies.

At that moment, dealing with someone in her past was the last thing she wished to do. She had moved to this place to start over again and not to be constantly haunted by their presence and reminded why she had run away in the first place.

.....

Although she still continuously cried at night, missing him dearly, dreaming of him constantly, it would be better if she could stop hearing anything to do with him.

“It doesn’t look like it is not important.” Angela turned her head in the direction of the living room as she heard the continuous buzzing of the phone.

Even Goliath seemed to be irritated as he barked along with the noise. Suddenly, she regretted not turning her phone off, or in the least in silent mode so no one would be bothered by it.

“You know I can do the groceries after work.” She offered, seeing the bags Bea and Angela were carrying. She did not mind doing the menial things since Angela mostly did the cooking.

She also needed to change the topic before Angela snooped on something she was not ready to answer. As much as she trusted her new friend, she was uncomfortable sharing some details of her life, especially this one.

“I like going out. It gives me an excuse to walk Goliath in the street and socialize with our neighbors.” Angela insisted, which Bea also seconded. Angela nuzzled Goliath’s face, kissing the dog on the forehead.

“Angela needs the exercise. But don’t worry, I am monitoring her condition seriously. If I find a reason that she should not go out, I will confine her in this house.” Bea assured them, helping out in putting the groceries on its shelves.

“Ok. Fine. Just don’t forget to ask for help if you need one.” Eida reminded Angela as she put the rest of the groceries in the fridge.

She still had to prepare for her story. She had a good one and had been working on this since she started working for the small network. But it did not mean she could not help in the house when she was home.

Besides, she could not depend on Angela and Amelia forever. Eventually, she would be living alone with a child to raise on her own. She would have to learn to do all these things by herself.

“I hope you will also do the same.” Angela countered, reminding her about the phone call. “You know I am a good listener.”

She could tell that Angela suspected that she was hiding something from her. She thought she was good at making a poker face, but Angela was better at being a detective.

Maybe she should hire her to investigate for her since she was doing a great job examining her. No wonder Evan said that he could not keep any secrets from her. It was no use. Somehow, Angela could find a way to extract the truth.

“I do remember that.” She assured her friend, but as she said. Her current situation was not something she was willing to talk about with anyone.

Then, she distracted herself by playing with Goliath, cuddling the cute puppy and messing up with its fur. So far, after two more ringings, her phone had finally quieted down.

She could always call whoever it was when she was ready. At the moment, her mind was still mauling over the first call she had received. She never expected that the Count would wish to talk to or see her again after their last conversation.

Why now? What did he want from her again after she had already done what he asked her to do? But what was worse? How did the Count know where she was or her contact number? He even knew her new name.

She was alarmed that he had effortlessly found her. What about Lance? Judging from the Count’s desperation, he might still be searching for her.

How long before Lance could find her whereabouts?

“Eida?” She did not realize that Angela had been talking to her until she snapped her finger before her.

She was busy playing with Goliath. Scratch that. She was holding Goliath, but her mind was elsewhere. She did not notice Angela was talking to her or calling her name.

“I’m sorry.” She was about to make some lame excuse, but Angela only turned her head from side to side with a grin on her beautiful face.

“Have Amelia or Lance called yet?” Angela interrupted her with an expression that told her she could wait until she was ready to share whatever was bothering her.

“Evan called earlier. He said that he would visit next week.” Eida recalled their conversation. “But he seemed to be looking for Amelia. Well, she had not called yet.”

“Do you think something happened? Why would Evan call and look for her when they are in the same city? They probably saw each other at the party last night.” Angela worriedly stated, corroborating what she had been thinking earlier.

She was suddenly concerned that something was wrong. Why else would Evan call and look for her friend? It just did not make sense. She could only look at Angela with the same expression. She had no idea.

But before she could ask her more, her phone buzzed. She grabbed the phone this time, unable to ignore it anymore. It might be Evan or Amelia asking for help or something.

She quickly unlocked the phone, but disappointment slapped her on the face and a bit of dread. Not because the message came from her friends but from the man she did not want to see.

“What is it? Is it Evan or Amelia?” A voice behind her asked as Angela moved behind her, eavesdropping on her message.

She quickly turned the phone off, shoving it in her pocket, not wanting her friend to see the message. As she said earlier, she was not ready for someone else to learn about her secrets.

“No, it is just from work.” She informed Angela, lying to her to avoid further questions. But she was unsure if she bought her excuse as her eyebrows raised in question.

But before Angela could ask her again, Eida noticed someone by the door. She could tell whoever was behind the wooden panel was trying to open it, but not forcefully.

Then, she heard the main door creak, wondering who would enter their apartment without an invitation. Did Bea forget to lock the door when she came in? But it appeared their unknown visitor had a key.

Indeed, she was surprised to see who stood at the center of the door with her luggage in hand. A woman who resembled her friend and was supposedly miles away from them was now home.

“Amelia, what are you doing here?” She asked as she walked closer. She was not expecting her to be back after a few more days. She said she still had some arrangements she had to deal with before returning.

What was she doing at home? Moreover, what was wrong with her?

“My trip was cut short,” Amelia curtly said. Her tears seemed to have dried out, but it was still visible in her expression. She just stood there, unable to move, seemingly paralyzed when she saw her.

“What happened?” Seeing the tear-stained face of her friend.

She looked like she had been crying, with her puffy eyes and dropped shoulders. She could only conclude that Evan must have something to do with this. Did he just hurt her friend and break her heart?

At that moment, her problems seemed insignificant as she worried about her friend. She had to shove her current predicament and attend to Amelia first because she believed she needed her more.

Either her heart shattered into pieces, or somebody died. But whatever it was, she looked like she badly needed a shoulder to cry on at that moment.