The Royal Contract

Whether she liked it or not, he was now one of them. He would always have the same blood running in his veins. And her father’s wishes would always remind her to accept him into the family.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” She could see the reluctance of her husband to let her leave without him.

She could not blame him after all that happened between them, Nick and Gerald. The memories still lingered in her mind, but she had not allowed them to control her this time.

“I am sure. Gerald is my brother, Alex. He would never hurt me.” Dani could not explain to him how she knew this and how she could be so sure that her brother would not harm her.

But she could feel in her guts that she had to trust him. She had to make him believe he could also trust her for all her plans to work. Besides, she was not doing this for herself but for her father and the legacy he had left behind.

Finally, Alex let her leave but only with a promise that she would immediately call or send some warning if she was in trouble. She believed that Alex would not have second thoughts about hurting Gerald if he even touched a hair from her head.

.....

“I am here to see, Mr. Brown.” She told the security guarding the enormous gates.

It was a surprise to learn that he owned a mansion this size since she always thought he only lived in an exclusive apartment downtown.

He had them fooled, alright.

“He is already waiting for you inside.” The guard opened the gates for her, and she slowly cruised on the long driveway, observing the armed men patrolling the perimeter of the place.

She guessed this was his other life. The one that he had kept a secret from everyone. The one in the city was the life he presented to the world, pretending to be a good member of the elite society.

Finally, she stopped at the main door where a man in a uniform stood waiting, probably for her arrival. He quickly greeted her, assisting her outside her door and into the massive hallway.

“Mr. Brown is waiting for you at the poolside.” The man politely stated, guiding her towards another exit that led her to the outdoors.

She could see the man sitting comfortably on a small round table, talking to his phone, with his back on her. But she doubted that he was unaware of her presence.

The man excused himself as she exited the house to join her brother outside. She could see that he was waiting for someone for breakfast as the food was still untouched.

“Hey, Gerald. I am sorry if I am slightly late.” She walked closer to him, then he finally looked up at her, not appearing surprised to see her behind him.

“A few minutes wait would not kill me, though the food was slightly gone cold. Do you want me to have it heat up?” He offered, standing up from his seat.

“I am sorry, but I have to call you again later.” He spoke to the other person on the line before dropping his phone on the table. Then, he focused his attention on her again, offering her the vacant seat next to him.

“Oh, you should not have bothered.” She told him, realizing that the food was for her. “I needed to get back to work soon.”

She took the seat, acting civil with the man she now called her brother. she suddenly wanted to laugh at how fate threw irony so casually as if that was funny. As if life was just a game.

“Well, I thought we could at least spend some time. Give this family bonding a chance.” Gerald responded with a friendly smile. “Besides, we are starting to miss you at the office.”

He wanted to believe that his intentions were true, but warning bells in her head still made her cautious. She was willing to give him a chance but only to a certain extent.

“Fine, but I will not take long.” She said, not minding getting late from returning to the office. “But I do have a few things I need to discuss with you.” She added, and he nodded in agreement.

Besides, the company would still stand even if she went away for a couple of hours. It would not suddenly burn into the ground with her absence.

It had survived without her before. It would still do that while she figured out how to fix their current problems without unnecessary bloodshed.

“Ok. But first, try this. My chef bakes the best pie in this city.” He offered her a piece, placing it in front of her.

Just for civility, she took a bite and agreed it was good. Then, Gerald offered some more different dishes, but she respectfully declined. She was not here for a social call.

“Anyway, I am not just here to bond with you, my brother.” She emphasized the way she called him. “But I am here also to discuss business.”

She placed the fork down on the table after finishing the pie. Then, she drank only water since she had her coffee that morning.

“Well, you certainly had changed overnight from someone who wanted nothing from the business to all about the business.” Gerald had a slight teasing in his tone. Not sarcastic, but playful.

She could understand his reaction since he was only speaking the truth. She was very vocal about her not wanting any part of the business. But things changed when her father left it to her.

“Change is not bad if it would be for the good of everyone and not just yourself.” Dani knew her words were not only meant for her.

She could only wonder if it affected him because she could not read anything from his expression. His eyes remained stoic, but his smile could be deceiving.

“I don’t think you are here to discuss me, getting back to the fold.” He jokingly said. “So, what business do you have in mind?” This time, his face turned serious.

She did not expect a few words could convince him that the good could outweigh the bad.