The Royal Contract

"Yeah, I am." She quickly wiped the few tears that dropped from her eyes, suddenly aware that she was not alone anymore in the room. "Did you just come in?" She asked as she reached for the white handkerchief he handed her.

She did not hear the door open. Was she too lost in her thoughts that she did not notice her surrounding? She wiped her tears and held on to the cloth until she was sure that there were no more tears left in her eyes.

"No, I was here first. But I believe I did not notice you come in. I was standing on that far corner." He pointed to the spot he had left.

It would seem that he was not alone in wallowing their sorrows and hiding in this room for comfort. He stared at that beautiful face and wondered who would think of hurting another person.

Well, he could already think of several people. He almost had been a part of it, but he was through with all of it. He could not stoop to such low and hurt someone because the person he loved wanted him to.

"Oh. I did not look in that direction." She hardly looked at anything at all when she entered the room. "Well, I can leave if you need the room." She offered since he was the first one to use it.

"No, that is not necessary." He stopped her from getting up from her seat. "The entire room is big enough for the two of us. If you want to be alone, I can go back to my previous position."

"I'm sorry. You are right. The room is big enough for both of us. You are welcome to stay wherever you wish." She waved her hands to the room. "Please don't let my presence disturb you." She added.

She moved to the other side of the couch, giving him space to sit on, despite the many other available seats around the room. She felt that it was not her house. Anybody could come in and join them.

"Ok. Then let me replenish my drink." He walked to the minibar in the middle of the room. "Would you like one? Anyway, I think you need one." He did not wait for her reply as he prepared her another drink.

He walked back to her side and handed her the glass. "Drink it. It will help." He suggested, seeing that whatever happened to her earlier still affected her deeply.

"Thanks." Although she did not initially plan to drink, she took a sip of the drink, hoping that it would help.

After a few sipped, she looked up and found the man still standing on the other side of the couch, just watching her. It was not in a creepy way, but more of curiosity.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" She asked as she lowered the glass of her drink on her lap and stared at the brown liquid instead.

"Only if you like my company. We can talk. Not necessarily why you are crying or why I am sulking. But anything else that can help us get through with this night."

He thought that it was better than to constantly thought of the woman that was breaking his heart. He knew if he kept drinking his pain away, he might break down and do something stupid.

It sickened him to see her clinging to that despicable man. Why did she have to lower herself in such a way? For revenge. He could not accept it anymore. Her reason was not good enough.

"Fine. Your idea seems better than mine." She finally answered him after a few seconds of thinking about his suggestion. 

It seemed better than her crying her eyes out. Besides, talking to this stranger would seem better than thinking of a past she could not get back. Better find a way to move on to the future.

He finally sat down on the opposite side of the couch, cradling in his hand his drink. "So, are you a friend of the bride or the groom?" He felt that he should put some humor into their situation.

Well, Alex and Dani were practically getting married. He better started getting used to it, even if he learned to like Dani. There was a point that he wanted her to be his. 

But seeing how in love she was with Alex. He knew he never had a chance. He had to let go of that idea before he had fallen too deep. Now, he wanted to salvage his love for the first person he ever loved. But.

"The groom." She answered with a forced smile. She did not cry again, but the pain was quite evident in her eyes. "What about you?" She turned to him and stared at him.

She wanted a distraction and was freely giving her one. The man seemed interesting to talk to, so she would indulge this whim. He had not introduced himself, so she chose not to divulge hers too.

"The bride." He answered her. "She is a dear friend." He told her honestly. Because as Dani always pointed out, they were just friends.

Besides, he came here to fulfill the love that he promised to keep. At the same time, to say goodbye to Dani. It was killing two birds with one stone. 

But now, he was not so sure if he still wanted to kill the other bird. He wondered if he was having some second thoughts about his feelings.

"I am hiding not because of the groom but because of my father." She laughed because it was so stupid. "He wanted to marry me off to the first man that would take me."

She did not know why he told him that, but it felt good to take that off her chest. It was like she pulled a thorn out of her wound, and the blood finally bled out and relieved the pressure.

"I am here too, not because of the bride. I could not stand to watch as the woman that I loved destroyed her life." He admitted to her but with a defeated look.

He knew it was a mistake to see her when she was with him. Now, he could not erase the memory of the two of them. He knew she saw him watching her, but she did not stop. She continued with her charade. It was just too much for him.

He knew now that he could not turn back. He could not accept the woman that he loved back in his life. What happened tonight destroyed everything in their relationship?

He refilled their drinks and started talking more about their failed relationship. They started sharing things that hurt them the most. Their alone time became a therapy session as both wanted to heal from the pain.

"I want to run away." She finally said. "I want to start over where I am far away from all of this." She was a bit tipsy, but she was not drunk. 

She knew what she was saying, but the difference was this time. She had more courage to say it out loud. She did not care anymore about what her father would say.

She always came, running back to her father whenever he needed her. But this time, she wanted to be selfish and think of herself. She had to stop thinking that it was her obligation to take care of him.

"That is what I plan to do. After tonight, I am leaving. I am taking my life away from here. But it would seem that I am leaving alone." He stated, finally making up his decision.

"Take me with you." She did not know where that came from, but an idea was quickly forming in her mind. "I want to run away with you. I will pay you, of course. But I will ask you to do something for me."

She was still wealthy from her modeling career. In addition to that, she also had a trust fund that her mother left her. But it was something that his father had no idea about, and she planned to keep it that way.

"What is it?" Not that he was interested in running away with her or her money. It all sounded like fun that he liked the idea. Or was he starting to get drunk? He could not tell as he waited for her to answer.

He was starting to find this woman more intriguing compared to the crying lady earlier. He wondered what idea was running through her mind. Would he like it?

"I want you to marry me." That should put a stop to his father's plan to marry her to some guy. At least in this scenario, she was in control.

But was she really in control when she hardly knew the man? Yet she was proposing to him to get married. She was drunker than she thought as she started laughing.

"That was one hell of a proposal." It took him a minute before he could respond to her statement, or was that a question? He could not tell.

He started laughing at the idea too. "Are you serious?" He found it hilarious since he did not even know her name. Why would he marry a stranger and run along with her plan?

"Yes, I think I am." She answered back, not even blinking this time. She was dead serious about her plan.

At the moment, all she could think about was the perfect solution to her problem.. The only thing that could make her father stopped from auctioning her to the highest bidder.