The Royal Contract

She was viewing an old rerun of television series when the door opened, and he strode towards the living room. She made room on the couch and patted the seat beside her. 

"How was your day?" Dani asked when Alex presented himself in front of her, looking exhausted. 

It was late, and he probably went through hell from the shadow that cast over his face. She knew that running a multinational corporation must not be easy, especially for him. 

He was still building his name in the industry. It would not be easy to prove to investors his credibility since he was not from around here. He might be a prince from his country, but here he was still a nobody.

"Tiring." He uttered as he released a big sigh and sat down beside her, dropping his bag and his coat on the side of the couch and giving her a soft peck on the cheeks. "You?" Returning the question..

He undid his tie and tossed it on the side as he settled his head on the backrest of the cushion. His day had been a roller coaster ride between dealing with clients and his secret rendezvous with her parents.

But he knew he could not share that part of his day with her. Not yet anyway. If she knew about it, he feared what she might think of the idea. There was also a chance that she might never agree with it. He could not risk that.

"Same, I guess," Dani replied, sitting closer beside him.

She also had a very frustrating day. After the meeting with Gerald, everything went downhill for her. She had a ridiculous case that she never bothered wanting to think about again.

She was glad to have the case resolved immediately, or she might lose her mind talking to her client's irrational point of view. The rest was the unending paper works that needed her attention.

"Have you eaten? I can whip a simple meal if you're hungry," Dani offered as she turned to his side, tucked her feet under her, and watched his face with his closed eyes.

She liked the feeling of brushing his short soft hair through her fingers. She knew it somewhat relaxed him. But what she loved more was the feeling of just being close to him and touching him.

"Yes, I had dinner with some clients. What about you?" He forgot to tell her that she should not wait for him.

In his excuse, this day was just too chaotic for him to remember everything. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him. Seeing the concern in those beautiful orbs, he suddenly felt guilty for not taking time.

"I already had with Jacky." She told him, but she never tore her eyes away from him. "You have not answered my question?" She raised her brows, thinking if he was dodging her question or he was simply tired.

"I'm sorry. It had been crazy today. I have an investor who wanted to pull out because of some mishap in the accounts. I had to handle it before it worsened. Then there is the charity event." He knew he was making up excuses, but those were all true.

But he was also omitting some truths. In his defense, he was not lying. He believed it was better this way in the meantime. He did plan to tell her when the time was right.

His mind went back to the earlier events. It was very unusual for a mistake like that to happen. But he already had his best team handling the situation. He wanted answers because he suspected foul play.

"Do you want some help? Maybe there is something I can do." She asked, understanding the stress he was going through. 

It was the exact reason he asked Gerald for some time before she dealt with the case. She already figured that her hands would be full of activities this week and the next.

"Nah. I think you already have things you need to focus on than messing with my problems." He said as he touched her cheeks with his fingers. "But I appreciate your offer." 

He believed he would never have enough of her. He craved her every day that she was not around, but when she was near him, all he wanted was to have her closer to him.

"What about you help me with something else?" He ran his hands through her hair and pulled her closer to him until her face was only inches from him. 

Then, he eliminated the gap between them, claiming her lips for an intense kiss, full of longing. He explored the crevice of her mouth, playing a sparring game with her tongue.

He wanted to do that all day, but he felt it was not enough. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her until she sat on his lap, taking control of their situation.

She buried her fingers on both sides of his hair, deepening the kiss, satisfying her yearning for him. Then, she abruptly stopped. "Wait." She gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

She suddenly remembered something that she wanted to ask him. It was the reason why she was waiting for him in the living room. She did not want to get distracted by her desire and forget all about it.

"What is it?" He was suddenly bothered by her quick change of mood. He wondered if he did or said anything wrong, but he had no idea what.

"I know what you did earlier." She started but paused as she licked her lips that went suddenly dry. It was not unusual since she was still breathing heavily.

He was suddenly on alert, thinking that maybe she had a whiff of what was happening. Did Laura or Ethan mention anything to her? But that was unlikely. Probably it was something else entirely.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, maintaining a calm demeanor as he watched her reaction. He would wait rather than speculate.

"Dad called me tonight. He said that you convinced him to have the operation." She stated in a bit of hesitation. Honestly, she was still confused about how she felt about it. "Thank you."

She knew Alex said that her dad told him that he planned to have the surgery. But her dad told her otherwise. He said it was Alex's words that influenced his decision.

"Oh! I did nothing. I think you and your mom were what truly convinced him." Alex said, feeling slightly relieved.

He let his fingers traced her cheeks, trying to calm himself down. He thought that Ethan blew his plans, but thankfully, her father did not share their plans with her.

"Still, you did not have to talk to him, but you still did." She was ecstatic, glad that her father was going to take his surgery. He was giving them a chance to have him for a long time. 

But she could not help the feeling that something was still bothering her father when she talked to him. It was in the edge of his voice. She had lived with the man most of her life.

She sometimes could read the man. She could sense when her father was hiding something from her, especially when his guard was down. But he was exceptionally vulnerable today.