The Royal Contract

She had been hiding from them for more than a week, trying to figure out what she would do with her life. That was precisely why she went away. She wanted to get away from her chaotic relationship.

She did not expect that her boyfriend, well, her ex-boyfriend, would follow her. She thought when she left after catching him cheating. He understood it was over between them.

She could not believe that he would still follow her and hurt her. The worse part was his threats. She could not keep going, with fear weighing her down.

“Yes, I already thought this through,” Serena explained how she ended her relationship with the famous movie actor, but this time, she was not going to stay silent about his abuse.

She did not want him to get away with what he had done to her. And she did not want others to experience what she had gone through. She was tired of being afraid and hiding.

Her manager went to the sidebar of the hotel, where she took two glasses and fixed her a drink. Then, Nora gave her a stiff drink to make her relax as if that would change her mind.

.....

“But this might ruin your career. You know how influential Elliot is in the movie industry. His family connection to the entertainment business might ban you from getting any job.” Her manager pointed out how precarious her situation was if she continued to sue her ex-boyfriend.

But she had made up her mind. It was like what her psychiatrist said. She kept attracting cheating and abusive men because she allowed them to abuse her. These men could sense her fear and use it to their advantage, knowing they could get away with it.

Still, she knew that Nora was only looking after her best interest. She was not here to go against her wishes but only to confirm that she knew the extent of the possibility and consequences of her plans.

“I don’t care anymore. If I have to start at the bottom, then I will.” Nora was correct about that, but this was not about her career anymore. It was her life too.

Her career had a likelihood of nose-diving into the abyss. Elliot and his family would likely bury her career six feet under the ground. She probably could kiss her showbiz career goodbye.

Another scandal and the final nail in her coffin if she lost in this fight against a giant. But what was the alternative?

Was she willing to return to her abusive relationship with him? From what she had seen, he was not ready to let her go just yet.

“Let us not get ahead of ourselves.” Nora walked to her side, looking down at her as she slumped on the couch like a broken raggedy doll. “Let me see what else I can do.”

Her manager grabbed her phone and started to make some calls. Serena was just too tired since she could hardly sleep last night, so she closed her eyes and let her manager deal with the situation for now.

She could hear Nora rambling on the phone, barking orders to whoever was on the other side of the line. One thing she liked about her manager, she did not like receiving crap from anyone.

“I want your recommendation on this situation this afternoon.” It was the last sentence she heard from her manager before exhaustion took over her body and her mind drifted to a deep slumber.

She felt her body move, then a soft blanket draped around her, but after that, she was unconscious. She still appreciated her manager with her tiny gestures. Nora was tough, but deep inside, she had a soft heart.

On another side of the city, another person was busy dealing with her situation. Adam did promise he would help, but she still had to agree to file a formal complaint.

“I want everything you can find about Mr. Elliot Jamieson,” Adam instructed the man assigned to investigate his new case.

Thankfully, Alex sent one of his good investigators to help him with the case he was filing for Serena. Adam could only cover so much with his other obligations. So he might need all the help he could get.

He was sure if he came to David, he might be willing to lend him some of his resources. After all, this was for his sister. But he wanted to consult with his client before making any additional actions.

“How deep do you want me to dig into this, Mr. Jamieson?” The investigator asked him as he took note of the details Adam shared with him.

He looked at his file case, closing it before looking at the man he would be working with for the first time. Alex said he was the best, then he believed him.

“As thorough as you can.” He wanted everything that they could use against the man. He would bet that he would have the best attorneys’ money could buy.

From his initial investigation, he gathered that Serena’s ex-boyfriend was not just anybody. He learned that he was about to go against Goliath. Did that make him David? If that meant he would win the case, so be it.

Then, he was alone again, dealing with his other cases. Serena’s case was not the only one he had to focus on since other people also depended on his help.

“Can you get me the file of Mr. Logan?” He shouted, directing his orders at the woman just outside the door. “It is the one regarding the manslaughter case we received yesterday.” He explained to his new secretary.

Setting up his new office was not easy since he did not have a sizable capital to work on, but he was glad that several of his colleagues had decided to join him in forming their small firm.

They had agreed to take on paying clients so they could also accept pro bono cases. It was hard to help those victims who had no money if they did not have enough funding to support their suits.

Many big corporate firms were hard to beat, especially in controversial cases like his case with Serena. His opponent would have massive resources at their disposal. So, it helped if they had allies open to supporting their pro bono cases.

“Sir, Adam. You have a client waiting for you outside.” His secretary informed him as she brought the file he had asked for, putting it on his table.

“Tell him to give me a few minutes.” He did not usually turn away a client, but he had to deal with something first before meeting another.

“I think you should see her, Sir.” His secretary insisted, making him look at him questioningly. “I think that is Ms. Serena Anderson outside. The actress.” She excitedly stated.

“Send her in,” Adam instructed, a little bit surprised but glad that she saved him the trouble of going to her hotel to discuss her case.

He only hoped she was here to tell him to proceed with the case and not to drop it. The last thing he wanted was for her to go down without a fight.