The Royal Contract

Haley already had her keys, phone, wallet, and some cash. Her passport? Where did she put it? She quickly rummaged through her drawers. Eventually, she found it just underneath her journal.

Who still kept a journal? She did.

She sometimes liked to write her thoughts on it. But it had been a long time since she had done that. During the times she felt alone. It had been her companion during her lonely nights after her mother died.

“I can go to Marcus.” She mumbled as she went in circles. But could she tell her brother the truth?

If she did, he would do the right thing. That would be to protect her, even if he had to risk his life. She could not do that to him, not after what her brother and Jacky had gone through.

Alex and Dani just had their baby. Rosella was still in a coma. She could not bother David too. She also heard that Evan had just gotten married. All her friends were also busy with their lives.

She could not just disrupt them and put their lives in danger by seeking help. She did not doubt that they would never hesitate to come to her aid. But that was not what she needed.

“Who else?” She searched her phonebook, trying to find a person she could ask for assistance. She knew she could not do this alone. She just needed a place where she could stay for a few days.

.....

Preferably a friend who would not ask too many questions. Then, she would eventually move out when she found a more concrete solution to her problem.

“Not her.” She muttered under her breath as she looked at a name. She believed she would easily give her up once her father questioned her.

She kept looking at the names on her contact list, hoping to find one friend who could help her. As she continued, she finally stumbled on a name. She thought about it, staring at the screen of her phone.

She could not help but wonder if she could trust him. But then again, he was the only one who had been at her side this entire ordeal. Besides, he was Gerald’s best friend. If he could trust him, so could she.

Other than that, she remembered that he also offered to help her. Anything he had said to her, all she had to do was call him. So, should she consider him and ask for his help?

“Do you have any other choice?” She asked herself, determining from the rest of her friends he seemed to be the lesser evil.

Without wasting any more time, she pressed his name and waited for him to answer. At least it rang on the first try. Now, if he took her call, she would ask him for help. If he did not, she had no other option but to find another way.

“Hello, Haley.” He immediately said on the line as soon as it connected. It would seem he had already saved her number on his phone. How else would he know it was her calling?

“Hi, Mike.” She finally greeted her new friend. “I hope I did not catch you at a bad time.” She knew she needed his help. But still, she felt awkward asking for it.

Although he was there when she needed a shoulder to cry on, she still could not say they were best buddies. She still hardly knew him except for the small conversations they had.

“No, not at all.” He quickly responded. “As I said before, I will always make time for you. So never hesitate to call me anytime you need me.” Mike said over the line, giving her the opening that she needed.

“Speaking of help, I have a big...” Emphasizing the last word. “...big, big favor to ask. But I need you to promise that it will be our secret.”

So far, that was all she had been asking him lately. He had already kept her relationship with Gerald a secret, even her current pregnancy. Now, she was about to ask him another one.

“For you, there is nothing I won’t do.” His voice floated to her ears with an air of reassurance. “So, what is it? Name it. I will do it. And I will keep it our secret.” He whispered the last part. “I promise.”

Somehow, she felt confident that he would never turn her down. And so far, he had not shown anything that had broken her trust. On the contrary, if he wanted to ruin her, he could tell the public that she was pregnant, but he did not.

She bit her lip as she mulled over her decision one last time. But she believed this was her only choice. Mike was the only one who could help her at short notice. Besides, she was sure he would like to know who killed his best friend.

“Can you help me get away from my father?” She finally said to him, which earned her silence on the other end. “Are you still there?” She finally asked after a minute of silence.

“Wait! What do you mean by getaway? What happened?” He finally asked, sounding very concerned. “Are you in trouble or danger?” He followed up his questions.

“It is a long story that I intend to tell you once we are face to face. But I need to know if you can help me.” She asked again, hoping that he would. She knew it would be difficult if she did this alone. Therefore, finding someone to have her back could make it easier. She would not mind having a hard time if it was just her. But she also had to think of her child.

She looked at her watch as she waited for his answer, seeing that it was way past midnight. She suddenly could not help but wonder what he was doing at this late of night. She could sense that he seemed to be still wide awake.

Was he busy with work? Or just like a regular night owl, just like her.