The Royal Contract

“What?” He asked again, lowering the volume of his headset to a minimum to better hear the message. Then, he slowed down the speed of the machine to a jog and gradually down to a walk.

“Sir, you have a visitor.” He repeated, pointing in the direction of the living room.

Learning who it was, he instructed his assistant to attend to his guest while he took a quick shower and changed. He was done with his routine anyway, and he was due to an appointment in an hour.

He made his way to his room using the other exit, leading him to the kitchen and backway to his room upstairs. He had designed his house like a labyrinth with many passageways and secret rooms.

After a few minutes, he walked toward the office where his guest was already waiting for him. “Hey, Lord, I hope you bring with you the result.” He greeted as he strode to his chair opposite the other man.

“Of course. I will not come here without bringing you good news.” The investigator said with a wide grin on his thick lips, looking satisfied with his work. “That is if my result was what you are expecting. Otherwise, there was nothing else I could do.”

.....

Stockholm was correct about that. He had no control over the result this time. Whatever he had in his possession could either be good news or not.

However, he was unsure if getting a positive result would make things better for him or only worsen what he felt. He still could not tell if he was glad that Ethan could be his father.

“Can I see it?” He leaned forward on his seat, anticipating the form that the investigator would hand to him.

Stockholm immediately pulled an envelope inside his pocket and threw it on the top of the desk. He quickly grabbed it and ripped the closure, pulling the paper inside.

But he had abruptly stopped, unable to continue. He guessed he needed some privacy before uncovering the truth about his identity. Although he doubted if Stockholm had not figured out what this was all about since his job was to know everything.

“I guess whatever is inside that test is something very close to your heart.” The investigator seemed to know more than he realized based on the look he was giving him.

But he was not about to give him a match to start the flame. If he knew something, it probably came from somewhere else, but he would not give him more information other than what he already knew.

“Once again, you have proven your worth. But I think it is time for you to continue enjoying your vacation.” He told the man, not answering his unspoken question. “Let me take care of your transportation and your expenses.” He offered, calling his assistant to assist the investigator out of his office.

“I am always glad to help, but thanks for the bonus.” Grabbing the thick envelope, he handed to him that should be enough to cover his services.

“Thanks again. Until the next time that I will need you again.” Then his guest walked out of his office, leaving him to deal with the information alone.

But he was still contemplating opening the folded paper when his assistant knocked on his door and told him that he had another unexpected guest waiting at the gate.

It meant his guest could be someone who did not frequent his guest list if his security did not clear him to enter. He quickly asked who it was, hoping to get rid of him as soon as possible.

But learning who it was, he knew he had to face her. But he was surprised that she would come to his house alone or without her husband. He was suddenly curious to know her intention for her unexpected visit.

He unconsciously placed the paper in his hand on top of the table. Then he walked towards the window to look at the car parking just in front of his house.

“Sir, Mrs. Hamilton is here to see you.” His assistant announced her arrival.

Soon, the woman entered his room with a hesitant smile planted on her beautiful face. She certainly had a lot of similarities to her daughter.

“I am sorry to come here without an appointment.” She excused herself as she walked further inside the room as her eyes slightly scanned the room.

“Please take a seat.” Gesturing to the chair vacated by the investigator earlier, even offering something to drink. But she politely declined the latter. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Hamilton?” His eyes studied the woman who exuded confidence, but he could tell that she might be nervous inside.

“Thanks, but call me Laura.” She suggested with a friendly smile. “But I only came here to explain something to you about your past.” She offered, her eyes slightly dropping on her hands, clutching her bag on her lap.

“Ok, Laura. What can you tell me that my supposed father had not told me already?” His interest in her statement made him lean back in his seat, waiting to listen to her story.

“I saw your mother when you were just a child.” Laura immediately answered him. “She asked me to come and see her. Then, she told me she always wanted to tell Ethan about you.”

“But she did not, did she? Why?” Gerald was suddenly surprised by her revelation. “Why would she keep me from my father if that is what you are trying to tell me?”

“Because she loved your father, Joaquin. She could not bear to lose him if she went against his wishes. Then, learning about my pregnancy with Dani made her change her mind.” Laura explained to him.

“Marietta could not afford to ruin her relationship with your father. At the same time, ruined mine by involving us about your existence.” Laura added as her eyes glazed with unshed tears, remembering the past.

“I tried to convince her that Ethan had the right to see you, but she said that it was a mistake that she bothered me. She believed that we should forget that you existed for everyone’s sake.” Her voice was full of regret.

He could see that recalling her mother was not particularly easy for her, seeing genuine tears rolling down her cheeks.

“But still, if Ethan believed that I was his son, he should have tried to look for me, get to know me.” His fist balled at his side, recalling how his father, Joaquin, had made him believe all his lies.

“He wanted to, but I stopped him because your mother had made me promise that we would put all this secret with us to our grave,” Laura said. “But I think I made a mistake because we did not consider what you would feel about it.”

Then, her eyes darted to the paper slightly open on his table. “You don’t need to look at that test result to see your resemblance to your real father.” Her eyes stared at his face, then focused on his eyes.

She was right about that.

He had to admit. He also had seen the resemblance in their features when he looked into his father’s eyes. There was no denying that he was his father’s son. The blood that ran in his vein was no other than Ethan.

He was the young version of his father.