The Royal Contract

When he looked up from his piles of cases, he was not surprised to see his managing partner with a mocking smile on his lips. But he was not alone as his other friend followed him.

“You know I have been there before.” His newly married friend said. “If you need advice, I am here, my friend.” The two sat before his desk, feeling smug with themselves.

He did not need to be a genius to decode what his friends were saying as they both made fun of his misery. But he could not blame them when he had the same thing to both of them not so long ago.

He guessed his past deeds were catching up to him fast. If this was the only way to pay for his sins, so be it. Let it come and do worse. But in the meantime, he had to deal with his friends.

“David?” Evan looked at his friend but was not surprised at what he had done. “You just had to tell him.” He shook his head in disbelief at his friends. “Who else did you spill my sad life story with?”

He was not mad, just feeling indifferent as he closed the files on his desk. He knew he would not be doing any work until these two clowns exited his office.

.....

“By the way, thanks Marcus, but I think I got it from here.” He addressed his other friend, who was playing with his new ring on his finger.

Marcus was right to claim to be in the same boat as him. But asking for advice from him might not be such a good idea. He did mess up several times before getting it right.

On the other hand, David kept declaring that he was in a solid, committed relationship. Yet, he still had to come up with a ring pledging his legal commitment to one girl, not just a promise ring.

“Just us,” David admitted. “Alex would have come to show support, but he had other important matters to attend to at the moment. So, you are stuck with us.” Pointing to the two of them. Still, he was thankful to have friends like them.

David walked towards his mini bar and poured himself a whiskey, offering him one and Marcus a glass. But he still had several cases to finish before he could declare it a day. The two drank the alcohol and sat, waiting for him to answer their question.

“What are you guys doing here anyway?” He asked, ignoring their inquiry. However, he had already guessed they did not come for business but to meddle with his life.

As much as he did not like people snooping around his private life, he did not mind his friends. They had been there for each other since the beginning of their friendship. He was not about to change that now.

Although they like to mess around with each other, they did not intentionally mean to hurt or harm anyone. It was usually just like monkeying around, but at the end of the day, they would always have each other’s back.

“We are going out for a drink. Let us say a late bachelor’s party.” David stated as he emptied the glass in his hands. “I think our friend deserves our support. Alex promised to follow shortly. Are you coming?”

Evan knew he had to be there for Marcus even if he was not in the mood to go out and drink. And the last thing he wanted was to party when all he could think about was Amelia.

He heard that she was back home with his grandmother and Eida. At least he could breathe easier knowing she was in safe hands. But it still did not solve his problem. He had to make up with her soon.

He could not fly out in the middle of a case to see her. He had to wait till the weekend. Then, he had to beg. Yes, he had to ask her forgiveness. If he had to kneel, kiss her feet or let her slap him on the face, he would do it. Anything that would make her forgive him.

He had been an ass, and he had to accept the consequence. But losing that woman who had him by the balls was not one of them. For the first time, he would swallow his pride for this woman.

“Fine. But I am not staying long. As you can see, I am still in the middle of a case.” He showed them the files on his table.

He wished he could fend it off to one of the associates or his partner, but Evan had promised the client he would handle the case himself. Now, he was in a bind that he could not get out off.

Honestly, he was also vying himself some time to figure out what he would do once he was face to face with her. He could not afford to mess up again.

“Shall we go?” Marcus stood first, followed by David as they waited for him to follow.

He looked at his wristwatch only to realize that it was getting late. He had been working all afternoon, distracting himself. He tried his best not to get on the plane and fly out at the soonest possible time that he barely noticed the time or the darkness outside his window.

He just assumed that it was still early. But since it was almost time to go home, he tagged along with his friend and agreed to meet them at the club they had chosen.

It did not matter to him which one anyway since he had no plan of staying for long. After a while, he pulled outside the high-end club he recognized as owned by a friend.

“Welcome back, Sir Evan.” Of course, the man at the front still recognized him. It was just a couple of months since he had last visited the place, but he was a frequent guest before.

He could see a few things had changed, but many stayed the same. A slightly different crowd, but it was a similar feeling. The music still blared just like he remembered it. It made his heart, blood, and adrenaline pumping but not the same way Amelia did it.

‘We thought you were not coming.” Marcus shouted over the loud noise around the room when he was just a few feet away.

He was half an hour late since he had to stop for gas. Truthfully, he wanted time to think whether this was a good idea. Funnily, his mind concluded that he was through with all this shit.

“I am only here because of you.” He greeted his friends, but Alex was still a no-show.

He ordered his drink from a waitress that passed them by before settling comfortably on a seat beside his friends. But he had no intention of staying long.

“Well, that is new. Usually, you are the one bugging us for a night out. Maybe I should believe that this girl messed up with your head real bad.” Marcus raised his glass to him while chuckling at his expense.

Evan believed she did because he was willing to give all this up for her. He was now a changed man. He wanted to be a better man for her so he would deserve her.

“We should celebrate this.” David raised his glass with Marcus, leaving him to follow their lead. “To Evan and his new beginning.” He could see the seriousness in his friend’s face. He appreciated that.

After a few more drinks, he was ready to leave. He could already feel the buzz in his head. But David insisted they had a couple more shots before calling it a night. After all, it was rare that they were together like this.

Alex finally called, apologizing for not joining them. But that was no surprise. They understood his situation. But what he was not expecting was what happened next.

“Sir, the lady over there wishes to send her congratulations to the groom.” The waiter placed three fresh, complimentary drinks on the table courtesy of the woman who was now walking their way.

He figured she must be one of Marcus’ exes or someone he banged before Jacky. He certainly did not know her. However, why waste a good drink, taking the glass and drinking half its content?

“Excuse me, boys.” A stunning woman stood beside his seat and greeted them. If he was being honest, she was the sort of girl he would take home after a night like this. But those days were over. “I hope you don’t mind if I crash your little party.”

She looked at his friends before landing her sight on him. Before he realized what she planned, she sat down on his lap and wrapped her hands around his neck.

Then, her lips were all over his as her tongue darted inside his mouth, leaving him no time to think but only to react impulsively. Instinctively, his hands moved to her ass and back, keeping her in place as his lips moved with hers.

Fortunately, his drunk mind finally snapped him back to reason as he quickly pulled her away from her. “I am sorry, but I could not do this.” He looked into the eyes of the unknown woman, seeing the dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Frankly, he was not disappointed that he had to stop it, but he was dismayed with his action. He should not have let himself slip even for that few seconds. Still, he was glad that he had stopped in time.

Besides, he just confirmed that he was a changed man.