The Royal Contract

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her as he carried the last bag out of the house and deposited it into the car trunk. "We can still go back inside the house if you change your mind."

He had argued with her that this was a terrible idea. But she would not hear any of his reasoning. She insisted that her father would be suspicious of their marriage if she did not attend.

So, here he was packing at the backseat of his car, the last luggage she was bringing to the trip. Then, of course, also his luggage. He could not allow her to leave and attend the event alone.

"Troy." She moved closer to him and held his hand before he could close the backdoor. "I am good to go on my own if you wish to stay." 

She could not force him to do something he was not comfortable doing. She already imposed on his kindness by using him by marrying her. 

She already felt guilty for ruining his life by tying him to a life of misery with her. She realized too late that he never needed the money she paid him to agree with her proposal.

She already married him when she learned that he was as loaded as she was, maybe more. She misjudged what he did for a living, not knowing much about the industry. 

"You know I can't do that, Tyra. Wherever you will go, I will go." Troy told her, pulling her hand gently out of the way as he closed the door. "Besides, I can never let you go and face your dad on your own."

He had made an arrangement with her when he decided to marry her. He was not about to break them just because he did not like to see her get hurt. 

He believed attending the wedding of her ex would only end up badly. She was only setting herself to another possible heartache.

But, a small part of him was curious about her reaction to the wedding. Maybe hopeful that somehow she had learned to move on from her past.

"But do you really want to come? In truth, I feel like you are only forcing yourself because you pity me?" She had learned to be more vocal about her true feelings with him.

Since she married him, she had learned to trust him. She even considered him as her bestfriend. Telling her past to him had been easy. Something that she had found hard to do with someone else.

But, she did not want to continue to burden him anymore. She finally planned to end their sham marriage once she returned from this trip. 

So, it did not matter if he came along or not with her. They never had to continue to pretend in front of her father about their relationship. 

"Hey, stop that. No one is forcing me to do this except me. I am your friend and husband, and I will not abandon you in your time of trouble." He announced to her with finality, having enough of her self-pity.

She was not getting rid of him that easily. He would only stay if she would. Other than that, he would go anywhere with her. 

His reason for doing this was deeply hidden in his mind and heart.

He could not reveal them to her until he was absolutely sure that it was the right time. Else, it would just blow on his face if she learned of the truth.

"Ok. If you are absolutely sure." She rode the passenger seat while he took the driver's side. He would drive them to a private hanger where his assistant was already waiting for them.

She could not continue arguing with him. She had never won against him anyway. But she was thankful that he was coming with her to the party. It would allow her to execute her plans.

At the same time, she would be able to spend some time with him before their inevitable end. Although, she was still arguing with herself if that was even a good idea.

"Relax. Let us just consider this as a vacation." He patted her hand before giving it a gentle kiss. "Don't worry. I know that you are apprehensive about attending this wedding because of him. But I will never leave your side, I promise."

He finally let go of her hand, hoping he had comforted her. He continued to drive and concentrate on the road, allowing her time for herself.

He had no problem being at the wedding. More than ever, he wanted to be able to support Dani to the next chapter of her life. But he wondered if she already knew about his marriage. He could already imagine her surprise.

"Thanks for being a great friend." She finally turned her face to look at him. One thing for sure, she was lucky to find a man like him. But he was fortunate to be stuck with her.

She had been busy planning to try and save Troy from her father's manipulation. Ending it with him would stop her father from taking an interest in him. 

She could not allow him to take advantage of Troy's kindness because of his money. He did not deserve that, after all, he had done for her.

She could already tell that her father had Troy investigated and gathered his worth. He probably started scheming his next venture where Troy would be his primary investor. 

Thus, his sudden interest to meet him and for her to bring him along with her. But she would make sure that would never happen. She would not allow her father to use him.

"If you find yourself having a hard time, just tell me, and we will leave immediately." He offered, giving her an option.

He could only imagine what she was going through at the moment, seeing the solemn look in her eyes. As if her heart was already in pain because she was losing someone she loved.

He had been in the same boat as her. Luckily, he was able to move on. All thanks to her. She had found a way to alleviate his pain, distract him from going back to the past, and teach him to let go.

She looked at him, momentarily confused but then realized what he was talking about. "I am sure, with you by my side, I will be ok." She smiled at him but felt more conflicted with her situation.

The funny thing was, she had forgotten the real reason why they were going in the first place. The wedding of Alex and Dani was not even a factor in her plan to go on this trip.

Thinking about Alex did not even cross her mind. Either her brain had shut him out, or she had started forgetting about him. Did it mean that her heart had finally healed?

"As long as you need me. I will be here." He suddenly wished that they had met in different circumstances.

Maybe things between them would have turned out differently. It would not be this lie that they were trying to live with.. But a life both of them could be free to do what their heart desires.