The Royal Contract

He was sitting inside the backroom waiting for the arrival of his bride. Last he heard, they had already left the palace. Now, all he could do was hope nothing would go wrong with his plan.

"Ben said that they are on their way," Alex said when Marcus asked for an update.

Marcus wanted to handle the situation since it was his wedding, but he would not have it. He could not put the life of his bride in the hands of another.

He did not want to worry since he knew Dani was in good hands, but he was still human. He still feared for the same things. The difference, he could handle the stress quite well than others.

"As your best man, do you want me to do something?" He asked as they sat comfortably on the couch. 

David had to go out and check on his date. While Evan, well, had other things to do. Leaving just the two of them to wait for the bride.

"I think you have already done enough. I would not have made it through this wedding if not for you." Alex tapped his friend on the shoulder.

They had been through many stressful situations, but he believed this was the worse one yet. He never thought that this ceremony would be like going through hell. 

He knew that once Dani was in his arms, things would change. He would be floating on air, thinking that he was in heaven with an angel in his arms.

"Hey, can I interrupt the private moment?" Lance walked inside the room with a smile on his face. "I am sorry I am late and missing most of the fun."

He did not mind not being the best man. Marcus had been a great friend to Alex when he needed a friend the most. He would have done the same under the circumstances.

Besides, he had been swamped with work that he barely had time to join in the fun. Much more took on the responsibility of being the best man.

"Hi, Lance. Come on, join us." Alex beckoned his cousin, even offering him a glass of the wine Edward had brought earlier.

He had not seen much of Lance with all the activities, but he knew Lance had been busy running the business at this end of the world.

Looking at his cousin, he could not help but think that he would have been a perfect choice for the throne, instead of Edward or even him. But their law needed a revamp first before that could ever happen.

"How are you holding up?" Lance asked, sitting down opposite the two on the lone chair.

He had heard all about the threat, and knowing his cousin, he was not taking any of this lightly. Well, he would not wish this burden on his cousin, especially on his wedding day.

"Barely." Marcus was the one to answer his question, believing that Alex would never admit his true feelings.

His friend was not the kind of man who showed his weaknesses. But he was a friend who could guess when he needed his support.

"I am fine, guys. Stop with the melodrama." Alex could not be more than happier to have great friends around, who would always have his back.

But, he needed to hear from his bride soon, or all his facade would soon break loose. He began to realize that his life was only beating because of her. 

He could not imagine what would happen to him if he failed to protect her because he dragged her to this foolish tradition. He could have married her readily in the city hall. It would have been less stressful than this.

"Good to hear. Then, we should make a toast for losing your freedom soon." Lance understood his cousin's situation.

Maybe if he was placed in the same situation, he would have done the same thing. Protect the woman he loved with everything he got.

Unfortunately, he still could not find the woman for him. He liked Jacky a lot, but he guessed not enough for him to move mountains and swim the deepest sea, just like Alex was doing for Dani.

But he could pinpoint a man who would do that for Jacky. It was so obvious how much they were totally crazy for each other. However, mistakes, guilt, and pride could blind a man or a woman of the truth.

"I will toast to that." Marcus poured them each glass and clinked his glass of wine to both Alex and Lance.

He had no issues with Lance, even if he was back with Jacky or not. In fact, he would be more than happy to see Jacky in the arms of a good man like Lance than a man like him.

As they raised their glass, Alex's phone started beeping. He put down his glass and quickly answered the call. The other two could only wait for an update as Alex listened to the other line.

"She's here," Alex uttered with a massive sigh of relief. He had to release a big chunk of air that he had been holding in his lungs since he answered the call.

It was all he wanted to hear, to know that his bride had safely arrived for their wedding ceremony. Now, nothing could ever ruin his day because, in less than an hour, he would be holding his wife's hand.

"Then, we should get you ready," Marcus said, raising his glass again before the three of them finished up their toast.

He checked his friend in the mirror and tapped him on the shoulder to tell him he was ready. He had always been the only one in the group who knew that Dani was the one from the very start.

"Let us get this show on the road," Lance said, mimicking a famous line that he watched in one of the western movies he had watched with Jacky before. "Are you ready?"

Lance opened the door, guiding him out of the room into the hallway that would lead him to his destiny.

"Any lingering doubts that you should not marry this woman," Marcus asked, seriously looking his friend in the eyes.

But he doubted that he would see any trace of him backing out of this matrimony. To others, it might be the end of their bachelor's life, but to his friend. All he saw was the beginning of a new life.

"I have been ready to be hers since I put my ring on her finger," Alex told his friends without even batting an eyelash. 

He might be trembling inside with fear earlier. Presently, his heart was running a hundred miles per minute out of his excitement to see his bride.

He had been ready to marry her for as long as he could remember. He even believed that he was destined to be with her from the very beginning. He was just not aware of it back then. 

The first time Alex had laid eyes on her, he had no doubt that his fate had been marked to cross paths with her again. It was the precise reason that he had never forgotten about her.. Their fate was sealed.