The Royal Contract

She never thought he remembered since he did not show any signs. But she loved the way he had surprised her this time. Anyway, she always loved all his surprises. She never could ever guess what he had always hidden up his sleeves.

“Have you seen what Haley had initially done with the place?” She asked her husband, slightly curious about the plans.

She had asked her friend to send her some blueprints or pictures, but she had not seen anything yet. She wondered if Alex had it but forgot to give it to her. They had been busy with many things, so she expected he might have misplaced it.

Her eyes turned to her left, expecting to see the construction site soon, feeling her palms sweat at the thought of finally building one of her dreams.

“I think I already gave it to you, but you were busy. You might have forgotten it.” Alex explained as his hands maintained a steady hold on the steering wheel, and his eyes never wavered from the road ahead.

This time, her husband opted not to have someone else drive them to the site. Although two vehicles still trailed them behind as she looked in the rearview mirror.

.....

“Yeah, you are probably right. Well, it doesn’t matter now.” She uttered as the site finally came to her view. It was a large area, and she could already see several machines moving around and people gathering around the spacious front lawn.

“Did you invite the media?” She asked, seeing some cameras set up in front of a podium.

She was surprised because it was supposed to be a small private affair. She did not want the crazy media scene to ruin her solemn moment with the kids she invited from the orphanage.

Instead of celebrating with a massive party for her birthday, as Jacky initially had suggested, she agreed to make this small gathering with the kids as her honored guests.

“They are close friends who had helped me in some of my promotions. They would keep a low profile and help us create more awareness for the foundation.” Alex explained to her, which made sense.

She finally agreed to let them stay, but with the condition that they would not bother the kids. She watched excitedly as the kids moved around the front yard, playing with the toys she had set up for them.

Finally, Alex parked the car not far from the activities, and she immediately unbuckled herself and exited the vehicle without waiting for Alex to open her doors.

She stood in amazement at what Jacky had arranged for the place. It looked like a picture that just popped out from a fairy tale book.

“Do you like it? I think Jacky almost lost thirty percent of her hair, making this thing happen.” Alex said as he stood beside her, admiring the scene before them.

She could imagine what her friend had to go through in the short time she had when she finally decided to do this. She suddenly remembered a few occasions in her childhood her parents would arrange something like this for her.

It had always been the perfect party that all her friends enjoyed spending with her, and many envied too. She was the perfect princess of her father, who only deserved the best.

But this time, this was not for her. This entire party was for those kids deprived of a chance to be happy and enjoy their youth. She would be celebrating with them.

“Are you ready to meet them and check on Haley and her team?” Alex asked as he ushered her toward the front lawn, where many gathered around the fountain of playful dolphins.

“Yes, I am so excited. I think I am about to pee on my pants.” She jokingly replied to her husband, which only made him roll his eyes at her.

She could not help it, believing he was not the only one who could fool around. She smiled at him, then allowed him to escort her toward the people, moving around the spacious area.

She immediately spotted Jacky, who had her hands on her waist, barking orders to a few uniformed men. She did not want to be on that receiving end. If she was in that mood, then those men deserved it. They probably had messed up with her orders.

Then, on another side, on the opposite end of the lawn, she saw Marcus talking to Haley. She could not decide who she would like to go to first. She opted to check on the kids instead.

“Hey, there.” She came closer to a familiar boy that she had not seen for a long time. “Andy. I am glad to see you here.”

She did not know that Jacky had invited her brother to the party. She was glad because she missed him as she enveloped her in her arms. “I also missed you, Dani.” The not-so-young boy responded, hugging her tighter.

“I want you to meet my husband. Alex, this handsome man is Andy.” Then she made the necessary introduction.

At the corner of her eye, another boy came rushing to her side. She could not believe it. She recognized him right away. “Jeremy, you have grown a lot.” Seeing the skinny kid, forming a few fats and muscles on his arms and body. His cheeks were not shallow anymore, giving him a healthier look from their last encounter.

After talking to the two boys and introducing them, they seemed to hit it off, enjoying seeing them interact with each other.

She was expecting that once she had set foot in this place, a banner would be up, and the kids would gather around to cheer her up, greeting her just like what she had seen in surprised parties.

But she loved this more, not taking the limelight on this day. She wanted everyone to think that this was their special day, not just hers.

“Hey, kids. Are you enjoying yourselves?” She asked the little ones who had their hands submerged in the water, trying to catch some actual fish swimming in the pond.

The kids seemed to be loving playing with the water and watching with amazement as water flowed on the dolphin’s lips. That was not all. After a few minutes, the dolphin would shoot up water in the air through its blowhole on the top of its head, creating splashes of water around the fountain.

“What about you? Are you enjoying your day?” His voice tickled her ears as it reminded her of their earlier tryst.

But she smiled at him, showing him how genuinely happy she was with what was happening around her. She could not dream of a perfect day than this.

“Hey, birthday girl. I am sorry I did not notice you earlier. Those catering crew almost screwed up the food. Luckily, I had made backup plans.” Jacky assured her as she took her phone out again from her pocket and answered a call. “You have to excuse me, just a minute.” She pointed her fingers in the air and walked away.

There went her friend, she thought, but she was happy that Alex had never left her side. So far, she had nothing to complain about as everything seemed to be going as planned and more. She could not ask for a perfect birthday than this.