The Royal Contract

"Are you sure that I look, ok?" Jacky twirled one more time in the mirror and checked the gown she was wearing for the night.

She had been in many ballgowns before, worn many fancy trinkets because of Dani. But today, she suddenly felt uncomfortable in her new, expensive dress. 

She felt like she was a fake. She was once again living a lie, associating herself with not her kind. But where did she even belong to when all she ever had was Dani and Andy? 

"I am certain that eyes will be following you around, and a particular someone will have a hard time keeping his hands off of you." Dani teased her friend.

She reassured her for the hundredth time that she looked gorgeous. Her friend had always been stunning inside and out. But her past always hindered her from pursuing more than she deserved.

But dating a prince in the public eye made her nervous. There was no doubt that she would catch the attention of the press once she walked into the ballroom with Lance at her side.

"We are not dating perse, so don't get any ideas. I think Lance likes me but not enough to have a romantic relationship." Jacky retorted with a sigh.

"I don't believe that. I..." Dani was saying, but Jacky stopped her.

She felt that her friend was too hard again on herself. After what Marcus did, she never had been the same again. Her confidence in finding the right man for her had become a distant dream.

"He is only going with me tonight because he was too gentlemanly to decline my invitation." Jacky deduced from her situation.

Yes, Lance had shown up and asked her for dinner. He spent some time with her to watch a movie the other night. But nothing else happened. 

As if liked before, he had categorized their relationship in the friend zone. After the movie was over, he kissed her on the top of her head, said his goodnight, and left.

"Jacky, I wish that you will see your true worth. You are more than half of the people attending this ceremony, even when combined. Your heart is so pure. It is hard not to love you." Dani expressed to her friend what she always thought of her.

Dani took her hand and pulled her into her embrace. She could not help the tears that dropped on her cheeks as she tried to show Jacky how she meant to her. What it was like to have her in her life.

She only wished that her words would finally get through to her. She wanted to find her friend again amidst the pain she was feeling. Jacky deserved more than she was asking for in this life.

"You are not just saying all that because I am your friend, and you want me to feel better." Jacky also found herself on a roller coaster of emotion when Dani uttered those heartfelt words.

She slightly pulled away and stared at her friend's teary eyes. She could never doubt Dani when she looked at her with those soulful eyes. Dani might be a lawyer, but lying was never her strong suit.

"You know I will never lie to you." Dani wiped the tears that escaped Jacky's eyes, while Jacky did the same to her. "Now, I ruined our makeups." She stated, laughing at their silliness.

"Well, we both did, mostly it was my fault for being so melodramatic," Jacky muttered as she took a deep breath, fanning her eyes with her hands to stop the tears from flowing again.

She quickly grabbed a tissue on the table and dabbed their faces with it. "Now, blow," Jacky instructed, putting a fresh one on Dani's face, right below her nose.

Dani immediately complied like a tiny child, which only made them laugh a little more. "That certainly reminded me of Mom," Dani stated in between their chuckles.

"Speaking of Mom, are they coming to the event?" Jacky asked since rumors said they were. But with her father's condition, she wondered if that was advisable.

They had been like the closest Dad and Mom figures that she had. She loved them as her family as well. She would never dream of any harm befalling the two of them.

"Yes, they are. You know Dad will never allow anyone to stop him from attending. Anyway, Mom only agreed with a few conditions and because he finally agreed to have the operation next week." Dani explained to her friend.

It was the only way to appease her dad. At least, her dad was going to undergo surgery, the most important thing right now. Her Mom finally conceded to an hour of their presence as support for Alex and her charity event.

"I guess that is fair. I hope that nothing will ruin this night for Alex and you. I also heard that Nick received an invitation. Did you know that?" Jacky said concernedly, knowing how Dani hated being in the same room with that vile man.

"Where did you hear that?" Dani asked, shocked to hear that Nick would be there. 

Nick, coming to the party, meant Alex knew about it since he oversaw all invitations. Then, why did he failed to mention that to her when he knew exactly how she felt about him.

"Well, you know, the secretary of, but whatever. Let us say I heard it from a friend." Jacky stopped explaining since it was a long story. "Anyway, that was the word in the street."

As her assistant, she had formed a network between several of the staff in the office and their associated companies through other assistants and subordinate staff.

It was the easiest way to get information through the grapevine. But she also filtered most of what she learned. Sometimes many still leaked fake news and were not newsworthy.

"And how reliable is your friend?" Dani asked, but she knew that Jacky usually verified her news from more than one source, to be precise.

"Very." Jacky mouthed as she applied fresh lipstick and dabbed some more makeup on her face, fixing the damage they had done earlier.

"Then, I never heard of it before," Dani confessed, suddenly uneasy with the situation. 

It made her think of her current situation. She was sure that Alex did not intend to keep that from her. It probably just slipped his mind with all the things happening lately.

She quickly dismissed her negative thoughts. She believed that Alex had good reasons for doing what he did. But she would not allow Nick's presence to ruin this night for them.

"Anyway, if that man ever does make, as much as, a fuss, I will personally punch him the nose." Jacky stood behind her and shook her shoulder as they both stared at the mirror in front of them.

She did look great in her gown, agreeing with Dani. She finally realized that she had to make up her mind if she wanted Lance or not. If she did, shouldn't she fight for him? 

It was the twenty-first century. Women already had the right to get after what they wanted. The only time that she should give up on him should be when Lance finally turned her down. 

A knock on the door meant it was time to leave. The night was young, and it was time to get his man. She braved herself to what she had to do, basing her claim on the law of attraction.