The Royal Contract

"How much more time do you need? What else do I have to do to be enough for you?" She felt torn from her fear of losing him and the possibility that she would end up alone in the end.

The more he worked on his dream, the less time he spent with her. It did not help that her father kept nagging at her that she was not getting any younger. 

Her father also insisted that she should be thinking of building a family soon. He did not believe that her modeling career would be enough to give her a bright future.

He reminded her that when her body started to sag and her beauty faded, she would be thrown away just like yesterday's news. 

She still remembered what her father said to her. "You are not getting any younger. How sure are you that he will stay committed to you?" John's words, at that time, influenced most of her decisions.

"Do you have his ring on your finger? Men like him will eventually find someone else. Then, what? You will end up alone and unwanted." Her father pointed to her bare finger.

Her father's opinion poisoned her mind until she started doubting his love. She started questioning his intentions, demanding things she knew he was not ready to give.

"Please, Tyra. Try to be reasonable." Alex begged her when she demanded and gave him an ultimatum, making him choose between her and his career.

Alex knew he would not be able to pick one over the other. They were both equally important to him. He would only end up losing either way.

It was just that he was still trying to make a name in the industry. He was not ready. He loved Tyra and would marry her, he did tell her so, but she was demanding that if he did love her, she would marry him soon.

"If you won't choose, then let me decide for the both of us." She took a deep breath and held her emotions in place.

She convinced herself though he loved and cared for her, it would never be enough for him. She was tired of competing for his attention and love against his ambition.

"Please, don't do it." Alex pleaded with her.

He could already guess that she was about to break up with him, but he knew it was just her pride. He knew that she still was in love with him, and he would soon be able to patch up their difference.

He wanted her to understand why his company was relevant for their future. Once he had shown her that it was for them that he was doing all this for, and then, she would come back to him with open arms.

"Maybe it would be better this way." It was the final words she spoke to him before they parted ways.

But what she did not expect was that Alex's cousin would enter the picture. Edward had supported her, pretending to be her friend. 

Edward became a shoulder to cry on when Alex continued to pursue his career, abandoning her. When he finally found her vulnerable, he went for the kill and seduced her.

The worse part was, she allowed her hurt and anger against Alex to cloud her judgment. She ignored Alex's reasons for choosing his company over her. 

She eventually chose Edward over him, believing his promises and lies. It was too late by the time she learned about her mistake. Edward left her after getting what he wanted.

"Tyra, it is time." She woke up from her trance, realizing that she had zoned out. 

She looked up to see a crew member, signaling that her shoot was about to start. She quickly abandoned her past to focus on her future. She finally decided that it was time to close that chapter of her life.

Burying her past did not work for her. It only proved that it would continue to haunt her forever if she did not do anything about it now.

On the other side of the world, he thought of their conversation. "You know you don't have to attend if you don't want to. Stop letting your father dictate your life." It was his last piece of advice to her before she said goodbye.

He also stared at the invitation that he received. He had no qualms of attending and supporting a friend to her happy ever after. 

Alex was a good man, and Dani deserved to be happy with him because she was a good person too. He knew that they never meant to hurt anyone else with their relationship. 

It was not the couple's fault that they found themselves caught in a relationship that both ended badly. Troy still believed that they all deserved their second chances.

He was also thinking of his wife. Maybe they were only married on paper, but he had learned to care about her. It was the reason why he had agreed to this arrangement in the first place.

He might not love her, but he was willing to protect her and prevent her from getting hurt any further. He knew what it was like to lose the person that he loved. He knew that it would not be easy to recover from such a loss.

"Cancel all my meetings tomorrow." He instructed his assistant. "I am leaving for a few days."

He knew that Tyra needed a friend more than ever. Maybe surprising her with a friendly visit would help cheer her up. He certainly could need some company. 

It had been lonely since she had left. Troy was getting used to seeing her moved around his house. Now, the only thing he could hear was the silence that echoed in the walls and the coldness of the air inside the room.

Despite his effort to shove what his mind was trying to tell him, he found himself thinking about it. Suddenly, even though he did not want to admit it, his heart could not keep denying his feelings anymore. 

Marrying her had been a source of light in his darkened heart. Having her around had been a fire that kept him burning.. Her leaving had suddenly turned his life into a lonely existence.