The Royal Contract

He could only wonder as he sipped on his coffee that had turned cold. He noticed two young girls giggling on the other side of the table, enjoying their lattes. Another older couple was enjoying their breakfast after probably a leisurely walk at the nearby park.

But there was no sign of the woman Serena had said would come to meet with him. “Where are you?” He silently mumbled as he scanned again for the tenth time. He did not have time to wait for her the whole day. He also had other things he had to be in an hour.

However, Serena did not give him a description of the woman or a name. She only said that the girl would approach him. How would he know which one she was?

Suddenly, he regretted not insisting on getting the files yesterday from her. But with her condition, he felt he should give her some space. So, he only called her this morning, asking about his files.

“Would you like something else with your coffee?” The waitress walked closer to him with a friendly smile and a pen and paper in her hands.

She was probably wondering how long he was still going to wait since he kept looking at his watch. Many customers had already entered and exited the shop, yet he was still sitting with just one cup of coffee on his table.

.....

“Can you just give me a fresh cup of coffee?” It was the only thing he wanted at the moment, handing the cold cup to the woman with a smile.

Then, he was alone again, looking outside the window, searching for a sign that someone was coming. But when all he saw was people and cars passing by, he grabbed his phone, ready to call her again.

“Hey, are you Mr. Adam Mason?” Somebody stood beside his chair, asking him before he could hear the first ring on his phone.

“Whose asking?” He immediately asked before he could tilt his head to look at the person dressed in denim pants, a shirt, and a leather jacket.

“I have the papers you needed.” Then, the girl sat opposite him, holding a brown envelope, but he could not see her face since she concealed it with a dark sunglass and a wide cap lowered onto her face. It was like she was covering it purposely.

“Then, give it to me.” He was already running thin with impatience since he was already late for his next meeting. He never liked showing up late, so he expected others would also show the same courtesy.

He did not care if this girl, whoever she was, did not want him to recognize her. It was not his business anyway. He only wanted his files so he could leave and attend to his other priorities.

“Not so fast.” She pulled the envelope away from him when he tried to reach for it. “First, I need your help.” She withheld the file, using it as a bargaining chip.

She must be insane to do this. But she did not want to go to her brother for help. At the moment, he was the only person she could trust. For whatever reason, she felt comfortable around him.

Maybe it had something to do with the way he treated her. It was like he did not care that she was a celebrity. Then, of course, how he had defended her yesterday.

Suddenly, he discovered she was not just anybody, finally remembering her voice. “What do you mean?” He asked, confused and curious as he gazed into her sunglasses. However, he could barely read her expression as she kept her head down. “What help?”

He finally realized Serena did not send her assistant but came by herself, disguised in some casual clothes so no one could recognize her. But what was she doing here, looking like that? Why would she bring the papers to him herself?

And what was wrong with her?

“I need your legal counsel.” Serena looked left and right, determining whether anybody had figured out who she was. Thankfully, no one seemed to so much as look in her direction.

“I am sorry, but I could not help you. Anyway, you have David. If he could not help you, I am sure he knows many top-notch lawyers who could represent your interest.” Adam was surprised she considered him, but he did not represent a rich, spoiled superstar.

“That is true. But I want to hire you.” She insisted, pulling out her checkbook in front of him. “How much?” In her experience, everybody had a price.

She had been represented by her agent’s lawyers before, but it seemed they did not have her interest fully in mind. All they could think about was the company’s image and what profit they would earn from her or how much they could save from a lawsuit. She believed they would sacrifice her in a heartbeat, always putting her as the last priority.

David and her family were different in a sense. But they were not helpful as well. They had belittled her profession, belonging to a family of four generations of lawyers. She was the odd man out.

She loved David and her family. But she would rather hang herself first before asking for their help. She never liked hearing the words, I told you so. Overall, she never enjoyed coming to their rescue.

“I am sorry, but I only do pro bono cases.” Adam did not like how these rich people believed money could solve all their problems.

He only devoted most of his time to those who deserved his help. He could not waste his time on the petty whims of those clients who believed the law was flexible according to their wills because they could afford it.

“I know justice has a price, and I am willing to pay for it.” She pulled her sunglasses off her eyes and stared directly at him. “But would you take pity on someone like me?”