The Royal Contract

Dani and Jacky were flying together with Alex and Marcus to Alex's hometown. Alex insisted that they should arrive together to avoid any speculation about their relationship. Now that their parents knew about their relationship, they must be extra careful in their actions.

"I still can't believe it. Andy is now a grown young man and very handsome too." Dani said to Jacky as they sat on the plane. Dani could not take the image of the young boy from her mind.

She remembered when Jacky first introduced him to her. He was so skinny and had bruises on his face and body. The foster parents, who were supposed to take care of him, maltreated the young boy.

"Who would have thought that he had a talent in arts." Jacky also was so proud of her brother.

Jacky met the young boy in one of the foster homes they stayed in for a year before they separated again to go to another home. During that time, Jacky had taken care of him because he was a sickly boy. They considered each other as family. 

But life was never easy in the foster system as they bounced in different families, some were good, but some were not. Unfortunately for Andy, he ended up in an abusive family. When she learned about it, she asked Dani if she could help.

"I am still thankful for what you did for Andy," Jacky told Dani as they talked about him some more. After a while, Dani excused herself to go to the bathroom.

"What are you two talking about a while ago? Who is Andy?" Marcus inquired as he sat on the chair that Dani vacated. He could not help but overhear the last part of Jacky and Dani's conversation and got curious.

"I just received a message from my brother." Jacky showed Marcus the photo of Andy, proudly pointing out his latest accomplishment.

"You have a brother?" Marcus was slightly shocked by this new information.

"Yes, not by blood, but we grew up in the foster system together." She explained to him. 

Jacky did not usually share personal information, especially about her past life and who she considered her family. She was not sure why she suddenly felt like letting Marcus in with her little secret.

"Oh! He kind of looks like you. I can easily mistake the two of you as real siblings." Marcus commented, which Jacky did not realize until Marcus pointed it out. There were some similarities in their features. Jacky noticed it now.

"So, what happened to him? Why were you thanking Dani earlier?" Marcus could not help but be nosy. He wanted to know more about the girl that was making him sleepless at night. 

He figured that her mystery was what kept him intrigued about her. If he could only learn more about her, then he could finally let go of her and move on. He was not particularly interested in getting serious with her or anyone just yet.

Just like his friends, Daniel, Evan, and David, he too was not ready to commit to one woman. He liked his bachelor's life, and he intended to keep it that way.

"Dani went out of her way to help him find a permanent family that would adopt him. I wanted to do it, but I was not qualified to be a parent or a guardian for him at that time." Jacky explained Andy's story.

They were both new at Mr. Jenkins's firm at the time. They barely knew each other, but when Dani saw Jacky crying in the bathroom. Dani immediately asked her if she could help. Jacky still hesitated at first but eventually told her what happened. 

Dani quickly started calling, getting information about her brother. The following day, Jacky visited her brother in the hospital, getting treated. After several weeks of working on his adoption papers and judicial proceedings, Andy became officially and legally a part of the Clarkson family.

"Where is he now?" Marcus was fascinated to know something new about Jacky. He also found a new kind of admiration for what Dani did for Jacky and Andy.

But then again, Marcus reminded himself that he should not get too involved with Jacky, or else he might end up doing something that he had avoided all his adult life.

"He is now living with a nice family who thinks of him as one of their kids." Jacky could not help but smile as she stared at the young boy's eyes. Gone was the haunted look of despair that she kept seeing in the depths of his eyes. Replacing it was pure happiness.

She was glad that Andy did not end up in the same situation as hers. Not many wanted to adopt a fourteen-year-old boy, but luckily, Dani found a couple who did not care if he was already a teenager. She was not that lucky. She grew up in the system until she was of age. 

At eighteen, she had fended for herself, finding different jobs until she ended up in Mr. Jenkins's office by accident. Well, it was the start of her new life, a better one. She would always thank her lucky stars that finally her life had changed. Meeting Dani was the best thing that happened to her.

"Then, I am glad he is now alright," Marcus noted as he sat closer to Jacky on the plane. "I am glad that you got out of the system too." He meant that as he took Jacky's hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. He suddenly wanted to be there for her, seeing how much this kid was affecting her. He also had a younger brother, so he would know how she could be protective of him.

He had heard so many stories about it, but since it was not in his line of business, he never handled a case like that.

When Dani saw that Marcus and Jacky were getting too cozy, she decided to find another seat on the plane. She did not want to disturb the two. She took a seat nearest to where she was already standing, near the rear side of the airplane.

She had no choice now but to sit across from Alex, who had been silent ever since they left the runway. She was ok with that. She could use the time to rest and contemplate what would happen as soon as they land. She could already expect the chaos that would soon follow.