The Royal Contract

She would have liked for her to spend more time with her brother. They might not have shared the same DNA, but the bond they had was strengthened not by blood relations but by love, just like what she and Jacky had.

“Hey, I heard that Gerald came over while I was out. What did he want?” Jacky asked as she brought in some papers and placed them on her desk.

She remembered seeing him earlier on the elevator when she was on her way out. She even greeted him. He did not mention that he needed anything from her boss. She wondered if she had forgotten something, but she could not think of one.

“He only offered to share his lunch with me. He accidentally heard from you that I have not eaten anything yet.” Dani looked at her friend accusingly.

She was not mad at her friend. But sometimes, her big mouth could also be her biggest flaw. Sometimes, she said too much for her own good.

“Oh!” Jacky suddenly realized her mistake. “I am sorry about that.” She quickly apologized, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture. “I really need to put a seal on my lips.” She bit her lower lip as if to make her point.

.....

She admitted that being talkative brought her into trouble more times than she could count. However, it was also one of her greatest assets.

“Do not worry about it. Anyway, do I still have any pending schedules later this afternoon?” She changed the topic of conversation, wanting to focus on all her obligations for the day.

She was almost finished reviewing the new cases on her desk. She selected a few clients that piqued her interest. While the rest were just ordinary cases that could be handled by a junior associate.

She did not see anything interesting about her lunch with Gerald. She was thankful for his gesture, and she appreciated his friendliness. She still looked forward to working with him, but that was it.

“I think you are all clear for the day. The last one on your appointment had rescheduled for tomorrow morning.” Jacky said as she recalled her calendar list.

David also instructed her not to put too much on her plate for the rest of the week. He wanted her to ease back to work and not overwhelm her with several cases and meetings all at once.

“Really?” She was slightly surprised since, on an ordinary day, she would have something else to do until the end of her work shift. “I guess I will be going home early today.”

However, she already guessed that her bosses and Jacky were manipulating her schedule. She disagreed with them, but she knew she could not do anything about it.

Anyway, that is fine since she wanted to check on Alex too. She believed that he might be overworking too while she was not around. Although he still had to work from their apartment.

The doctors advised him to give it another week before going to his office. Thankfully, they did not see anything that indicated any hindrance from his full recovery.

“Me, too!” Jacky excitedly spoke up as she thought of spending time with Marcus.

She did promise to cook for him for dinner tonight. She could not wait to drop by the grocery to get some of her recipe for her famous dish.

She did remember a saying that a way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She hoped that was true because she would do anything to make this relationship work.

“Are you and Marcus really back together?” Dani finally asked her friend.

She had wanted to ask her about their status since she heard about them reuniting. But due to the recent events, she had forgotten.

She was glad that her friend was happily back with Marcus. She knew that Jacky deserved to be with a person who would love and protect her. She only hoped that Marcus had finally realized her worth.

She did not want her to experience getting hurt again just because Marcus was not ready for a commitment. However, she would support them as long as she believed Marcus deserved another chance.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it either.” Jacky finally sat on the vacant chair in front of her desk. “I never thought that I would be able to forgive Marcus.”

She also still could not believe that they were back together. It felt like it was a dream. That at any moment, she would wake up and realize that nothing about it was real.

“As long as you know how you feel about him, fight for it,” Dani imparted her thought about what she thought about her situation.

She could understand Jacky and her concern, but in life, nothing was absolute. Jacky had to take risks to find out if Marcus was the one for her. Just like the way she had taken a chance with Alex.

It was the only way, or she might end up alone or with the wrong guy. However, based on what she had seen with Marcus, he seemed to have changed because of her friend.

She had noticed it before, and she could clearly see it now. She just hoped that Jacky and Marcus found a way to get through all the struggles and obstacles that would come their way.

That was the only way they could make their relationship work, by working through their problems together, just like what she and Alex had been doing.

“I know you are right. I plan to do my best to win Marcus’s heart.” Jacky told her friend.

But before she could continue, the phone ringing on her table made her stop, making her realize that it was time to go back to work.

“Anyway, shall we continue this at another time? But I am glad that we finally have time to chat.” Dani said, reminding herself that she still had a few more stuff to finish before going home.

She watched her friend rush out of her office, moving toward her desk. She smiled at her, seeing that she was genuinely happy about her relationship with Marcus.

This time, she could see that it was different, in comparison, to the first time they were together. She could see that glow in her eyes when she talked about Marcus.

She could feel her happiness whenever she spoke his name. It would seem that this time, it would be love for keeps.