The Royal Contract

"Where are you, Jacky?" She stared at her phone as she texted her friend to proceed to the bathroom.

As soon as she saw him, she immediately walked inside the bathroom and tried to calm herself down. It had been a while since she last saw him, but she was still boiling with hatred against the man who she used to love.

She was not afraid of him, on the contrary, there was only one thing she wanted to do to him. That was to humiliate him in front of all those people. But that would involve making a scandalous scene that she was sure her father would not appreciate.

"Hey, what's the emergency? Are you on fire?" Trust Jacky to make a joke in a situation like this. Well, in fairness to her, she did not have any idea of what was going on.

"What took you so long?" She hissed between her teeth as she tried to control herself before she exploded.

She never thought that after two years of not seeing him, that she would still be reacting like this at his presence. She was not in love with him, she was sure of that, but what he did to her was still fresh from her mind.

Then, he had the guts to parade in front of everybody the bimbo who ruined their relationship. She was furious because she had not yet got her revenge against him after the humiliation she had to endure when he canceled their engagement.

"Don't blame me. There must be a hundred bathrooms around here." Jacky jokingly said, exaggerating her words. But she was already sensing that her friend was not particularly in her normal state.

She wondered what was causing her friend's present foul behavior. She had learned a long time ago not to press for answers when she was in a state like this. It was better to wait for her to calm down or for her to blurt out her frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling well. I know you are still enjoying the party, but I think I'll be going home early. You're welcome to stay. I can just grab a cab and leave the keys of the car to you." She blabbered on without waiting for Jacky's reply.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go home with you? I don't mind leaving now." Jacky stated, knowing that her friend needed some company.

"No, I'm good, but you should stay and enjoy the party." She insisted. "I will need all the juicy gossips you'll learn from all these rich snobs."

She knew that from the way Jacky was staring at her, she had a million questions behind her stare. But she would just have to wait until Jacky came home before she could talk about him.

But as she said, she would like to hear what Jacky could learn from these people and especially, if people would start talking about her past with him.

She just wondered why her dad decided to invite him to this event, knowing how much she despised him. Her father should be blacklisting him from his social circle for what he did to her. But like always, she never understood how her father's mind worked. It was too complicated.

"Ok, if it is ok with you, then I will stay. I'll just see you tonight." Jacky expressed with a wink.

"Thanks." She answered back as she arranged herself in front of the mirror before they walked back to the ballroom.

She wished she could just walk straight out of this building, but her mother would always insist that she should follow proper social etiquette. So, she walked back to the ballroom with Jacky on her side.

Find her mom and say her goodbye, avoid bumping into him, and then make a quick getaway. That was her plan. She just wanted to go home without any more difficulties.

"Oh, Marcus is already here," Jacky announced at her side while she was searching for her mother inside the ballroom.

"What is Marcus doing here?" She asked her as she turned around and followed Jacky's gaze.

Unfortunately, it was not just Marcus who was here. Alexander was right by his side as they walked in their direction. She just could not believe the bad luck she was having tonight. She just avoided one man that she did not want to see, then there was another one.

Could this night get any worse? Yes, it just did, she thought. "I better look for my mother." She excused herself from Jacky before the two men reached their position.

She turned around to go in the other direction to avoid Alexander. But it was like fate was playing a joke with her as the other man she was avoiding was starting to walk in her direction. She felt like vanishing at that moment. She wished that a hole would open up on the floor underneath her and swallowed her.

She was going in another direction, avoiding both of them, but before she could move another step, they both called out her name. It was too late for her to escape their presence. She tried to search her brain for ways to get out of this situation, but as of the moment, she was drawing a blank.

"Hi." She first greeted Alexander since she was already looking at him. Then, turned around to the other man. Trying to remind herself that she should remain calm for her mother's sake. She also said the same greeting with a forced smile on her lips.

"It's nice to see you again. How long has it been?" He first opened the conversation. He had been searching for her since he had arrived, but he had a good idea that she was avoiding him at all cost.

"It has been a very long time." She tried to be polite. She was just glad that he was alone and the bimbo was not with him.

"Hi! I'm Jacky, by the way, Dani's friend." She offered her hands to the newcomer, curious of his identity and his relation to her friend.

Judging by the way her friend was acting, he was not just an ordinary acquaintance. If her assessment was right, there was an old history behind their pretentious smile.