The Royal Contract

"Thank you, Dani!" He said, looking at the woman at her side. They were on their way home after finalizing the last case she handled until she got back from their very long honeymoon.

He decided that he was not up to driving them, so he appointed one of his securities to chauffer them home. The other security followed them closed by as they continued to secure their safety.

"Consider yourself lucky." She turned her head to him after gazing at the heavy traffic outside, not that it was any different from the other days.

She could still remember her recent car accident. She finally pieced it together after recovering from the trauma. It happened so fast that it took time for her to process what was going on. She was not able to act fast enough.

She did remember another car trailing close behind her. But it was not unusual with many rude drivers around, always in a hurry to get their way without considering the others.

Then, another car drove to her other side. It started moving faster as if it was trying to overtake her car. She did remember looking at the driver. Finding the looked the driver gave her was a bit unsettling.

"I am. I was not expecting that you would leave me off the hook that easily." Alex never thought that she would be cool about it.

Well, at least that was what he figured from how she responded to his confession. She did give him a bit of a hard time explaining, but in the end, she appeared to take the entire thing not too seriously.

"Come on, a bet. What are we fifteen?" She smiled, raising one of her brows at him. She remembered high school. Those times were kids bullied the weaker ones.

She could see the way his brows furrowed at her statement 

as if he was studying her with those penetrating eyes. She could not see the point why she should make a big deal of an insignificant game.

"Are you making fun of me?" He could see the glimmer of laughter in her eyes, although she was trying hard to control her expression.

He swiftly moved his hands towards her, grabbing her on her waist. She did not expect what he had planned as she was caught unaware. 

Then, he let his fingers work their magic as he started tickling her side. She squirmed in her position in the backseat, struggling to get away from him. But she was trapped.

"Stop it, Alex." She admonished him as her hands tried to fend his attacks. But she had no possible escape as he tickled her relentlessly.

When she found an opportunity, she quickly shifted in his position and grabbed his wrist, pushing it away from her body. But she still had to avoid the other one from continuing its onslaught in her body.

She got a glimpse of Tim, driving the car, grinning at the antics his boss was doing. Tim could only shrug his shoulders, indicating that he could do nothing to help.

"You are no help. You should also be protecting me against your boss." She expressed her protest, directing her stare at the man behind the wheel. 

She squealed again when his other hand made contact on the side of her waist. "That should teach you not to make fun of me."  He temporarily stopped, letting her hold his hands in place. "Do you understand?"

"I do, but remember, I still have the upper hand. You still owe me one after this stunt you did." She raised her hands, letting go of him.

Although, she did comprehend that what he did was a man thing that only he and his friends would understand. She was not simply letting him get away with it without any form of repercussion for his actions.

"Noted." He conceded, knowing that he had no right to demand or contest against her wishes. He would do anything she wanted to make up for his participation in this bet.

"Anyway, what happened to your meeting?" She finally asked, remembering that he had left her for an appointment.

She could tell that his meeting today was important to him. He had been acting anxious about it, although he was trying hard not to show her.

She wanted to ask him about it earlier but forgot about it. But now that she remembered it, she had to know what the meeting was all about. Not because she demanded answers, but she was curious about it.

"I met with your father," Alex admitted to her. Though he did not think of telling her earlier, he was not planning to keep it a secret from her.

He just wanted to know first what her father wanted before discussing it with her. He thought it could be anything from business-related issues to marriage details. 

"Oh!" She appeared to be surprised as she stared at him with a bit of worry. "What did he want? Is he ok?" 

Since the accident, she was not able to visit him. Her mom dropped by the apartment to check on her, but she still had to make time to see her father soon.

"He is fine. As strong as a bull." He recalled how her father had greeted him when he arrived at his office at his home. "Your mom sent her love." He added.

"Well?" She looked at him, expecting more explanation from him. "What else did he discuss with you?" She asked anxiously, knowing that her father did not call for a meeting just for idle chitchat.

She could already guess that one of the topics would be her accident. She did hear some humor that Alex was investigating the incident.

Despite the assurance by the police that it was just an unfortunate accident, Alex still believed something else was in play. 

Although, he was keeping that a secret from her at the moment.

She understood that he was only protecting her from the truth because he believed she was still recovering.

She had learned her lesson about doubting his actions. He would not keep them from her if he believed it would be relevant to the situation.

"He wanted to know if I am still capable of handling my responsibility. If not, he is willing to take it back, off my hands." He stated with a wry smile on his lips.

He could still imagine how Ethan confronted him about how he handled things on his end. He was not satisfied, even one bit about his performance.

"But you are doing well in your job. The company is thriving under your management. What more did my father want from you?" She demanded this time. 

She did not like how her father was trying to manipulate Alex. He could not give his company to Alex, then threatened to take it back if he felt something did not see fit.

"He was not talking about the company. He wanted you back if I could not protect you." He looked at her solemnly, trying to study her face.

He did not want to take Ethan seriously, but he did make some good points during their conversation. However, he was not ready to give up on Dani just yet.

He promised her father that he would do his best to guarantee her safety. He would protect her using all his resources, providing her with all the protection she would need.

He even remembered telling Ethan, "I will offer my life at your mercy, to do what you see fit if I can not protect your daughter and keep her safe."

He was not afraid to end his life. He believed that she was an integral part of his life. Living without her would not be living at all.. Not with the absence of love.