The Royal Contract

"You have to get me out of here, Arnold." He shouted, slamming his hands on the metal table separating him from the other man inside the three-by-three room.

Arnold had been his lawyer for a long time. He had worked on many cases for him and had not lost one. Currently, he had advised that he cooperated with the authorities while they processed a solution on his case. 

He said that his legal team needed time to find a loophole in the criminal charges against him. At the moment, the overwhelming evidence and testimonies against him would be difficult to disprove. 

"I don't think I can last long inside these bars." He pushed himself off the table, but the chains prevented him from going far. 

At the moment, he could not do anything but remain in police custody. He had no other choice but to defend himself and prove his innocence.

He could not just flee the country and leave everything he had worked hard to build behind. That was not an option. He had to face this in court and make everybody believe that he had nothing to do with these accusations.

"We are doing everything we can. For the meantime, all you can do is sit tight." The lead attorney in his case responded. "We believe we can find a way out of this," Arnold said in a confident tone.

He was one of the best in handling criminal cases such as this. He never believed that a lawsuit was lost until he had exhausted all his effort and resources. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence against a client, he could turn the tables around and win the case if he had enough resources to work with.

His concept of the law had nothing to do between right and wrong. He worked along with the gray areas of the justice system, manipulating the result in his favor.

"I have been sitting my ass for you. I want results as soon as possible." He demanded, running his hands through his hair in frustration. 

He was paying his legal team an outrageous amount of money to work non-stop to get him out of jail. He did not like to be treated like a common criminal. 

So far, he was still treated well inside the jail cell due to the money he paid the guards and the other cellmates. But he was not content to be confined in the square room that was now his temporary lodging.

He wanted out and free as soon as could be arranged by his team. He would not allow his current situation to become a permanent thing, not when he could still do something about it.

"Just give us a few more days to work on your defense. So far, the case looks promising." Arnold closed his files, already concluding the meeting.

He had dealt with arrogant and wealthy clients before. Just because they had the means, these people believed they were entitled to a favorable outcome. Nickolas Travis was no different.

He had defended criminals like Nick because of the challenge. He did not care about the moral value of the case. In addition, he valued more the financial benefit it provided not only to him but to his law firm.

Besides, as a lawyer, he was obligated to defend anybody regardless of their criminal liability. Well, in his case, that was what he used as an excuse whenever questioned about why he took such a controversial lawsuit.

"I want you to get me out of here soon," Nick said in a threatening voice, not caring if the man was on his side.

He could not allow his enemies to laugh at his expense. He was also worried about the fate of his company. Although his board assured him that everything was still under control, he had to be on top of the situation.

His company was already standing on shaky grounds even before he was incarcerated. It might finally tumble down if he could not do anything to stop the bad publicity from ruining his reputation.

He might be guilty of the crime, but he was not stupid enough to admit to any of it. Many criminals he had known never paid for their crimes in jail since money could tip the balance of the justice system to their favor.

"I will see you soon." His lawyer stood from his chair and bade farewell to his client.

He grabbed his bag and walked to the door, knocking lightly to notify the guard outside that the visit was over. This room in the precinct had no cameras and microphones inside, providing privacy between a lawyer and their clients. 

He nodded to his client before walking out the door once the door opened, thanking the guard for providing assistance. He did not wait for his client, walking straight toward the exit.

"Come on, Mr. Travis. Time to go back to your cell." The guard who opened the door walked towards him and unlocked the chain bounding him to the table.

The uniformed man assisted him to the door and walked him in the opposite direction. He walked alongside several cells with men also facing their charges were locked, also waiting for their judgment.

He continued walking to the farthest part of the room, where he would be locked again. Luckily, he had worked a deal to allow him to occupy the cell by himself.

"Here you are, Mr. Travis." The guard said, stopping in front of the small room with iron bars, serving as its divider and entrance inside.

He guided him back inside the room, asking him to hold his hands high so that he could remove the chains on his wrist. Afterward, the guard left him, locking the door behind him.

He was again alone in the room, pacing around the small space. He stared at the small window with bars at the top of the wall, unable to accept his condition.

"I would make all of you pay." He mumbled to himself, sitting on the edge of the bed provided for him.

It was a small cot with a top bunk, but nobody occupied the upper portion. He did not want anyone to share his space, not those criminals who had no business going near him.

He laid down on the bed with nothing else to do in this jail cell. His mind wondered where his plans had gone wrong. Who could he blame for its failure?

"Who are you?" He pictured the man in his mind, but a blank face was all he conjured as he stared at the empty space.

He believed that the man they called the big boss was behind all of this. If he could only determine his identity, he could use him as leverage for his freedom.

He would not stop until he had made him pay, just like the rest of his enemies. He was a fool to believe that he could use the man behind the shadows to his advantage.

Now, he was the one on the hot seat, with his life hanging in the balance.. While the real mastermind was out there laughing at his expense.