The Royal Contract

Although he was surprised that she could eat fast with her skinny body and tiny mouth, she was already on her last piece, while he still had one more in his box with some vegetables and rice left.

“This chicken is delicious.” Munching on the piece of meat coated in some breading, dipped in an orange sauce. “You should give me the name of this Chinese restaurant so I can buy more.” Zach was not just saying it, but he did enjoy the food.

But more than that, he also liked her company, even if she was not that friendly. Truthfully, he noticed that she avoided looking at him or asking anything personal about him.

She never tried to make intimate conversations with him as the others did, nor had she answered any of his. She acted professionally in dealing with him like a machine on a mission. But she was never rude or sarcastic, just indifferent.

“Here is their card.” Ria pulled a piece of cardboard inside her desk and handed it to him without directly looking in his direction. Then, she returned her attention to the food she was eating.

He could assume that she had intentionally kept their relationship confined to their obligations with the office. But could he blame her when he had done nothing but annoy her?

.....

If somebody had told him a month ago that he would be working with her, maybe he would have answered, Hell, no! and laughed out loud. But that was him before he realized many things about himself.

At least he planned to mend his ways and intend to correct his grave mistakes. “Thanks.” He accepted the card while still gaping at her, even if she was busy doing anything else but giving him attention.

He also watched her play with her phone, but he noticed her fingers were barely moving on the screen, so he knew she was randomly scrolling without seeing much.

Besides, her face remained impassive as if her mind was elsewhere and not the task at her hand. Now, Zach was curious as to what was occupying her mind. Could she have thought about their project, something else, or a man? Did his existence ever cross her mind?

He still did not know what he saw in her. But he could not shake off his fascination with her. He believed he was attracted to her. But why? That was the question when he had dated much more attractive women than her.

It did not make sense, but none seemed to be, not anymore, since he started working in this place. He wanted to believe it would make him a better man, but would that be good for him?

“Hey! Is there something wrong with my face?” Ria glared at him as if looking at her was against the law. “Stop it and finish your food so we can continue with our discussion.”

“Yes, Mam.” He mockingly saluted her as he chewed on the juicy meat in his mouth and chopstick a mouthful of rice and vegetables. “As you wish.” He added while his mouth was full, acting like this was a joke.

She was not laughing as it irritated her more. “Will you stop that? It is not funny.”

She started clearing her empty box and throwing it in the trash next to her seat before she took a tissue to wipe a few drops on the table. She was not waiting for her partner to finish.

She was almost through when she looked up and saw a smirk on his face. She noticed that he was staring at her again, which irked her even more. Of course, the last thing she wished was to work with this man because he was arrogant, self-centered, and all the wrong things in a man.

“It is kinda is.” He narrowed his lips as if he was controlling himself from bursting into laughter. “But don’t get me wrong. I am not laughing at you but only at the situation.” Then, a chuckle escaped his lips.

“Are you a moron or something?” She asked because that would explain his behavior. It would give her a reason not to punch him in that smug face because she had had enough of him. “What is so funny?”

But handsome, her mind reminded him. What a shame!

To ruin something so beautiful.

Nevertheless, Zach might be attractive physically, but his attitude had been less desirable. She could do without a man like him, not that she was even considering him or he was even mildly attracted to her.

She quickly erased the thought since it was irrelevant to the current situation. It was a waste of time to think about a man like him.

“You.” He pointed directly at her. “As I said, this is not about you but your circumstances.”

“What are you talking about?” She could only look at him with confusion. It was like he was talking in riddles.

“You were trying to eat too fast while your mind is probably somewhere else that you have not noticed...” But he did not finish his sentence as he just used his fingers to show her.

Quickly, she looked down at her white blouse, and her eyes almost popped. She could not stop gazing at the orange stain spreading at the upper and middle portion of her shirt.

Damn! She must be eating like a slab, wanting to get it done and over, failing to detect the sauce dripping from her food. She chastised her mind since it kept floating somewhere else, hoping not to think about him.

Then, she blamed herself for being so clumsy and bumping into him in the first place. Now, she was not only a mess in her mind but in complete chaos.

“Thanks for being very considerate.” Ria sarcastically responded, knowing he could have told her earlier instead of waiting till she was a total mess.

“But I was afraid you would blow up in my face. You already have fumes coming from your nose and ears. I could not endanger myself by adding to it.” He replied but with seriousness this time.

“Honestly, would you want my opinion?” He continued, not giving her time to respond. “I don’t think so.”

He tried to tell her before, but she only snapped at him. So, he bit his tongue and kept to himself. Honestly, he had no ill intention. But her serious expression did not match her outfit, causing him to have a fit.

He could not hold it together, so he had an outburst of laughter at her expense. After all, he was just human with a weird sense of humor. But seriously, he would not laugh at her situation if not for her determination to put him in his place.

After considering his explanation, she concluded that he was right. She was also at fault, so she could not put all her anger on him. She should not have allowed her emotion to distract her.

“Fine. Let us forget about it.” She said as she grabbed a tissue on her desk and started dubbing her shirt, hoping to lessen the stain. However, it was no use as the sauce stuck on her shirt. She believed she would have difficulty removing the sauce even after washing it.

“I guess we are even now.” Zach thought it would be a good way to patch up their difference. “We have both ruined our clothes by accident.” He explained when she raised her brows at him.

“Are you sure because your letter seemed to demand something more?” Remembering reading the letter he left to her, asking that she compensate him for the damages.

“I think we should settle that misunderstanding now so we can work better together.” He offered his hand to her. “Let me be the first to say I am sorry if I said things that are offending and for laughing at you just now.”

She looked at him for a few seconds, debating if this was just another ploy to trick her. So far, she still did not understand him. She could not tell whether he was genuinely telling the truth or just messing with her.

Although the other employees, especially the female population, seemed enamored by his charm, not her. She would not fall to the same tricks. She had dealt with men like him before, and he was not fooling her.

On the other hand, he was right about clearing the air between them.

It would be better if they could put the past incident behind them for their current project. That was the only way they could work together without wanting to throw things at each other. At least, that was what she felt.

“Fine. I am sorry, too, if I accidentally threw coffee at your shirt. And if I said things that might have offended you.” She took his hand and shook it firmly, but he seemed to hold her far longer than she liked as she snatched her hand out of his grasp.

But she could not help but notice how soft his hands were as she compared them to most men she knew. For a former mailman, he seemed to have hands that did not handle hard labor in his life.

She believed he had softer hands than she did, feeling a few callouses in her palm from working on her apartment with a hammer. In her defense, hiring labor for simple issues around the house was not cheap.

Therefore, besides being a mother, she also had to act as a handyman.