The Royal Contract

“Would you stop walking? I am sick, but I am not blind. You are making me very dizzy.” Angela finally voiced her concern, holding on to her head for emphasis.

She could not help but wonder what was causing his distress. Although, she was still waiting for Evan to tell her if he had gone to dinner with Amelia or if she did not bother to show up.

She could not blame the poor girl, she was still under a lot of stress, and her grandson was not quite a prince charming from how he acted yesterday.

Well, Amelia had not shown up yet to visit her. But it was still early, and she might still be resting because she had a late night, either from the dinner with her grandson or something else.

But she hoped it was due to her grandson. An old lady could always dream. She admitted she was old and getting tired. Still, she wished to see her grandson married to a lovely girl before she passed away to the next life.

“I am sorry,” Evan responded, moving to her side and sitting on the side of the bed. Then, his fingers started caressing her hair, giving his full attention to her. “I thought you were still sleeping.”

.....

He then leaned down to her and kissed her forehead, but she could only smile at his sweet gesture. She could not help but be proud to have a loving grandson who was always there for her.

“I am now awake, but your constant moving wants to send me back to sleep. What is the matter with you?” Angela concernedly asked as she looked up into his face.

Evan only smiled at her but did not answer right away. He looked like he was still thinking about what he would say to her. But whatever it was, she guessed that it had something to do with the girl from yesterday.

She could see it in his eyes. Well, that was what she wanted to believe anyway. But whatever was bothering her grandson. She was here to help him. She could not stand seeing him as problematic as his expression would suggest.

“It is nothing, Grandmama.” He finally responded with a wide grin, all traces of his earlier dilemma gone. “It is just about work.” Even his eyes glimmered with happiness.

He gradually shifted in his seat and cradled her in his arms, allowing her head to rest on his broad chest. She could remember when it was her who held him in this position. Now, the time had finally reversed.

“Are you sure? I could not remember a particular time that you were ever bothered by work before. Not when you came to visit me, so what kind of problem is this?” Showing how much his situation upset her as her forehead creased with worry lines.

Evan quickly moved again to face her, trying his best to appease her. He even gently gripped her hands as he gazed into her eyes.

“Ok. It is not about my work.” He reluctantly admitted, probably afraid that she might have another attack.

When she raised her brows in question, he moved his hands through his hair and allowed his fingers to entangle in its slightly long strands.

“Then, what is it about?” Angela was not about to give up now. She could already sense that her grandson was about to tell her something. She hoped it had something to do with Amelia and not some random girl he met on the street.

She could see him taking some deep breaths. Suddenly, she wondered if he would tell her that he was involved with someone else or had impregnated a girl.

Was he going to inform her that he was getting married? She hoped not because she was sure that there was a reason why Amelia landed on her doorstep.

Not necessary on her doorstep, but fate was intervening on her behalf. It was telling her that the woman for her grandson was that girl. She could only cross her fingers and hoped that Evan was still single and unattached.

“Well,” Evan started scratching the back of his head, still hesitating to tell her.

“If you don’t start talking, you might as well give me another heart attack from the anticipation.” She chastised him for prolonging her wait.

He finally let go of her hand and stood up and walked away from her and then back. All she could do was give him a long look. What else could she do? She was pretending to be sick after all.

“How well do you know Amelia?” He finally asked when he returned to her side, standing straight and looking directly into her eyes.

“Why? Did you two go on that dinner I asked you to take her?” She could only hope the answer was yes. But she could not show how much excited she was about the prospect.

She still had to pretend that she was not pushing him towards her, or he might bolt and ride his plane out of her life for good. It was an unlikely scenario, but she was old. She could be melodramatic sometimes.

“Yes, and I acted like a civilized person as you asked me to be.” He told her. “But she seemed to be aloof. My charms would not work on her.”

“Meaning, Amelia, shut your advances. That is interesting.” She could not help but tease her grandson. “I told you that you need a good woman at your side, not several women to play around.”

“You know I am still too young to be tied down to one relationship. I still have plenty of time for that later.” He turned his head away from her, refusing to listen to her litany.

“I will say good for her that she never fell for your charms. But I know she is different from most girls you dated. She is decent and a beautiful girl, inside and out.” Angela pretended to arrange her blanket around her waist as she got more comfortable in her seat, but her eyes never left him, studying his every reaction.

“Fine! She is different.” He finally conceded, moving to the side of the bed and sitting on the lone chair, facing her. “Luckily, she is not my type anyway.” Finally, showing her that he was giving up on the girl.

That was odd, she thought. Her grandson had become successful in his career not because they came from old money. Yes, they had enough to live comfortably, but he had worked hard to get where he was today.

He did not give up easily, even when the going got tough, so what had changed.

“But I think you like her. Just my observation.” The old lady smiled at her grandson.

“You can say what you want, Grandmama, but I think she is not my cup of tea.” He tapped her grandmother by the hand as he stood up.

“I think I will grab a coffee. Do you want something else to eat, seeing that the food in this place seemed not that appetizing?” He offered, but she only declined.

She believed she had hit a nerve, and he tried his best to dodge her attacks. She knew when he was evading her. This instance was one of them.

After a few seconds, she watched Evan walk out of her room and disappear from the corner. She could only shake her head from how he reacted to his situation.

“It seemed that your acting is working just fine.” Her trusted nurse entered her room a few seconds after her grandson had left with a wide grin on her face.

Angela also responded in kind, smiling at her friend. Then, she started posing for her friend, flicking her hair as if she was in front of a camera.

“Well, I would not be a superstar back in my days if I could not do these simple scenes.” She started stretching her hands, feeling their stiffness from not moving much.

“Should I still keep filling this IV fluid? We both know you never needed it in the first place. But it is giving your skin a warm glow.” Her nurse slightly pinched her arms, making her fair skin have that tinge of pink on the spot.

“Just let it be, keep it going. I still did not get the result that I wanted. I think these kids still needed some pushing in the right direction.” Angela stated with a slightly naughty smile.

“But have Dr. Brewinsky dismissed me by tomorrow because I could not stay in this room for another night.” She instructed her friend, who had been her nurse for a long time.

“You know this matchmaking that you are doing might not work and might backfire on you eventually.” Her nurse continued to warn her.

She had considered that possibility, but she was old. What else could ever happen to her? She could hope her grandson would not hold a grudge against her. Besides, she only wanted him to end up with a girl she believed would be good for him.

She could not live forever to take care of him and kept checking upon him. She definitely would not want him to end up with those skunks that kept revolving around him.

“I am ready for the consequence. Don’t you worry about me? But get me those delicious muffins that you always bring me. I am starving.” She urged her nurse, agreeing with her grandson that hospital food tasted like shit.

“You should have asked Evan to buy you some.” The nurse jester at her, but she walked out the door and entered immediately again, carrying a brown bag in her hands. “Here.” Handing it to her.

“You are a true godsend.” She blew her a kiss, quickly unwrapping the baked bread while sniffing its delicious aroma.

“I suggest you quickly eat it before your grandson catches you red-handed.” The nurse smiled before waving her hands at her, leaving her in peace.

She munched on her muffin, enjoying its delightful taste, but her mind was already planning her next move. Still, she had to play it cool, or else all her efforts might go in vain.