The Royal Contract

"I am not here for pleasantries. I am only looking for Cassie." She ignored his snide comments and proceeded with why she was present in this despicable place. "Where is she?" She repeated.

As much as she wanted to avoid seeing him, she had no choice. He was the only one who could point where Cassie was hiding. He was the last person she was with the last time she saw her.

She had to talk to her privately. She had to hear from Cassie what she knew about her father's past and his involvement with the underground society. 

"Come on now, Daniella. Let us put the past behind us." This time, he stood up from his seat and walked a bit closer to her. "Why don't you sit down?" He pointed to the chair in front of his desk.

He did not allow her to refuse as he stood above her, forcing her to take one of the chairs he offered. Then, he leaned on the edge of his table, facing her.

He was not about to let this opportunity go to waste. He studied her under his gaze, remembering every part of her features. He realized that she had changed, but it was for the better.

"I don't have much time to waste here, Nick." She voiced her irritation, noticing that he was withholding the information and using it to keep her from leaving.

She would have walked out of this place and away from him, but she had to find out the whereabouts of Cassie. She could not leave without getting at least a hint.

She believed it was one of the ways she could help Alex with the situation. At the same time, get to the bottom of the truth once and for all.

"You look gorgeous than ever." He could not stop himself from saying what was on his mind. 

He did not want to frighten her away, but he believed it would take more than that to scare someone like her. He was aware of how she had changed since they separated ways.

Physically, she had turned more beautiful and developed in the right places. She was more stunning now that Nick was able to look at her more closely. He wanted her more, back in his arms.

However, her personality had also strengthened, he had observed. She was far from the weak and spoiled princess he had known before. 

The old her never attracted him. He only tolerated her presence because of the promise of the fulfillment of his dream. Since he saw her again, he knew he was obsessed with her. He could not stop craving for her.

"I'm not here to have a friendly chat with you. Nothing has changed. You are still a scumbag. I only need Cassie and not you." She had to reiterate to him, not wanting any misunderstanding. 

She could see the glimmer in his eyes. She could guess that he was already planning something she would not like. She used to love this man, but she was through with his games.

She sat straight, not wanting him to intimidate her. She already dealt with men like him, and she was not frightened that easily. She usually handled men like him with a firm resolve.

"Why are you looking for her anyway?" His eyes narrowed at her, suddenly curious about her reason. If he remembered correctly, she had severed her ties with him and Cassie.

His initial suspicion that something was going on with Cassie had suddenly spiked up again. He again wondered what Cassie had been doing for Dani to seek her out.

"It is none of your business. It is between Cassie and me. So, tell me where she is hiding because I need to talk to her." She insisted as she stared at him without blinking.

She had no plan to share with him what she wanted to ask Cassie. In truth, she did not want him to suspect anything about her intention, but she had to find her. 

However, she had to extract the truth from him. When she asked Alex about Cassie's possible whereabouts, he had no clue. All he knew was that Cassie had just vanished after she sent the files.

The smirk on his face told her that he had no plan to answer her. He was indulging her whim, nothing more, to keep her from leaving. She could walk out now, but that would mean she was leaving empty-handed. 

"What do I get if I help you find her?" He looked at her maliciously, waiting for her reaction.

He could not think of a better opportunity to use this particular situation to his advantage if he could help it. He might not get the same chance ever again.

"Nothing. I am not here to make a deal with you." She stood up from her chair and avoided bumping into him. "If you are not helping, then there is nothing else for me to do here."

She decided that she was not getting anything from him. She was wasting her time. She could sense that he knew something about Cassie's hideout, but he was not divulging it to her.

She was about to walk out of his office just the same way she had come, but he grabbed her hand before she could move further away.

He pulled her closer to him until he had captured her in his arms.

"Leaving so soon. We barely have time to chat." He uttered seductively, believing that he could manipulate her with his charm just like before. "Stay for a few more minutes, and I will tell you where she will be later."

He tightened his hold on her arms when she tried to break free. She pulled harder, but his grasp became firmer. She hated feeling his skin against hers, remembering every cruel word he had said to her.

As she pulled harder, he moved even closer until she was almost in his arms, but she still refused to move any further. She struggled harder to be free from his touch.

"No, thanks," Dani could see in his lies. She knew how manipulative he could be. She would never fall again into his trap. "Let go of me." She demanded as she twisted her arms until one was loose from his grip.

With one hand, she put all her energy on it and smacked him on the face. With the impact, she had managed to free herself. Then she pushed him hard enough until she had created enough space to escape.

"If you ever touch me again, I will put a restraining order against you and file a harassment case against you." She shouted at him, full of anger for his audacity to touch her.

She suddenly thought that maybe Carrie was also undergoing the same fate as she did. Her mind swiftly conjured images of Cassie, held against her will, hurt and in danger.

It was not a farfetched idea when it was Nick that was involved. He was capable of such heinous acts, so she would not be surprised. She suddenly feared for Cassie's life if that was the case.

She could not wait for her to resurface from wherever he was hiding her. She had to find her soon. Getting involved with Nick was a terrible experience for her.. He was a devil in a man's skin.