The Royal Contract

When he remained silent, she thought that she might have been mistaken. Maybe she only wanted to read in his eyes what she needed. But in truth, he was just as heartless as the rest of them.

"It is beautiful outside during early mornings, but it could also be hot in the early afternoon. Still, it is better than the snow back home." He finally spoke up, gladly telling her his opinion on the matter.

He slackened a little in his military stance, adding a few details of what he liked about the place compared to where he grew up. He still did not move any closer, maintaining the distance between them.

"Do you think I will ever be allowed to go outside?" Dani finally asked the big man, baiting him to continue with the conversation. Looking down at her feet and appearing desolate.

If she could make him talk and open up a bit more, she could confirm that she was correct in her assumption about him. She might still have a chance to get out of here with Alex, hopefully, both of them alive.

She had to convince him that she deserved his help. That what Nick had done to her and Alex was unreasonable. She had to appeal to his conscience if he still had one.

"Eventually." The man shrugged his shoulders, slightly unsure. "I guess, that is, if you behave. The boss might let you roam around the grounds." He answered her.

Even if he wanted her to see the outside, he could not allow it. Not without the orders of his boss. As of today, he was told that he should not let her out of the room. Lock her doors at all times.

"Where is Nick, by the way? Your boss." She asked him as if out of the blue since he mentioned his boss. "I had not seen him since last night." Pretending to be not that interested. 

She tried to play it cool so he would not suspect anything. He would only think that she was just trying to make conversation. Nothing else.

She guessed that Nick might not be currently on the estate. She presumed that he had left after the call. Knowing Nick, he would not miss the chance to torture her with his presence if he was anywhere nearby. 

"He had to attend to some important business. I heard that something was wrong with his business. That is all I know." It was out of his mouth before he realized that he had said too much. 

Luckily, his partner was not with him when he made the slip-up. Or he might be in trouble with his boss. But he just ignored it since he believed no harm was done.

It was the truth, hearing his boss swearing to the person on the other line. Then, he left instructions for him to keep an eye on her before leaving the other obligations to their team leader.

"Oh, ok." She replied, not making it sound like it was a big deal. "I guess he is busy. I hope you don't mind, but is there some form of entertainment in this house." She tried to change the topic, thinking of another question not related to Nick. 

She thought that should throw him off a bit and not think of his blunder. She did not want him to stop talking to her, thinking she used him to get information.

"Unfortunately, there is none. There is no other form of reception here except for the satellite phone that the boss is using." He told her.

He made sure not to mention the other satellite phone in the radio room they used to communicate outside. He did not plan to make the same mistake twice.

He had already revealed too much to her. He was not going to do it again. However, he still indulged her questions, entertaining her in the process. It was the least he could do under her circumstances.

"Anyway, it was nice talking to you. You are very kind for keeping me company, even for a short while." She said to him, hearing another sound in the hallway.

His partner was on his way back, whistling as he walked towards them. It was a sign that she should end the conversation before the other man caught her and figured out her plans.

"It was my pleasure. I hope I was able to help ease up at least a bit of your loneliness." He pinched his two fingers together in front of him, showing her the hand symbol of tiny.

"It did. I hope we can do this again." She answered him, feeling delighted that she had made a breakthrough. She just needed to follow it up soon. "Thanks again."

Then, she turned her head at the view outside her window. She pretended to be admiring the landscape of the place, which prompted Samson to move back to the door and check on his partner.

"Just put the food on the table and let us get out of here. We still have something else to do." He instructed the other man. "Hurry up. We are already late as it is." He looked at his watch on his wrist, inspecting the time.

"Eat well, princess." He said before closing the door when his partner had exited the room. 

She would have thanked him again, but the door was already closed. Besides, she did not want to appear getting close to him in front of another guard.

She kept her mouth close and stared at the food before her. It looked good, but she still had no appetite. However, just like before, she forced the food on her lips, down to her stomach. 

"Bottoms up." She motivated herself as she took the last portion of the dish into her mouth, hardly tasting any of its deliciousness. At least she had made some progress, she thought, keeping herself pumped up with hope.

She reminded herself that she had to keep her body nourished and her mind sharp.. That was the only way she and Alex would be getting out of here in one piece.