The Royal Contract

And as if luck was on her side, her travel time seemed to be anything but smooth. People were pleasant on the street while traffic was light. Even the coffee shop had less crowd than usual.

It must be her lucky day as she entered the building with more than an hour to spare. As her boss had said, it was better if she could make it ahead of her schedule and prepare everything before the boss arrived.

“Good morning, Ria.” The woman at the reception greeted her. They were fast becoming friends since she started working for the company. She greeted each one of them with a wide smile.

She believed this would be a great day for her. She could feel it in her heart. As the elevator packed up and moved to her floor, she could not wait to start her day right.

But her mood changed when her eyes saw a familiar man as the doors opened to her floor. He stood in the open area just a few meters away from her.

“Miss, aren’t you going down?” A man who had just entered the lift held the doors for her, keeping them from closing on her.

.....

“Oh! I am sorry.” She had no words to express how embarrassed she was. She recognized the man from the lower floors, from the legal department, she believed.

However, she felt like her feet had metal chains with a heavy bowling bowl as she dragged them on the floor, making her way to her table. But her eyes remained glued to the man who had his back on her, unaware she was ogling him.

She was not expecting to see him. She was shocked as her eyes focused only on him. Not because she found him attractive in an impeccable suit but because she remembered ruining one on the first day they met.

“Watch where you are going, Ria.” One of the secretaries shrieked when she almost bumped into her and spilled the coffee on her.

“I am sorry.” She was glad the girl was fast and dodged the cup before it spilled on her. At least she only caused a few droplets on the floor this time.

Now, she wondered how she would balance the cups on her other hand and the stack of papers on her other arm while she tried to wipe the floor with a tissue. She could have just left, but she did not want anyone else to slip on the wet portion of the tiled floor.

Slowly, she lowered herself, bending on her knees in her tight-fitting skirt and balancing her foot on her high-heeled shoes. It was not an easy task as she successfully landed on her butt with the files scattered on the floor. Thankfully, the cups of coffee seemed to remain intact.

“Are you alright? Do you need any help?” She was still feeling the humiliation of earlier and added this to the mix when she looked up to see who it was. She could feel her face burning upon looking at those familiar eyes staring at her.

Soon, before she could even react further, he knelt at her level and started picking up the folders on the floor without waiting for her answer. How could she respond when her voice and logic seemed to abandon her?

Gratefully, she did not see a tinge of smirk or laughter on his face. He seemed genuinely concerned more than making fun of her. Compared to their other encounters, he seemed friendlier today.

But that could also be a trick, refusing to take the hand that he offered to help her up. She could not help but imagine taking his hand, and then he would let her go, pretending it was an accident and causing her to fall back to the floor.

“I am fine.” She quickly recovered, snapping back to the present. Since her other hand was free, she only slightly struggled to return to her feet without using his help.

“Are you sure?” He asked again as he stood at full height, towering over her.

But she would not let him intimidate her just like the last time. “Yeah, I am good.” She answered him as she straightened her skirt and blouse while holding onto the coffee.

Suddenly, “What are you doing?” Ria was surprised when he bent down again and leaned on the floor. Then, she realized he was wiping the coffee on the floor, something she had forgotten she was supposed to do.

“We don’t want anyone to slip on those.” He mumbled as he stood up before her.

“Of course!” She answered, a little dumbfounded since she did not expect he would do that. She had always found him arrogant, so seeing him in that position was surreal. “Anyway, thanks. But can I have my files back?” Remembering he was still holding onto her stack of papers.

“Why don’t I escort you to your table?” Instead, he offered, not handing the papers to her. “I am Zach, by the way.” He extended his hand to her but realized he still held the dirty tissue he used to wipe the floor. “Wait!”

He rushed to the canister on the corner, dumping the paper in his hands before returning to her side. Then, he offered his hands again, hoping to make up for their last meeting.

“I don’t think that is necessary,” Ria answered for his offer and introduction. “Just hand my papers so I can return to work.” She suggested instead, dismissing his hand and asking for the files.

“I don’t think we were properly...” He was about to say ‘introduced’ and ignored her request, but somebody else joined them in the hallway.

“Oh! There you are.” Brenda appeared before them with a radiant smile on her face. “Good, you finally met.” She indicated the two of them. “I am sure you will enjoy working on this new task together.”

“What do you mean?” Ria reacted quickly to the news. She felt like her day started great but would end in a nightmare, glaring at the man for ruining her day.