The Royal Contract

The man was not smiling but smirking at her. Her dream had drastically changed into a nightmare as the last person she wanted to see in this lifetime stood just a few feet away.

She had to blink twice and even dig her nails into the skin of her palms to be sure that she was awake. Unfortunately, she felt the pain, and the man remained like a terrible apparition before her.

“I think you are asking the wrong person. I am not interested.” She responded with a furrowed brow. She was not hiding her distaste for the man. “Why don’t you move along and find someone else to bother.”

She suddenly wished she had powers that, with a snap of a finger, she could make him go away or disappear in a cloud of smoke. Sadly, she could only face him with her human strength and courage.

As much as she wished to shout at him, she had to remain calm. She was not here on vacation but representing her boss and his company. She had to prevent making a scandalous scene. She could only hope that he would leave her in peace.

“Is that how you treat old friends, Ria?” It seemed that was not happening as he kept pestering her, not heeding her advice.

On the contrary, he made his presence welcome by coming closer and sitting at the edge of her lounge chair. “I can put sunscreen on your skin just like the old times.” He even offered, using his charm to get in a woman’s pants.

She almost puked at his suggestion. Her skin crawled in disgust at the thought of his hands touching her. She would die first before she would allow his hands on her again. But maybe not even then.

.....

“No, thanks. I would rather burn under the sun than let you near me or touch me with your vile hands again.” But she knew him well enough not to fall into his bullshits.

There was a time that she had dreamed of this man. She loved him and cherished their moment together. But she was a naive girl who quickly fell into his trap, believing his lies. That was back then, but not anymore.

She had learned the hard way the sad truth about men and love. She could never trust a man like him while love was as scarce as a diamond. Only a few were fortunate to experience having one. But it seemed it was not for her.

“It was not nice seeing you, Ryan.” She left her parting words as she hurriedly slid out of the chair, grabbed her things, and walked away.

She never thought that she would enjoy her time at the poolside. She even contemplated taking a dip into the pool, but this despicable human being ruined it when he showed up and disturbed her peace.

Now, she had no choice but to camp back inside her room and hide from the world. She did not want to bump into the man she never wanted to see again, accidentally or not, in this lifetime or the next.

“Where are you going?” He asked in an irritated voice. He did not shout, but it was evident to her that he did not like that she walked out on him.

For the first time, she liked picturing him, seeing the annoyance painted on his handsome face. For the longest time, she wanted to hurt him, just like what he did to her. But now, she realized she just pitied him for the scumbag that he was.

“As far away from you, jackass.” But she only mumbled it to herself as she continued to walk away.

She was just glad that he did not seem to remember their son. Maybe he had forgotten all about him. After all, it was in the clause that they made her sign that he would have nothing to do with her son.

Yes, her son, not his anymore. She repeated in her head as she expelled a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was for him to demand to see her child. But she doubted.

She kept moving towards the elevators, hoping to get away from him as soon as possible. But she wondered what he was doing here. On second thought, it was a first-class resort and hotel. Of course, he could afford a place like this.

“What a day!” She expressed both relief and disappointment as she entered her room. It started great until it lasted.

She quickly moved to the bathroom to shower, removing the heat that clung to her skin and washing away any remaining thoughts of him. Then, she dressed up in a comfortable shirt and shorts.

She was glad she brought a pair, or she would wear her office clothes while in the privacy of her room. What was she thinking when she was packing? It was apparent she was not.

She grabbed the phone on the side table to order something to eat, but a knock on her door stopped her. It could not be the room service since she still had to dial the number.

It could be her partner. Come to think of it. She had not seen him since this morning. Suddenly, she wondered what he did with that woman. But that was not her business, hanging up the phone and dashing to the door.

“Hi! Zach.” She greeted him first when she slid the door open. She did not want what happened earlier to ruin the rest of their trip. After all, the business was not yet through until they had the signed papers and were flying back home.

“Hey, Ria. I hope I was not disturbing you. But I only wish to check if you are fine.” He smiled at her, but his face seemed to lack his cheerful self. “And I was going downstairs to have dinner in a few minutes. I wonder if you would like to join me.”

She appreciated his concern, but it was he who seemed not fine. “Thanks for the invite, but I will just order in and stay in my room.” She did not want to complicate things between them.

Besides, she did not want to bump into her ex. But her partner did not need to hear that. Why did this have to happen just when she started to enjoy this trip? Was she cursed or just bad luck?