The Royal Contract

Usually, he would summon for her to see him and not the other way around. But he was here, so it must be something urgent that he had to drop by himself.

“Dani,” Ethan quickly responded, kissing her on the cheeks. “I was in the vicinity and thought I should check on you.” Staring at her face with eyes that had been through many experiences.

She was glad that her father had started to regain his strength, seeing his colors return to normal and his body mass also increase slowly back to its original form.

Although she was still wary that his health had not returned to what it used to be. The doctors told her that it was normal for a man at his age.

Still, she wished that her father would fully recover and would have more time in this world to be with them. She felt that she still needed more time with him.

“You should have called me. I would have come back quickly if I knew you were here.” She held his father by the arms and guided him to a seat in the lobby. “Do you want to go back to the office, or are you on your way back home?”

.....

She sat across from him on the massive area with several passing around them. But her focus remained planted on the man before her.

“I was here to see how you are doing. But you were not in your office. So, I thought I would see you some other time.” He reasoned, leaning his body on the backrest, letting his hands rest on his lap. “Besides, I did not want to disturb your busy schedule.”

She touched his left hand closest to her and tapped him gently. “I will never be too busy for you, Dad. As long as you need me, I will be there.”

She believed that her father had been searching for her brother behind her back. She could not understand why he would not share this information with her, but she did not want to stress him by forcing the issue.

She wondered if her father had found him or was still waiting for his hired investigators for answers. In her case, she still had no clue who he was.

“I would not take so much of your time.” He stood up from the seat, pulling her also to her feet.

He took a deep breath before pulling her again for a hug. She could sense that something was weighing heavily on his stance, but she just returned a tight hug to comfort him.

“Well, I am glad that you came by, Dad. Send my love to Mom.” She told him, walking him back to his waiting car, already parked outside, relieved to know that, at the very least, nothing was wrong with him.

“I will.” He answered, his lips curving into a warm smile. “By the way, I hope you and Alex will visit us soon. It has been relatively quiet around the house when it is just your mother and me.” Ethan expressed his genuine longing for her, his only daughter.

She could only imagine what her father was currently experiencing. She did not remember him staying much longer than a few hours inside the house, except for their few family bondings when she was young.

But she heard her mother express her gladness that he was finally taking some time to relax and enjoy his life. She wondered what her mother would say if she found out that her father did not feel the same way.

“Are you bored at the house?” She could read him like a book. She had seen his longing to be back in the game. The way he had stared at the people coming and going inside the building. She could see how much he missed being at the top of a building.

“Yes,” Ethan finally admitted to his daughter what he could not say to his wife. “I love your mother. But staying in that house with nothing much to do and not much to talk to is hard. It is making me insane.”

Her father finally admitted with a pang of slight guilt in his eyes. She understood him, but she also could sympathize with what her mom was saying.

“Have you talked to Mom about this?” She stood beside him on the pavement as they discussed her father’s issue, unmindful of the people passing them by on the busy street.

Her concern centered on what was going on with her father. She wanted to help him with his problem, but it was an issue that only he could resolve by himself. All she could do was support him with his decision.

“Not yet.” He answered her, shaking his head as if he suddenly realized that he had shared too much. “Anyway, we can talk more about this once you visit us.”

He stood closer to her, leaning down to impart a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Now, go back to your work. I do not want your boss to think you are slacking off.”

She could hear the teasing in his voice, making her smile. Suddenly, she remembered a few times they shared moments like this.

She could only wish that they would have more of these memories to share in the future. Her mind went back to her brother. She also wished her brother would have a chance to know him.

“Go rest once you reach home.” She reminded him, not wanting him to overdo things.

She stepped aside as her father rode the vehicle. Once inside, she waved goodbye as his chauffeur closed the door on him. A minute later, his car was driving away.

She quickly turned inside, walked through the lobby, and entered the elevators. She was in a hurry since she still had tons of work left on her desk that needed her attention.

What she did not see was a man watching their little sweet father and daughter interaction? Unmindful of her surrounding. She immediately pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text to Jacky.

As the elevator doors were about to close, a hand suddenly sneaked in between, effectively opening the panels again.

She abruptly looked up from the phone, finally noticing that she had company.

“Hi, Dani. It is perfect timing that I bump into you.” Her present companion greeted her as he moved forward inside the small box and stood before her. “If you are not busy, maybe we can talk.”

“Gerald, what is it?” She asked, suddenly anxious as her eyes studied his face. “Do you need something important?”

She watched him as the door behind him finally closed, and the elevators jerked into motion as they climbed the building to her indicated floor.

Suddenly her eyes focused on his face, then her lips curved into a smile. Then, she shook her head at the ridiculousness of her thoughts.

“What seems to be funny?” Gerald suddenly asked, probably curious at her reaction. He moved to her other side as they now faced the doors, waiting for them to open.

She suddenly realized that she was smiling for no apparent reason, seeing her reflection on the metallic walls of the elevator. She must have looked crazy.

“Nothing. Something just suddenly popped in my head, and it seemed ridiculous.” She confessed to him, not wanting him to think that she was laughing at him.

She did see his face contorted in confusion as he glanced her way. She did not want him to feel insulted or something similar to that. After all, he was still her boss.

“Try me. I love a funny story.” He suddenly challenged her, slightly turning to her, sporting a big grin on his lips. “Let me guess. I have a big smudge on my face.” His hands patted both sides of his cheeks, searching for dirt on his skin.

“No, that is not it.” She mildly chuckled at her boss, who was clowning around. She shook her head from left to right. “It is just that I had never noticed before that you have a partial resemblance to someone I know.” She finally admitted what was going through her mind.

She had been staring at her father for so long a few moments ago that when she finally looked at her boss, she suddenly noticed some familiarity between them.

But that could be a mere coincidence, or her eyes were tired from the many sleepless nights. Anyway, she could only laugh at her thoughts, finding no relevance in their current situation.

“Who could that be?” He asked as his eyebrows raised at her in question.

“It is nothing, just a silly thought.” She answered him as the elevator finally stopped and opened its doors. “Anyway, can I drop by at your office before I leave?”

She walked out of the elevator. Then, she turned around to look at her boss, who held the doors again to stop them from closing. As much as she wanted to discuss the case with her boss and lawyer, she remembered the work, still waiting for her back at her office.

“That will work for me,” Gerald answered her before returning his hands to his side, allowing the doors to close at him. But not before she saw him give her a wave goodbye and a smile.

She also turned around in the direction of her office, in a hurry to finish her work. But the thought of her boss having a semblance in features to his dad made her smile once again.