The Royal Contract

Instead, he had to take her out on a date. She knew her son would be disappointed, but he promised to make it up to Edison the next day. She knew Zach would not just break his promise if he did not have a good reason.

“Do I look ok?” She asked Sasha, who came by to pick up Edison. They would have to look after him while she went on a date.

She turned around for the girl, asking her opinion. She had no one else to ask, still doubting her fashion sense. Luckily, the dress was a gift from Zach, who seemed to have better taste than her.

“I think the dress looks great on you. But I prefer you loosen your hair a bit.” Sasha moved closer to her and asked her to sit down.

Then, she started to redo her hairstyle, letting some of the tendrils escape their confinement. She had it in a neat bun on top of her head, but Sasha said she looked like her headmistress in school.

After a few minutes, Sasha stopped and made her look at the mirror once more. “Isn’t your Mama beautiful?” Sasha asked Edison, who nodded vigorously.

She would agree with both of them, seeing her reflection in the mirror. In a way, she knew she was not hideous. But the hair did enhance her look in addition to the stunning dress she was wearing.

“Mama, beautiful.” Her adorable son answered as he stood in front of her.

.....

She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, appreciating his encouragement. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“You look stunning, Ms. Ria. Mr. Zach is lucky to have you as his date.” Sasha said before they finally bade their goodbyes and left her alone in the room.

But she thought she was the lucky one to find someone like Zach. After having Edison, she assumed that love would be the last thing on her mind. But Zach changed her, making her believe in second chances.

“I am lucky.” She said again to herself as she moved around her apartment. “And I deserve it.” It was like a mantra that she kept saying to herself.

Then, she realized she still had time to tidy up the apartment before leaving, seeing a few toys lying around the floor. She picked them up, put them in their place, and arranged the throw pillows on the couch.

Then, she sat down with nothing else to do but wait with her phone and bag on the table before her. Zach said he would pick her up at six, but looking at her watch now, she still had almost half an hour to spare.

“Mmmhhh!” She expelled a deep breath as she waited for the clock to move.

She had never been this anxious before that she could feel her palms sweating from the excitement and the nerves. And, of course, she did not want Zach to wait. She was not like the other girls who were always late.

But truthfully, she was curious about where he was taking her. But when she asked him, he only said it was a surprise.

But a few seconds later, her bell rang, indicating someone was at the door. She thought he was early, but that was not surprising. Quickly, she rushed to the door and opened it wide.

“Good evening. I am looking for Ms. Ria Barbara.” A man in an impeccable-looking suit stood before her.

She had no idea who he was. She did not recognize his face, concluding that she had not seen this man before. Suddenly, her alarm bells were ringing in her ears, warning her to take caution.

“Yes, that is me. What can I do for you?” She guardedly asked, wondering what the man needed from her. Suddenly, she was anxious for Zach to arrive, wanting him by her side.

What was wrong with her? She abruptly questioned herself. She had never needed a man before to depend on or defend her. She had lived her entire life only counting on herself. She concluded she could handle this on her own, even without Zach.

“I am Mr. Ryan Brett’s attorney. I am here on behalf of my client.” He introduced himself, extending his hand to her. “Do you have some time to talk?”

She ignored his hand after learning that her ex-boyfriend had sent him. She could already tell that he only brought bad news with him. And she had no time to entertain such a man who would work for a scumbag like her ex.

“I am sorry, but I am on my way out. Can you just come by some other time?” She told him, dismissing the man from her presence.

She was about to close the door when the man stopped the door before it was halfway through. She looked at him, alarmed and bothered, wondering if she should run and call the police as her pulse quickened. Still, she did not see him as the criminal type. But what did she know about dreadful men? She did end with one, right? She believed she had a terrible judge of character.

“No. Don’t worry. I will not take much of your time. I only came by to give you this.” The man pushed a brown envelope in her direction, forcing her to take it. “I will just call you in the morning.” The man said before he turned and left.

She thought that was easy as she eventually closed the door and stared at the envelope in her hand. “What are you up to, Ryan?” She muttered under her breath.

She had ignored Ryan’s calls and text messages all day since she had no intention of seeing him tonight or any other night. She did not want to hear his voice and hated to see his face.

But she guessed she could not ignore what was in the envelope as she opened it and checked the content. It was a thick bunch of papers. Judging from the jargon written on it, it was a legal case.

It was no more surprise. Ryan was filing a case against her. Based on the first few notes, he was suing for full custody of their child, Edison. He was taking all her rights away from her.

“Can he do that?” She whispered with shaking hands as she held the bunch of papers in her hand, tightly gripping them.

She had never hated the man even more as he threatened to take her child away from her custody. If someone did not deserve a part of Edison’s life, it was him.

Then, she found a note attached to the file.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR CHILD AGAIN, I SUGGEST YOU MEET WITH ME TONIGHT AS I SUGGESTED. I WILL WAIT FOR YOU. IF YOU ARE NOT HERE IN THIRTY MINUTES, THEN CONSIDER THIS CASE FILE IN COURT.

She immediately dropped the papers on the floor, feeling like it was burning and scorching her skin. Then, she started pacing the floor, confused, afraid, and debating whether to ignore the note or see the devil himself.

She knew that Ryan had the money and the power to fight her. She had no way of settling this in court because she already knew she would lose. But what else could she do?

“What now?” She asked herself as she stared a the scattered papers on the floor.

She quickly picked it up and put it inside a drawer, not wanting anyone else to see it. But her mind was running a hundred miles per minute as she thought of what else she could do.

Now that Ryan was not afraid to put their child in the open, under the radar of the media circuit, she had lost her leverage against him. She could not threaten him anymore with exposure.

Yes, she had an agreement with him. But that was just a piece of paper. She was not naive to believe it would stand in court. An excellent lawyer could always find a loophole in the system and overturn their case.

“Damn!” She could not lose her son. She would die first before Ryan took him away from her.

She sat back on the sofa, unable to come up with a decision. But she could tell her time was running out. She had to think of something fast. But as she looked at the ticking clock, she felt she had no choice.

Panic-stricken, she grabbed her bag and phone and rushed out the door. She had no more extra time to waste. Quickly, she hailed a taxi and was on her way to meet the last man she wanted to see.

As she sat in the backseat, she remembered her date with Zach. She knew he was probably en route to her apartment to pick her up. She had to tell him that she had to cancel their dinner date before he wasted his time and found nobody was home.

She took out her phone and opened her text messaging app to send him a message. Soon, she had made an excuse that she would not be able to make it. But she would call him and explain later after her emergency meeting why she had to cancel.

Then, her phone rang. It was Zach. Calling her. “Damn!” She put down the phone, debating whether she should talk to him.

But explaining to him was not her priority at the moment. She had to think of a plan to deal with Ryan. Therefore, she had to ignore his call and let it go to voice mail.

“I am sorry.” She uttered even though he could not hear her. She felt guilty for not showing up to his surprise. “But I have to do this on my own.”

But she knew she could not talk to him, not yet. She believed she had to deal with her past before moving on to her future. And this fight was hers and not his.

Zach deserved a woman without too much baggage that could haunt and ruin his future. And he should have had a woman standing by his side that was whole and was not some damaged good.

“I will give him that.” She told herself. A woman that he would be proud of and worthy to be with him forever.

This time, she had decided she would end Ryan’s insanity and put a period on their relationship. She had had enough of Ryan’s manipulation. She would not let him scare her anymore.

On the other hand, she concluded that Zach would require her honesty. She intended to tell him everything after this night, believing he deserved the truth.

This time, she would trust him wholeheartedly. Then, tell him how she felt for him. She believed she was ready to give herself her whole self to the man who already owned her heart, the man she truly loved.